Tricycle | Awake in the World

Walking is a perfect form of meditation for those of us who are not sitters. I beat myself up about not being a sitter with thoughts like: I should sit. I should sit. I should sit. The Dalai Lama sits. Stillness would be a good quality to cultivate in the world…are thoughts I think until the baggage of my thoughts about sitting gets so big I cannot fit it in the overhead compartment. I must pay extra to have it checked to my final destination, if you know what I mean. More »

Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition. This week Jeff takes a look at varying depictions of the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas in the Mahayana tradition. Himalayan Art 101: Confession Buddha Paintings More »

Phalluses are a common sight in Bhutan. They're thought to ward off evil spirits. They are often nailed to trees or posts, or painted onto the outside walls of houses and shops. At Chimey Lhakang, or the Temple of the Divine Madman, in Bumthang, visitors are tapped on the head with a phallus, which is thought to bring fertility to those hoping to have children. Our guide referred to the sacred object as "the mighty flaming phallus of discerning wisdom of the Divine Madman." The Divine Madman, or Drukpa Kungley, remains a revered historical figure in Bhutan and is remembered as a great master of Vajrayana. After the visit, one witty Tricycle pilgrim let the rest of us know that she had morning-after pills on hand should anyone feel the need. More »

Biography and autobiography in Tibet are important sources for both education and inspiration. Tibetans have kept such meticulous records of their teachers that thousands of names are known and discussed in a wide range of biographical material. All these names, all these lives—it can be a little overwhelming. The authors involved in the Treasury of Lives are currently mining the primary sources to provide English-language biographies of every known religious teacher from Tibet and the Himalaya, all of which are organized for easy searching and browsing. Every Tuesday on the Tricycle blog, we will highlight and reflect on important, interesting, eccentric, surprising and beautiful stories found within this rich literary tradition. More »

Since Alissa Quart's "neuro-critical" Times op-ed, which we covered on the blog last week, The New Yorker has followed suit. On The New Yorker's News Desk blog, Gary Marcus reports on the recent history of the preponderence of neuroscientific explanations in the mainstream media despite several setbacks within the field and a number of overlooked books which seriously undermine neuroscience's most sensational claims. This brief history extends up to the publication of Quart's op-ed last week, which Marcus announces as the entry of these concerns into the mainstream. More »

It's possible that Hurricane Sandy was an anomaly. Or maybe, just maybe, the Earth is trying to tell us something. As more resources in both the public and private sectors are being put toward sustainable technology and awareness initiatives, our new retreat with professor and Zen teacher David Loy offers yet another way to contemplate the pressing eco-crisis.  Often it seems like a rather daunting task— can an individual actually change the trajectory of our planet? Our December retreat, "Transforming Self, Transforming Earth: A Buddhist Ecology" offers insights into how we can (and must) take responsibility for our individual attitudes that have repercussions on much larger scales.  More »

Cleaning the bathroom or chopping the onions is no less important than sitting in deep meditation. Grasping this and acting on it is called waking up. —Janet Jiryu Abels, “Participate Fully” "Chop wood, carry water" is a Zen saying. In other words, just do what you are doing, nothing more, nothing less. More »

If you get the Sunday Times you probably saw Alissa Quart's clever op-ed on the backlash against the perfunctory extrapolations and sweeping claims made by popular neuroscience. The danger of false positives in neuroimaging has been brought to the attention of the public eye over the last several years (remember those neuroscientists that imaged brain activity in a dead salmon?). Quart's piece, however, doesn't just lay blame on shoddy science and premature conclusions drawn by neuroscientists, it also examines the culture that allows neuroscientific explanations to supplant other viable interpretations of experience. More »

Biography and autobiography in Tibet are important sources for both education and inspiration. Tibetans have kept such meticulous records of their teachers that thousands of names are known and discussed in a wide range of biographical material. All these names, all these lives—it can be a little overwhelming. The authors involved in the Treasury of Lives are currently mining the primary sources to provide English-language biographies of every known religious teacher from Tibet and the Himalaya, all of which are organized for easy searching and browsing. Every Tuesday on the Tricycle blog, we will highlight and reflect on important, interesting, eccentric, surprising and beautiful stories found within this rich literary tradition. Bon Master Drenpa Namka More »