Tricycle | Awake in the World

Bartenders are easy to confide in. Not just because you're probably wasted, but because so many others have been before you. Your neighborhood barkeep has already heard it all, and though he might not be able to impart any sage advice, he's at least developed some good listening skills. While barkeeps seem to have always occupied this unique social position, it's therapists who often do these days. Before therapy, which developed from the Christian culture of confession and divulgence, it was the clergy who saddled this responsibility. Vowz Bar in Tokyo revitalizes that once important role of clergy, placing them right behind the bar, where Buddhist-themed cocktails are mixed for spiritually thirsty patrons. Run by monks in the bustling Shinjuku district, it's likely the only bar where boozy-and-stirred concoctions are offered with a prayer. More »

An advance copy of the new issue of Tricycle, Summer 2013, arrived in the office yesterday. It goes online May 6, but until then, check out this sneak peek of the cover (we have to say, it's pretty cool...). And of course, take a look at our Spring 2013 issue in the meantime.   More »

This is an excerpt from How to Change the World, by John-Paul Flintoff, part of Picador's The School of Life series. © 2013. How can I, one individual in a world of billions, hope to change anything? There are many reasons why this kind of defeatist question comes so easily to us. They include the way we have been brought up, a lifetime of putting up with things that frustrate or dismay us, and painful memories of failed attempts to Do Something. But the fact remains that we are all making a difference all the time. The real problem is that if we’re only affecting things unconsciously then we are probably not producing the effect we would wish for. 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 »

In this last week's teaching of insight meditation teacher Gina Sharpe's retreat, "Granting Forgiveness," she reviews the past weeks' practices that have culminated in the final and most difficult aspect of forgiveness: granting it to those whom we believe have harmed us. Guiding us from a metta practice into a forgiveness meditation, Sharpe calls on the forgiveness work that we have already done, and asks that we first face our pain, fully feeling all of our emotions, memories, and stories. Then she asks that we let it all go. Reminding us that forgiving others does not necessarily mean reconciliation—forgiveness is an internal, not an external practice—Sharpe lays out a template for a forgiveness practice that can and should last well beyond her four-week retreat.   More »

Cambridge University paper The Tab has compiled a reel of all the Dalai Lama's chortles from a press conference this morning in Cambridge, England. I challenge you to watch without cracking a smile.     More »

And there may be no "progress" in religion, in practice, or in the Dharma, either. —Gary Snyder   I’ve been hearing from some people recently that Buddhism needs to change to fit with these modern times. I’m not sure what Buddhism they’re talking about. More »

Over at the Huffington Post, spiritual author Mark Matousek and dharma teacher and author Catherine Ingram have started Dharma Salon, a video chat series with the goal of becoming the “eyes and ears on the ground” for culturally-minded dharma bums around the world who are interested in the New York art scene. More »

In this third week's installment of insight meditation teacher Gina Sharpe's retreat, "Asking for Forgiveness," she requests that we reflect on those thoughts, words, and deeds that we feel we would like to be forgiven for. Stressing that we should be honest with ourselves, and warning us to resist the ease of blaming others, Sharpe guides us to reflect on our past mistakes without shame or guilt. "The beauty of spiritual work," she says, "is that we joyously remember that it is possible to shift our lives, and that that shifting comes through a change of heart and mind." Through a variety of metta practice and forgiveness meditations, she explains what it means to ask for forgiveness— that it is an internal practice, not something that promises reconciliation or obligates reforming relationships. She asks us to remember this wisdom from the Dhammapada: More »