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If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life
Author and blogger James Ishmael Ford is a dually-appointed Unitarian Universalist minister and Soto Zen Priest. His newest book, If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life, was published by Wisdom Publications in September. The following passage is excerpted from the chapter "Spiritual Directors."
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Everything Necessary to Salvation: An Interview with James Ishmael Ford
James Ishmael Ford is a Buddhist teacher, author, and blogger who embraces Zen Buddhism within the structure of American religious tradition. He serves both as a Unitarian Universalist minister at the First Unitarian Church of Providence and a Soto Zen priest with the Boundless Way Zen network. Ford is the author of the classic Zen Master Who?, a useful guide to North America's Zen teachers, traditions, and sanghas. His most recent book, If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life, leaves no stone unturned in constructing an intimate, multifaceted reflection on the Zen path, drawing on sources as diverse as the Bible and stand-up comics.
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Looking Back: Tricycle's Interview with Darlene Cohen
Today we were pleasantly reminded of the late Zen priest and author Darlene Cohen when we received a beautiful, two-volumed boxed set of The Noisiest Book Review in the Known World: The Best of RALPH: The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy and the Humanities, in which our Fall 2005 interview with Cohen is being reprinted. Cohen, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, wrote extensively on dealing with chronic pain, both physical and emotional. In her Q&A with Tricycle's features editor Andrew Cooper, her sharp wit really shines through. We thought we'd share a laugh by posting the brief interview in its entirety here:
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The Rise of the "Nones" — Why are so many Americans religiously unaffiliated?
According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion is on the rise. These unaffiliated, or "nones," currently number at 46 million—about one in five Americans. The rate of unaffiliated among adults under 30 numbers significantly higher at about one in three Americans.
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Communicating with Meaning: Week 3 of Vishvapani's Retreat on Right Speech
Today Vishvapani Blomfield continues his online Right Speech retreat with "Communicating with Meaning," an examination of our intentions across all forms of communication, suggesting the primacy of intention over subject matter. Vishvapani encourages us to reflect more fully on our inner values and motivations that inform our speech, enabling us to better abstain from frivolous, meaningless speech, and direct language in a highly charged, refined way that is conducive to genuine communication.
If you are a Tricycle Supporting or Sustaining Member, you can now watch this week's retreat here. If not, join or upgrade your membership here.
Here's a preview:
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Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of October 8
In the wake of last week's attack on Buddhist temples and homes in Bangladesh, various news sources have reported that between 100 and 300 people have been arrested. In Burma last Friday, Buddhist monks protested in front of the Bangladesh embassy in Rangoon, although judging by the photo below, the protest was not entirely focused on Muslim-Buddhist relations.
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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Who is Tara?
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 explains the ubiquitous yet mysterious figure of Tara in Himalayan Buddhist art.
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Who is Tara?
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Working with Mindfulness: An Interview with Mirabai Bush
Mirabai Bush is the co-founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, an organization devoted to bringing contemplative practice into mainstream institutional life. Though its current focus is on higher education, Bush herself is known for her work at such corporate behemoths as Google, Monsanto, and Hearst Publications, where she has taught mindfulness training. Her most current work in the corporate landscape has been at Google alongside Chade-Meng Tan, a Google engineer, and Daniel Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, in developing an emotional intelligence, mindfulness-based course called Search Inside Yourself.
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H.H. the Dalai Lama Meets Dave Matthews
Straight from the Dalai Lama's Twitter feed, it's His Holiness with Dave Matthews last night at the Common Ground for Peace Forum at Syracuse University. Maybe a collaboration is in the future! (We're kind of kidding, but really, wouldn't that be cool?)
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Smiling Mind: The New Website and App for Mindfulness Meditation for Young People
Smiling Mind, a new website and mobile app, is a mindfulness meditation program designed specifically with children and young adults in mind. Developed by an Australian nonprofit, Smiling Mind is available completely free-of-charge with registry.The program takes listeners through guided meditations, beginning with a "body scan" session and moving on to sounds, thoughts, and emotions—always returning to the ever-calming, grounding sensation of the breath. All meditations are presented secularly.
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InsightLA Celebrates Ten-Year Anniversary with Jack Kornfield and Actress Sandra Oh
Today we have a guest blog post by Trudy Goodman, the founder and guiding teacher of InsightLA. InsightLA is one of the leading organizations in the country providing meditation and stress reduction courses to individuals and groups. On October 13th, they will be celebrating their ten-year anniversary, hosted by Sandra Oh of Grey's Anatomy fame and with Jack Kornfield as the keynote speaker. You can buy tickets to the event and learn more about it here.
By Trudy Goodman
I’m sitting on a stone wall, overlooking the magnificent estate of Pamela and Jef Levy in Beverly Hills, where we are kicking off InsightLA’s 10th anniversary with a special fundraiser on October 13th.
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Communicating with Kindness: Week 2 of Vishvapani's Retreat on Right Speech
Today we begin the second week of Vishvapani Blomfield's retreat on Right Speech. In "Communicating with Kindness," Vishvapani encourages us to engage in full, heartfelt communication by relating to others from a motivation of love. To walk the path of Right Speech, it is not enough to set out simply to tell the truth; we must also be able to communicate with love and affection. This involves following the Buddha's example of communicating with others not just in terms of their limitations but directly with their human potential.
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Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Teaches in NYC Next Week
Join Buddhist teacher, artist, and author Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche at the META Center in New York City next week for "Uncommon Kindness," a three-part series of meditations to awaken the heart. Running the evenings of Wednesday through Friday (10/10-10/12), the teachings will show us how to overcome our limited focus of self-concern, giving us the tools to forge lives filled with empathy and kindness.
Until then, have a read of Pema Chödrön's latest Tricycle article “The Fundamental Ambiguity of Being Human.” Pema is a current student of Rinpoche's.
Get the details and purchase tickets here.
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Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of October 1
It all started in a small phone repair shop in southeast Bangladesh last Saturday, when a Buddhist man in his twenties accidentally Facebook-tagged himself in a photo of a burned Koran. Others in the shop saw the photo, and the news spread around the Muslim community. By Sunday, a mob had gathered, converging on the Buddhist villages in the area of Cox's Bazar. Together they torched at least 10 Buddhist temples and burned and vandalized more than 100 Buddhist homes. The police had calmed the situation by dawn, but the damage had already been done.
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Help Fund the Production of an American Buddhist Documentary
Adam Eurich's self-funded film-in-progress, Seeking Heartwood, is an attempt to find the best in American dharma. Extracting wisdom from the lifetime of practice, study, and kindness of a generation who earnestly strove for decades to practice the Buddha’s teachings, Eurich has been driving across the United States for almost two years, visiting dharma centers and interviewing teachers in order to craft his documentary.
There's just one obstacle—he's run out of money! You can learn more about Seeking Heartwood here and donate to its Kickstarter project here. Your contribution will go toward completing the last of the interviews and the film's post-production.
We look forward to seeing the finished product. Best of luck, Adam!
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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Cityscapes
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 explores paintings of cityscapes in the Himalayan Buddhist world.
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Cityscapes
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The Torah of Nonviolence: An Interview with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is no stranger to controversy. Dubbed the “Radical Rabbi” by some who view her peace work with Iran and Palestine to be anti-Israel, she most recently made headlines in the Jewish community when President Obama included her on his six hundred-strong list of rabbis who had signed on to support his campaign.
As one of the first ten women to become a rabbi and the first woman ordained as a rabbi in the Jewish Renewal Movement, she has long been an advocate for Jewish feminism. In 1974 she founded a Jewish feminist theater troupe called Bat Kol (literally, “daughter of a voice”), and in 1995 authored the book She Who Dwells Within: A Feminist Vision of a Renewed Judaism.
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Tricycle's New Tumblr
Tricycle now has a tumblr page! In addition to the familiar stuff, you'll find cartoons, little gems of wisdom, quotes from new books, and old favorites from the editors.
Take a look at our new tumblr, "Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World," here.
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Thai Taxi Talismans
Artist Dale Konstanz has been addicted to taking Thai taxis since he moved to Bangkok in 2003. They became not just a way to get around, but an opportunity to chat with the drivers, practice his Thai, and learn about the culture. For his book, Thai Taxi Talismans, Konstanz has compiled the best of his photos of Buddha images, lucky charms, and pop culture paraphernalia that sit on dashboards and dangle from rear-view mirrors in Bangkok cabs.
Read an excerpt and look through our slideshow of some of the talismans below:
Thai Taxi Talismans
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Mindfulness in the Garden: Zen Tools for Digging in the Dirt
Mindfulness in the Garden: Zen Tools for Digging in the Dirt is a new book from Parallax Press by landscape architect and author Zachiah Murray, with a foreword by Thich Nhat Hanh. Predicated upon the Zen conviction that the garden is a perfect place to practice mindfulness, the book offers a series simple short verses, called gathas, to assist us in cultivating deep awareness through the practice of gardening. The following excerpt begins the book.
Entering the Garden
Entering the gardenI see my true nature.In its reflectionmy heart is at peace.
We cross many thresholds in our lives. Some thresholds are monumental—being born, learning to walk, starting school, graduating, getting our first job, losing our first job, getting married, giving birth, and dying. Other thresholds are subtle—moving from one room to another, passing through a gate, or crossing an intersection.
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