Buddhism

  • Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Color, Activity & Iconography Paid Member

    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 tells us about the significance of colors in Buddhist iconography. Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Color, Activity & Iconography More »
  • New Interview with Nicholas Vreeland: Monk, Photographer, Abbot Paid Member

    Tricycle's Fall 2012 issue features the stunning, black-and-white photos of Nicholas Vreeland: a monk, professional photographer, and newly-appointed abbot of Rato Dratsang monastery. (He also happens to be the grandson of fashion icon Diana Vreeland.) The first Westerner to be appointed abbot of a Tibetan monastery, H.H. the Dalai Lama told him upon his appointment that "his special duty was to be a bridge between the Tibetan tradition and the Western world." Born to diplomat parents in Geneva, Switzerland, and subsequently dividing his childhood among Germany, Morocco, and the United States, Vreeland is a unique bridge, indeed. More »
  • Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of September 10 Paid Member

    Buddhist hipsters of the world, rejoice! A couple of Australian entrepreneurs have started to brew "Lucky Buddha Beer," which comes with the tagline...oh, just you wait for this one..."Get Lucky." Sigh. Always the clever ones, those Australian entrepreneurs. Wouldn't it be so nice if getting enlightened was as simple as buying a kitschy beer? The makers of Lucky Buddha Beer's website seem to think that it's as easy as clicking on a button: I'm praying to everything that I hold dear in this life that the advertising copy on their site was written with a healthy dose of humor: More »
  • Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Repeated Secondary Figures Paid Member

    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 tells us about repeated secondary figures, or background figures. Repeated Secondary Figures More »
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    The First Buddhist Monk I Ever Saw: Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Remembers Ven. Thich Minh Chau Paid Member

    Tricycle is saddened to relay the news that the Vietnamese monk Venerable Thich Minh Chau passed away on September 1st, at the age of 94. Ven. Minh Chau is known internationally for his scholarly work, A Comparative Study of the Pali Majjhima Nikaya and the Chinese Madhyama Agama, published by Motilal Banarsidass. He also translated the four Nikayas and other Pali texts into Vietnamese and served as a long-term head of Buddhist universities and institutes in Vietnam. You can watch an interview with him here and learn more about him in the video below. More »
  • Remembering September 11: A Buddhist Reflection from Sharon Salzberg Paid Member

    Eleven years ago the United States was shook to its core by a terrorist attack of unprecedented scale. At the time, in response to the tragic events, Tricycle released in its next issue a special section—"September 11, Practices and Perspectives"—that shared Buddhist teachings on how to face the nation's acute suffering with patience and compassion. You can read "September 11, Practices and Perspectives," here. More »