Random Notes

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    Of Pizza Hut and Enlightenment. Paid Member

    A truly spectacular benefit of working here at Trike is having the opportunity to take time off for extended retreats. I just returned from a month in the desert, and can't thank my colleagues enough for allowing me to disappear as we were closing the Spring issue and shouldering the extra burden while I was gone. Without going into detail, I'll just say that all sorts of interesting work was done, and I only hope that it will turn out to be for the benefit of all sentient beings, as they say, my coworkers included. That said, I am still struggling to reenter normal life and the old nine-to-five after twelve hours in the shrine room every day for four weeks. As I imagine almost any retreatant will tell you, even the shortest weekend retreats can cast the modern world in any number of new lights, from the horribly jarring to overwhelmingly beautiful. More »
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    Some Buddhist Crowing Paid Member

    I'm happy to let you all know that Tricycle was awarded first prize in the Historical Travel category by the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) for "Fearsome Roots in a Quiet Forest" by David Taylor. The article covered David's trip to North Carolina's Smoky Mountains in search of the elusive ginseng plant. It ran in the summer 2006 issue. Sharing first prize was Travel + Leisure; National Geographic Travel was runner up. Tricycle's managing editor, Ian Collins, did a great job editing the piece. Congratulations to him and David both! And while we're beating our chests, I can't forget to mention that this year, Tricycle received the Folio Silver Award for best spiritual title. More »
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    Running on Emptiness Paid Member

    Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, spiritual and secular leader of Shambhala International and president of The Shambhala Sun, the Canadian bimonthly, has a new music video out. A wearer of many hats, the Sakyong is also a marathon runner. He completed the New York City Marathon last year in a very respectable 3 hours, 26 minutes. You can't say he's running on empty. - Philip Ryan, Webmaster More »
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    Crawling to Bodh Gaya Paid Member

    The Hindustan News reports that Gyansen Lama, a Tibetan monk in his 20s, is crawling all the way from Tibet to Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Tree. He has already cleared Nepal and, as of January 3, 2007, is about 110 kilometers from his goal. (He reportedly covers about 7 kilometers a day on average.) Curious crowds have gathered along the route to watch the spectacle of a monk wrapped in sackcloth with woolen gloves moving along the road "at a snail's pace." It is not clear how Gyansen Lama and his entourage of two monks crossed the border out of Tibet, but the ground in India must certainly feel softer and warmer than the roads in Tibet, where wool gloves seem like faint protection. - Philip Ryan, Webmaster More »
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    Enlightenment Card Paid Member

    Visa is now offering credit cards with images of the Buddha, people meditating, and other "enlightenment"-inspired images. Touting the "socially conscious credit card," Visa says: "As a member of the Enlightenment Reward Card program, your purchasing power goes to support the things that matter most to you." For example, 200,000 Rewards points earns you a yoga retreat in Spain. More »