Tricycle | Awake in the World

In "Buddhist Training for Modern Life" (Interview, Spring 2012), Segyu Rinpoche, the founder of the Juniper School, discusses how Juniper is extending the lineage of Buddhist transmission in a way that is suited to a Western understanding. In this community discussion we will be exploring culturally appropriate ways to transmit Buddhist teachings to Westerners. How do we avoid, on one side, the danger of mimicking cultural artifacts that have little meaning in a new place and, on the other side, losing the potency of the tradition? What is the benefit of holding a lineage for ourselves and others, and how do we meet the responsibility of doing so? More »

During the month of February we'll be reading Allan Lokos's Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living at the Tricycle Book Club. Pick up a copy at Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon and join the discussion below.Listen to an audio interview with Lokos about this book here. More »

Welcome to the Tricycle Film Club! Each month, Tricycle Supporting and Sustaining Members will be treated to a select feature-length film, presented in partnership with Alive Mind Cinema and BuddhaFest 2012. The benefits of membership continue to grow, so if you're not already a Supporting or Sustaining Member, upgrade now and watch our second film this month, Being in the World: A Celebration of Being Human in a Technological Age. Earlier this month we screened Old Plum Mountain: The Berkeley Zen Center—Life Inside the Gate, and director Ed Herzog led the discussion and spoke to us in an audio interview. Join the Tricycle Community to be a part of the Tricycle Film Club. More »

During the month of January we'll be reading Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech and Mind at the Tricycle Book Club. Pick up a copy and join the discussion below.Tricycle Talks: Listen to an audio interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.Welcome to the discussion group. I wish you all a Happy New Year. While you are reading my latest book, Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind, I invite you to practice the meditations in the videos that will be posted here in the weeks to come, and to share your experiences, questions, and comments with me and with each other.  More »

As practitioners, we're all familiar with the obstacles that arise during our practice—the "five hindrances" of desire, aversion, laziness, restlessness, and doubt are traditionally the most common roadblocks. But what, specifically, are the things that keep you away from your practice? Is it some manifestation of those pesky hindrances? Or is it something else, such as a lack of time, self-discipline, or a proper space? In this discussion we'd like to explore obstacles to practice. And then, ultimately, we’d like to hear how you are working to overcome these obstacles. After all, we all get stuck. How do you get unstuck?Image: Liu Bolin More »

Nearly half of all homeless youth have experienced sexual, physical or psychological abuse by an immediate family member.   Some youth become homeless when their parents die of poverty or AIDS, others are turned out because of parental neglect or drug abuse and still others because they identify as lesbian, gay or transgender.   All of the homeless youth living in shelters, couch-surfing or working the streets have suffered from trauma, anxiety, fear, isolation, loneliness and hopelessness. And yet, our homeless system in America is built upon a philosophy of addressing external conditions—such as offering temporary shelter, occasional meals and intermittent health care. Venturing within—to work with the root causes of sustained homelessness—is viewed as experimental and too costly.  And so, most homeless youth become homeless adults. More »

Many of us feel that the modern efforts to save time have backfired, bringing onerous new problems of their own. Our technological advances and constant availability have blurred the line between leisure time and work. No sooner do we wrap our minds around a new computer program than it becomes obsolete. We can end up wasting precious minutes stuck on the phone with someone on the other side of the world, trying to figure out how to reset the computer brain in our dryer, or stove, or espresso machine. It takes time to learn how to do online banking, connect with friends on Facebook, master the complexities of smartphones and GPS units, and download a best seller to our e-readers. When Excel crashes and the work is lost after we’ve spent an hour entering data for a deadline, our blood pressure skyrockets. There’s even technology to fix stress created by technology. More »

In the wake of 9/11, we struggled with the consequences and lessons of that terible day, as did all organizations concerned with spiritual traditions. The Winter 2001 issue, the first to appear after 9/11, featured responses from a number of respected Buddhist figures, among them Acharya Judy Lief, who wrote: More »

About a year ago, in his piece "Christian Buddhism?" on Buddhist Geeks, Dennis Hunter suggested that we Buddhists ought to more seriously consider the influence of Christianity when we speak of Buddhism in the West. More »