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 Teacher-led discussions of dharma in daily life
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Civil Discourse in a Time of Gunfire with The Huffington Post's Richard Eskow

Posted by Philip Ryan on 16 Jan 2011 in
The editors and I had already agreed to hold an online conversation about "civil discourse" with the Tricycle Community.  Then, in a tragic coincidence, the shootings in Tucson brought the subject into painfully sharp focus.  The topic has been the theme of my own engagement with Tricycle from the beginning. My first piece, "Above the Fray."  dealt with my own conflicted feelings as a political writer and activist who found "right speech" and political engagement impossible to reconcile. More »
Tricycle Community 13 comments

Dying with Confidence A Tricycle Book Club Discussion with Anyen Rinpoche

Posted by Sam Mowe on 07 Jan 2011 in
Practicing for DeathWe all know that death is certain—no one ultimately evades death. What we often forget is that death can come at any time. For Buddhists, the moment of death is the most potent opportunity to practice. Indeed, it is the key opportunity to attain realization or a positive rebirth. Thus, meditation practice in Buddhism is actually practicing for death. You are practicing so that you can have mindfulness and clarity in that moment when you are dying, so you are confident you are prepared to use the experiences after death for the best rebirth possible—or even complete and perfect liberation. More »
Tricycle Community 13 comments

Gifts That Keep Giving, December 2010 How to give gifts this season that truly make a difference

Posted by Philip Ryan on 10 Dec 2010 in
A discussion with Joan Duncan Oliver The holidays are coming. Time to draw up your gift list. Forget cashmere lap robes, chronometer watches, that scented candle your assistant will only re-gift to her grandmother. Expensive, unimaginative presents are so last year. The Buddhist spirit of giving—dana—is about generosity, not booty. We need to think outside the Tiffany box. Conscious consuming today means not just buying less but being mindful of your footprint on the earth. “Green” etiquette says the best present is one that doesn’t pollute, doesn’t exploit resources, causes no harm, helps someone in need—and may even burnish your karma. When you plunk down your credit card, make it truly count. More »
Tricycle Community 10 comments

Deep Down Things A Tricycle Book Club Discussion with Lin Jensen

Posted by Sam Mowe on 02 Dec 2010 in
EARTH: AN INTRODUCTIONThis book was written in an effort to better understand the relationship between society and environment, between the people and the land. A wealth of detail regarding specific interactions within an ecosystem is already being compiled through the systematic methods of inquiry utilized by the science of ecology. We humans are involved in that interaction, and what I’m after in this book is not so much the data but the condition of mind essential to a genuine human interaction with the earth. What has been lost to us that we no longer know how to speak the language earth speaks? What have we forgotten to think of say or do that, could we but remember, would restore our acquaintance once more?

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Tricycle Community 60 comments

Haiku Corner A Tricycle Poetry Club Discussion

Posted by Gary Gach on 01 Nov 2010 in
Welcome to Haiku Corner! Savor haiku … Buddha … your life; these are not separate. "Everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention." — Jane Hirshfield No matter if your practice be Vipassana (“Notice what you notice”) … Zen (“Close to the nose”) … Pure Land (“Everywhere, hear the Buddha Vow calling us to our true home) … Vajrayana (“Take a kindly attitude toward your mind”) … Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, indigenous, humanist, pagan, or nonpractice. From age 9 to 99. Published, pre-published, or doodling flowers in the margins. Here is Dharma Art, par excellence. Haikuyana. More »
Tricycle Community 22 comments

The Yoga of Creativity A Tricycle Discussion with Anne Cushman

Posted by Anne Cushman on 01 Nov 2010 in
Materials for online discussion: The Yoga of Creativity: What’s the relationship between meditative practice and the artist’s journey? Anne Cushman is the author of the novel Enlightenment for Idiots, the tale of a would-be yoga teacher’s hilarious and ill-fated quest for spiritual awakening in India, which was named by Booklist as one of the “Top Ten First Novels” of 2008. She co-directs the Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Her essay “The Yoga of Creativity” in the current issue of Tricycle describes how her meditation and yoga practice helped her reclaim her creative voice as a storyteller—and explores the challenges she has faced while integrating her artistic and spiritual lives. More »
Tricycle Community 98 comments

Rebel Buddha A Tricycle Book Club Discussion with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Posted by Dzogchen Ponlop... on 01 Nov 2010 in
BEYOND CULTURE In my role as a teacher, my intention is simply to share the wisdom of the Buddha and my experiences in both traditional and contemporary settings of studying and practicing those teachings. In my teachings in recent years, I have also been trying to clarify frequent misunderstandings about Buddhism—especially the tendency to make Asian Buddhist culture stand for Buddhism itself—by pointing out the true essence of the teachings, which is wisdom joined with compassion. While not always easy to sort out, my various experiences have led me to see the almost blinding influence of culture in our lives and thus the importance of seeing beyond culture altogether. If we’re ever to understand who we are as individuals and societies, then we need to see the interdependence of culture, identity, and meaning. More »