To Not Be, Or Not Not to Be
Shantideva, Dogen, . . . Shakespeare? Mark Lamonica finds the Buddha in the Bard.
What do William Shakespeare and Buddha have in common? Call it Jungian synchronicity: both left their wives and families in search of the meaning of existence, emerged during a religious revolution, and were sublime philosophers. More importantly, they held very similar viewpoints regarding how one should live life in order to attain bliss. The Buddha taught the Eightfold Path:
1. Right thought
2. Right understanding
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
Share with a Friend
Member Supported Content
Please login or join to continue.
Become a Supporting Member
*With Autorenew
- You Get
- Tricycle | The Magazine - a one-year subscription to premier Buddhist quarterly
- Tricycle Retreats - a new online video teaching every every week by a contemporary Buddhist teacher
- Tricycle | The Digital Edition - web based edition of the magazine
- The Wisdom Collection - nearly two decades of teachings by the world's most compelling teachers, from the pages of Tricycle
- Tricycle Gallery - the best in Buddhist art to download and share with friends
- Tricycle Book Club - online discussions with leading Buddhist authors
- Tricycle Discussions - teacher-led explorations of dharma in daily life
- The Tricycle Blog - our diary of the global Buddhist movement
- Daily Dharma - heart advice delivered direct to your inbox
- The Tricycle Newsletter - the latest news, teachings, events, and more, every Monday
Become a Supporting Member
Become a Sustaining Member
*With Autorenew
- You Get
- Tricycle | The Magazine - a one-year subscription to premier Buddhist quarterly
- Tricycle Retreats - a new online video teaching every every week by a contemporary Buddhist teacher
- Tricycle | The Digital Edition - web based edition of the magazine
- The Wisdom Collection - nearly two decades of teachings by the world's most compelling teachers, from the pages of Tricycle
- Tricycle Gallery - the best in Buddhist art to download and share with friends
- Tricycle Book Club - online discussions with leading Buddhist authors
- Tricycle Discussions - teacher-led explorations of dharma in daily life
- The Tricycle Blog - our diary of the global Buddhist movement
- Daily Dharma - heart advice delivered direct to your inbox
- The Tricycle Newsletter - the latest news, teachings, events, and more, every Monday








Latest Magazine Comments
Wasn't the beginning of zen when Shakyamuni twirled a flower eliciting a smile from Mahakasyapa 1,200 years earlier...
Nice to see another article highlighting that realization is not Buddhism, Zen, Japan, or eastern esoterica.
Thank you Maurine Stuart. this really struck me me as true for me. I have let go of judaism and buddhism because...
eat some brown rice and be with your emptiness