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  • Tricycle Community 45 comments

    The Myth of the Experienced Meditator Paid Member

    By Barry Evans
      I tell Kyodo Roshi I want to take my practice to a deeper level. "Deeper level?" He laughs again. "What do you mean, 'deeper'? Zen practice only one level. No deep, understand?" —Lawrence Shainberg, Ambivalent Zen   More »
  • Tricycle Community 0 comments

    Have a Seat Paid Member

    By Karen Ready
    Q: I have chronic back trouble and haven’t yet found a position for meditation that I can bear for more than ten minutes. I’ve tried just about everything, from seizas to zafus to zabutons to gomdens, in various shapes and degrees of firmness - nothing seems to work for me. I know some teachers write that pain is part of the process, but I just can’t seem to get past the physical agony. More »
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    Facing Fear Paid Member

    By Lama Tsony
    Lately I’ve been dealing with a lot of fear during my meditation practice. It seems to come from nowhere, and it either focuses on a specific attachment or it manifests as a more existential, nameless sort of thing. How can I deal with this? Fear is what happens when reality collides with our personal fiction. Our practice is based on expectations—expectations about who we are, why we are practicing, and what our practice should be. As our hope disintegrates, it may be replaced by fear. Our characteristics, personality, all of our beautiful plans and ideas are like snowflakes about to fall on the hot stone of our meditation practice. More »
  • Tricycle Community 10 comments

    The Refuge of Sitting Paid Member

    By Narayan Liebenson Grady
    Developing a disciplined sitting practice is a matter of commitment and patience. For many practitioners, it is not easy, even for those who have been sitting for a while. Sitting every day must become a priority in our daily lives rather than just one more thing we have to do. This requires a great deal of dedication, because meditation is not supported by our culture at large. Watching television is rarely criticized as being selfish, whereas a common question that practitioners bring up is whether one “deserves” to sit, implying that it is selfish to do so. Here are a few tips: More »
  • Tricycle Community 3 comments

    A Refuge Into Being Paid Member

    By Martine Batchelor
    When meditating, is it necessary to focus on one specific object? This is not always necessary, but at times it can be very helpful. When you do meditate on a specific object, such as the breath, that object will help you to develop concentration, and concentration will enable you to cultivate a quiet and spacious mind. But you must be careful not to focus your attention too narrowly on the object, as that can constrain your practice. You should keep your primary focus on the object of meditation, but try to do so with a wide-open awareness. As you follow the breath, for instance, allow yourself to also be aware of what is happening in and around you. Be conscious of sounds, thoughts, sensations, feelings—but without fixating on, grasping, or rejecting any of these things. More »
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    Receiving the Breath: Meditation Q & A Paid Member

    By Christina Feldman
    When I try to bring awareness to my breath, I feel instead like I’m interfering with its natural flow. What should I do? This is not an unusual experience. Throughout our lives, we breathe without effort; then the moment we try to breathe consciously, our breathing suddenly feels blocked, shortened, or constricted. Our bodies know how to breathe without instruction, yet it can feel as if we are having to learn how to breathe all over again. More »