Tricycle | Awake in the World

Every sentient being - that is, every creature endowed with even a very basic sense of awareness - can be defined by the three basic aspects or characteristics: body, speech, and mind. Body, of course, refers to the physical part of our being, which is constantly changing. It’s born, grows up, gets sick, ages, and eventually dies. Speech refers not only to our ability to talk, but also to all the different signals we exchange in the form of sounds, words, gestures, and facial expressions, and even the production of pheromones, which are chemical compounds secreted by mammals that subtly influence the behavior and development of other mammals. Just like the body, speech is an impermanent aspect of experience. All the messages we exchange through words and other signs come and go in their time. And when the body dies, the capacity of speech dies with it.