Reading Ayya Khema’s “There’s No Need to Be Busy” (Fall 2022) was akin to finding the missing piece to a puzzle. Funny enough, the afternoon I discovered the article, I was contemplating whether my feelings of self-worth would be more complete if I were able to catapult myself into action and get things rolling.

My intuition told me to enjoy the peace, contentment, and relaxation of my last day off before returning to work. Yet I felt an equal pull in the opposite direction, that “I should be doing.” As though my self-dignity were at stake. I was in a mini tug-of-war between my thoughts and emotions. I feel the pressure to remain active from my family members, who are understandably motivated to see to it that I remain active and healthy. I scrolled down to see the title of this article and it was an “Ahhh . . . What have I discovered here!?” moment. It seems like Tricycle is always there to refocus me!

Like the author says, it is obviously not possible to live without activity and work. This article simply acknowledges that there should be time for restoration and relaxation in the midst of worldly activity.

That the hustle and bustle of Western society is unhealthy is very true in my case (and no doubt is true for many of my fellow Buddhists as well). This article has reassured me that I don’t have to feel guilty about that. When it’s appropriate, I can be content with things “just as they are.”

Buddha Smiles,
Colin

I want to pick up just one crucial point among many made by Bhikkhu Santi in his incisive and courageous critique of the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest lineage (“Putting Away the Books,” Fall 2022): that “seeing things as they really are” beyond any conceptual teaching or model—the very goal of that tradition’s meditation project—is in fact not possible.

Bhikkhu Santi writes that it was reading material outside the narrow range approved of by his seniors that eventually led him to see this: “I couldn’t take any lens—traditional, Buddhist, modern or other—as transparent, as a means to somehow ‘direct’ experience. I thus renounced the illusion of ‘seeing things as they are,’ along with any accompanying source of authority that claimed to transcend interpretive frameworks.”

Since this misconception is so fundamental to virtually every tradition, its revelation is a veritable bombshell in its ramifications for Buddhist teaching. It’s absolutely crucial for every Buddhist to understand and come to terms with it, so central is it to the Buddhist path.

To do so requires great courage and integrity, especially in a monastic setting such as Bhikkhu Santi’s, so radically undermining is it of the very heart of the traditional teaching. One is left forced to reassess one’s entire spiritual project all alone, bereft of the support of one’s sangha and the comfort of that traditional illusion.

“The truth we are after in our Buddhist practice is what works to liberate our heart-mind from dukkha.”

No wonder it’s traditionally been so fiercely and consistently denied. In this sense the saying attributed to Barbara Tober is apt: “Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening.”

It’s most conspicuous perhaps, this radical misconception, in the Zen koan system, where “right” answers are called for to “pass” the koans.

Another independent thinker who came to a hard-won realization similar to that of Bhikkhu Santi is Dagmar Apel, as she relates in her wonderfully thought-provoking and insightful memoir Buddha’s Flower–Newton’s Apple. Reflecting on her kensho and its implications, she eventually realized “that we always become aware of an experience according to a description, an explanation or a label . . . and this includes the experience of enlightenment.”

This fact by no means negates the value of the experience; it merely changes, or refines, its meaning. It reminds us that the truth we are after in our Buddhist practice is not objective, factual truth, it’s what works to liberate our heart-mind from dukkha and its causes (at the same time not contradicting objective, factual truth). Whatever that might be for us, it will inevitably arise from, inextricably depend on, and be the particular fruit of a conceptual model, there’s no getting away from it. To see things “as they really are,” beyond and independent of any view, would require objective verifiability, impossible given the intrinsically subjective nature of such experience.

—Gordon Benson

Konda Mason and Tara Brach spoke a lot about veganism in “The Myth of Separation” (Fall 2022), but when it comes to the consumption of meat, intention is what is truly important. Alaskan Inuits and desert dwellers like the nomadic Bedouin live on animal-based foods out of necessity due to the lack of plants in their environments. Many indigenous peoples also rely on animals. Veganism itself is somewhat of a myth because many of the plants they consume in their diet house tiny insects, and in general the vegan lifestyle is only accessible to privileged communities. Most vegans I know are very loving, but in some cases the adherence to the diet can become extreme.

—Allen Howell

Tricycle editor responds:

Konda Mason and Tara Brach were not proselytizing for what you might call “extreme” veganism—rather, they were making a case for a mindful push toward “ethical eating,” which Brach defines as “eating that causes as little harm as possible to other beings, to the earth, and to our own bodies.” I understood their interview as an open invitation to be more aware of the (often unconscious) dietary choices we make and the impact those choices can have. As Brach says when asked about eating meat in moderation:

“When I invite people into this inquiry [of ethical eating], I’m talking about going in the direction of increasingly plant-based eating. . . . This is a difficult domain, because it so easily brings up defensiveness, guilt, and anger. So it’s crucial for authentic open dialogue to step beyond judgment. Judgment only creates more separation. This is about inviting all of us to look honestly at our own behavior and our own impact.

     Regarding your point about intention, Mason says later in the interview:

“I want to note that in many spiritual traditions a large part of how people practice involves sacrificing animals. We are not equating the cruelty of industrial meat production with these sacred rituals. Nor are we saying that people whose only available food source is animals should not feed themselves the way they do. However, these are exceptions, not the rule. Mostly, humans eat meat unconsciously, which supports the inhumanity we are speaking about.”

I am an avid meat-eater myself, and as much as I enjoyed this article, I doubt that any interview would halt my flesh cravings—but a sound argument is a sound argument, and that is what Mason and Brach provided. I think we could all benefit from eating a little more mindfully, and I don’t think that the fact that insects live on plants discredits their argument for ethical eating any more than the fact that microorganisms live in tap water.

—Daniel Ilan Cohen Thin,
Managing Editor

Corrections: “The Jhana Underground” (Fall 2022) incorrectly identified a Theravada monk who participated in the historic 2009 ordination of women monastics as bhikkhunis. That monk was Ajahn Sujato, not Ajahn Sumedho. Jeanne Corrigal’s October Dharma Talk was printed with the wrong title and description. The correct title is “Closer Than We Think: Gentle Reflections on Death.” The Dharma Talk will explore ways that a balanced reflection on death can support wise and diverse action in three circles: with ourselves, with our close community, and globally, with all beings, in the climate crisis. Incorrect birth and death dates were printed for Ajahn Chah (1918–1992) and Rick Fields (1942–1999).

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced Tricycle’s first cover and was interviewed by the performance artist Spalding Gray in the same issue. Now, 30 years later, His Holiness speaks to psychologist Daniel Goleman about education, what happens when we die, and the grim reality of climate change.

We also revisit eight contributors from our early years to see how their thoughts on the issues of those days have changed (or not): Charles Johnson, Roshi Joan Halifax, Sallie Tisdale, Christopher Titmuss, Mark Epstein, Donald S. Lopez Jr., Jan Chozen Bays, and Sharon Salzberg reflect on comments they made in the pages of Tricycle in decades past.

Finally, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, moderates a conversation between the writers Stephen Batchelor and Ruth Ozeki on Buddhist practice and creativity. Both speak of the struggle to center one’s own creative voice amid the cacophony that pervades modern life.

For 30 years we’ve been engaging the Buddhist community and the culture at large in conversation about the place of Buddhist teachings and values in our world. We’re grateful to all who have joined us in that discussion over the years, and we’re happy to engage with new voices as the Buddhist community continues to grow.

—The Editors

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The paramis (Skt., paramitas) are ten qualities of the heart and mind that a practitioner develops on the path of awakening. Working with the paramis of generosity, virtue, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, lovingkindness, and equanimity, says Insight Meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, is like building muscles at the gym—it’s hard work, but it pays off. The results in this case, however, are not bulging biceps and killer glutes but the benefits of increased happiness, kindness, clarity, and ease in the present moment.

This series will offer you some reminders and words of encouragement about developing the paramis. If you need a visual reminder, a printable/downloadable version is available here.

First up is GENEROSITY, which is exactly what it sounds like: sharing what you have with others, whether physical possessions or your time and attention. Even children know that “sharing is caring,” but developing the habit of maintaining a generous attitude doesn’t always come easily in a culture where our worth is defined by what we have. Still, every generous act makes it more likely that you will be generous again. Just keep at it. Here are some ideas to hold in mind:

• “Being generous creates ‘instant karma’—we can immediately see and feel the results of being generous.” —Gil Fronsdal
• “There is happiness in planning the generous act, happiness in the actual giving, and happiness in reflecting later on your generosity.” —Joseph Goldstein
• Tip: if you feel an urge to be generous, act on it. Then notice what happens in your mind and heart.
• Generosity is practiced on a scale—from beggarly giving to royal giving. Any giving is better than giving nothing at all.

• “When you are practicing generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give something away. That pinch is your stinginess protesting.” —Gelek Rimpoche
• Try a little change of vocabulary. Instead of telling yourself you have to do something or give something, try thinking that you get to do something or give something.
• Be open to being a receiver as well as a giver.
• Practicing generosity helps us step back from our own self-interest and see how everything is interconnected.
• “These five are a person of integrity’s gifts. Which five? A person of integrity gives a gift with a sense of conviction. A person of integrity gives a gift attentively. A person of integrity gives a gift in season. A person of integrity gives a gift with an empathetic heart. A person of integrity gives a gift without adversely affecting himself or others.”
  —Anguttara Nikaya 5.148 (trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

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In a lot of ways, 2023 has felt like a dream, with many aspects of the year appearing as an unceasing torrent of nightmares. The violence in the Middle East has dominated headlines and ravaged hearts. Amidst the death and destruction, the United States has seen a rise in Islamophobic as well as antisemitic hate crimes, with abounding anger, grief, and confusion, and protests seemingly happening around every corner. 

Simultaneously, this year was a dark time for climate change, as New York City experienced what was the first, but surely not the last, burnt orange smog day, due to the worsening Canadian wildfires. And, as we saw last winter, COVID rates are surging once again, especially among the old and very young. We saw the death of Japanese Buddhist philosopher, educator, author, and SGI president Daisaku Ikeda as well as the passing of musical titans Tina Turner and Wayne Shorter, both of whom were practicing Buddhists. 

Yet there have been bright moments. The global relief and organizing efforts for those who have been displaced by the ongoing violence in Palestine stands as a beacon of hope, showcasing the world’s deep capacity for care and relief in times of humanitarian crisis. And earlier this year, it was reported that dolphins are swimming their way back to New York City’s Bronx and East Rivers—for the first time in over five years, no less—signaling improvements in the quality of the waterways, thanks in no small part to groups that have been working for decades to combat pollution. 

No matter what brought you here, there’s never been a better time to engage in a Buddhist practice to help navigate life’s many obstacles and challenges. No one comes to Buddhism when everything is going their way, and yet by channeling this uncertainty and worry into practice, one can sow the seeds for a better tomorrow, helping themselves and others to show up for life’s tests and hard decisions in a more clearheaded and compassionate way.

This year, we published pieces ranging from teachings on the Metta Sutta and shikantaza to reported pieces exploring the legacy and history of Nichiren and the cultural descendants of the Jataka tales. Whether you are a longtime reader or a first-time Buddhism-curious scroller, we invite you to take a moment of your day to explore lessons from Buddhism that may resonate and help you to live a better life. 

Without further ado, these are our twenty-three favorite pieces from 2023. 

• The Big Picture
  The Dzogchen tradition teaches that we are all intrinsically whole and complete. In a piece for the Fall 2023 Issue, professor of religious studies and dharma teacher Anne C. Klein (Lama Rigzin Drolma) breaks down what that means and how we can overcome the illusion of separateness.
• No Mud, No Lotus
  Known for exploring addiction and afflictive emotions on-screen, when off-screen, White Lotus and Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli is also a humble and committed Buddhist practitioner, studying under the lineage of Garchen Rinpoche. Imperioli spoke with Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, about the dangers of the instrumentalization of Buddhist practice, his relationship to his dharma name, and whether or not he believes that liberation is possible within this lifetime.
• Waking Up Is Letting the Mask Fall
  Colombian Zen monk Santiago Santai Jiménez invites us to question the very nature of how we view ourselves, the masks we wear, and the roles we fulfill in society. Jiménez says by returning to emptiness, or what in Zen is often referred to as “beginner’s mind,” more insights begin to emerge and open to moments of transcendent discovery.
• Opinion: Can We Allow the Dalai Lama to Be a Good Enough Refugee?
  In a personal essay, writer, translator, and editor Tenzin Dickie reflects on a controversial episode in the life of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, relating the divided public reaction and gratuitous expectations placed upon His Holiness to the precarity and powerlessness experienced by Tibetans living in exile. 
• After Thay
  In a piece from our Summer Issue, freelance journalist and editor Megan Sweas reports on how the greater Plum Village monastic community is reckoning with the loss of their founder, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the legacy he leaves behind.
• The Glorious, Victorious Life of Bodhisattva Wayne Shorter
  Buddhist mental health therapist, clinical educator, researcher, and internationally engaged consultant Kamilah Majied, PhD, pens a poetic eulogy in remembrance of the renowned jazz saxophonist, composer, and Soka Gakkai International practitioner.
• Memories in Exile: Tenzin Gyurmey
  Writer, dharma translator-scholar, and Tibetan Buddhist practitioner Adele Tomlin writes about the work of Tenzin Gyurmey, the artist illustrating the complexity of the Tibetan diaspora in India through works that combine spiritual iconography with surrealist visuals.
• Thai Monks on COVID Inside the Monastery
  Buddhist Studies scholar Brooke Schedneck, PhD, paints a detailed picture of how COVID-19 forced Thailand’s monastics, who are dependent on lay support, to stay within the monastery walls, and the subsequent effects on both the monks and the broader landscape of Buddhist practice in the Southeast Asian country. 
• Cormac McCarthy’s Buddhist Inspiration
  Triratna Buddhist Order member Vishvapani Blomfield explores how the 2005 Coen brothers masterpiece No Country for Old Men evolved from the Vedabbha Jataka—by way of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale—and how its message has endured.
• The Funny Thing About Death
  Best-selling author and humorist David Sedaris has lots of thoughts about aging. “There’s nothing good about old age,” he told Tricycle earlier this year, “except you can ride the bus and the subway for free.” For our Summer Issue, Sedaris sat down with Tricycle contributing editor and Between-States columnist Ann Tashi Slater for a wide-ranging interview, where the two talk bardo wisdom, dying without regrets, and thrift store hunting’s unique ability to soothe the soul. 
• The First Plow
  This past spring, PhD candidate Victoria Andrews traveled to two Ladakhi villages, Tar and Basgo, to learn about how traditional plowing rituals connect villagers with their heritage and the environment, showing how Buddhism exists beyond temples and texts.
• A Gift
  Following the sudden dissolution of a treasured relationship, palliative care physician Sunita Puri reflects on the multifaceted nature of impermanence. 
• Forgetting the Self at a Party Full of Strangers
  Zen Buddhist teacher and psychologist Matthias Esho Birk, PhD, explains how he turns social anxiety, fear of rejection, and insecurity into fruitful practice. 
• Taking the Ache Out of Attachment
  In an excerpt from one of her guided meditations, Tibetan Buddhist nun Ven. Thubten Chodron provides listeners with a practice to help them to reflect on and work with attachment.
• Charnel Ground Lessons
  Dharma teacher and lay Tibetan Buddhist practitioner Lourdes Argüelles, PhD, reflects on her time spent in a charnel ground in India and a house of healing in California, and what both experiences taught her about accepting the inescapable.
• The Value of Simplicity
  In an excerpt from her latest book, Insight Meditation teacher Kim Allen unpacks a lesson from the Metta Sutta on the great protection that comes with letting go.
• Knowing Nichiren
  In our Spring Issue, Tricycle’s associate editor and Buddhism Public Scholar Frederick M. Ranallo-Higgins sat down with fellow scholar, professor emerita of Japanese Religions at Princeton University and award-winning author Jacqueline Stone, for a wide-ranging interview on everything Nichiren, from its founder, to its emphasis on the power of chanting, to the tradition’s highly social and engaged aspects.
• Sexuality, Desire, and the Dharma of Relationships
  In an excerpt from Tricycle’s online course, “The Dharma of Relationships: The Paramis in Action,” contributing teachers Martine Batchelor and Laura Bridgman discuss the different dimensions of sexuality, desire, and intimacy in relationships and in practice. 
• Is That So?
  For our Spring Issue, scholar, award-winning novelist, essayist, cartoonist, and martial arts teacher Charles Johnson pens a contemporary retelling of a classic Zen tale. Listen to Johnson speak with Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, on a recent episode of Tricycle Talks. 
• 1,000 Buddhas on a Native American Reservation
  Journalist Carmen Kohlruss and photojournalist Craig Kohlruss report on a Tibetan Buddhist peace garden in western Montana, and how a special connection between its founders and the local Native American residents are helping it to thrive.
• Love Is Being There
  A brief teaching from monk, author, and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh on how mindfulness practice can help us make time to love.
• Meeting Shame with Compassion: A Pure Land Antidote
  Writer, psychotherapist, and environmental activist Satya Robyn explores how Pure Land’s teachings on compassion and the Internal Family Systems model can help unburden our deepest feelings of shame.
• Remnants of Devotion
  Tricycle contributing editor, author, Shin Buddhist priest, and professor Jeff Wilson writes about butsudan, Japanese home Buddhist shrines, and the current state of the once-cherished tradition. 

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Karen Ready

Tricycle readers are probably unaware of just how much the magazine’s copy editor, Karen Ready, has shaped their reading experience. Karen arrived in 1991 to work on the second issue and has been untangling awkward prose and cutting through confusing clauses with her red pen ever since. This will be her final issue. Of her years at Tricycle, Karen says that she has enjoyed “the chance to work with authors whose work I admire. Although I am not technically a Buddhist, I have been meditating for 50 years now and am deeply interested in what we’ve published, from practices to book reviews.” Her favorite article is one of the few she didn’t copy edit: Spalding Gray’s interview with the Dalai Lama, which appeared in our first issue.

Sunita Puri

Sunita Puri, MD, is a memoir and nonfiction writer, a palliative medicine physician, and an associate professor of Clinical Medicine at the UMass Chan Medical School. Whether she’s writing research-backed essays for journals like JAMA Internal Medicine or personal reflections on death for the New York Times and the New Yorker, Puri always grounds her work in human stories. In her book That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, she weaves together the end-of-life narratives of her patients with her own journey to understand life’s temporality. In “A Gift,” Puri navigates love and loss through the lens of impermanence.

Devin Berry

Devin Berry is a meditation teacher, youth advocate, and father from Oakland, California. Since beginning his Buddhist practice in 1999, Berry has undergone training with the East Bay Meditation Center, Spirit Rock, and Insight Meditation Society. Berry is passionate about the liberation of marginalized communities and has cofounded the Men of Color Deep Refuge Group at EBMC and Deep Time Liberation, an ancestral healing journey for Black Americans.

With his teaching rooted in buddhadharma and daily mindfulness, Berry’s practice focuses on putting metta (lovingkindness) and karuna (compassion) in action.

Rebecca Li

Rebecca Li, PhD, who reflects on her nonlinear path to dharma transmission in “Translating Silence,” is a Chan Buddhist teacher in the lineage of Master Sheng Yen. Since beginning her practice in 1995, she has trained with Master Sheng Yen, Dr. John Crook, and Simon Child. Li received dharma transmission from Simon Child in 2016, making her a third-generation dharma heir in the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chinese Chan. The following year, she founded Chan Dharma Community, dedicated to supporting practitioners in deepening their practice. She currently teaches meditation and dharma classes, gives public lectures, and leads retreats in North America and Europe.

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On “Taking the Ache Out of Attachment” by Ven. Thubten Chodron, Fall 2023:

I

found the article to be a very potent and evocative teaching. Venerable Thubten Chodron had us contemplate dying and what that might mean beyond the material world of grasping, holding, and clinging.

I was brought to the moment-to-moment ingredients of my life. I turned inward and leaned in, inquiring: What is here? Who am I? What am I becoming as I detangle attachments and loosen into no-self, no other?

It is all gray matter—not quite smoke and mirrors, but clouds. How do I grasp at clouds the way I grasp things that are tangible and seemingly real, and how can I ungrasp them if not by releasing the very notions themselves?

So as I turned toward my suffering, I saw it more clearly—the root of the cause, and the cause of the root. I embrace emptiness in formless form. This too is a practice in grief. Thank you, Venerable Thubten Chodron.

– Kissiah Young

As the summer went on, I found less and less room for my “things.” Reading Venerable Thubten Chodron’s article gave me some helpful clues to practice minimizing attachment and find more space to enjoy and use. Thank you

– Mary Martell

On “The Big Picture” by Anne C. Klein, Fall 2023:

Thank you Anne C. Klein for sharing your article in the Fall 2023 issue—I had a strong heart opening while reading it. I once had a similar “serendipitous glimpse of awakening,” and the idea of the present moment being perfect has continued to guide me ever since. Reading your article, I was reminded of the book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, in which the neuroscientist and philosopher Iain McGilchrist expounds on the right-brain experience of direct unnamed wholeness and interconnectedness. It seems absolutely clear to me that he was talking about the very same “pristine awareness” described in Dzogchen. This noncoincidence points to an experience of awakening available here and now, for all beings. You just have to learn to notice, and your article reminded me of this.

– Sion Williams

On “The Problem of Shape” by Clark Strand, Fall 2023:

Clark Strand’s commentary in is a wonderful example of how a poem belongs equally to the poet and the reader. To me, a dragonfly is its wings. We do indeed go through life as if we were a wingless dragonfly. But if we open our eyes and flex our shoulders, our near-invisible, horizontal wings can carry us anywhere. And dragonflies never keep to a straight trajectory. Thanks also to Tricycle for its (horizontal) openness to this very American haiku.

– Mary Wilson

The winning haiku by Mariya Gusev in the Fall 2023 issue is magnificent. As is the accompanying art by Matthew Richardson. They made my day!

– Lois Rodenhuis

On “An Academic Like No Other” by Sarah Fleming, Fall 2023:

Thank you so much for this wonderful profile of Professor Robert Buswell. I chanced upon Dr. Buswell’s book The Zen Monastic Experience a few years ago and learned so much from it—and “unlearned” even more, given that most of my reading about Zen and Chan consisted of books by Western practitioners who had neither the scholarship nor the depth of practice of Professor Buswell. And while I’d had a little exposure to Korean Buddhism, I had no idea that for depth, profundity, and diversity it was fully the equal of the better-known Chinese and Japanese traditions.

I so appreciate Tricycle’s going out of its way to feature great scholar-practitioners, from Donald S. Lopez Jr. to Anne C. Klein to Dr. Buswell. Humble lay practitioners like myself, with no grasp of the primary languages, would have nothing to practice and no context for it were it not for these amazing teachers. Thank you, Sarah Fleming!

– Kevin Knox

♦

To be considered for the next issue’s Letters to the Editor, send comments to editorial@tricycle.org, post a comment on tricycle.org, or visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

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I am a grateful LWOP (Life Without Parole) convict at the California Correctional Institution who eagerly awaits each issue of Tricycle. Currently our world is very dysfunctional, and the devaluation of human life has sadly become normalized in mainstream society. I am so, so pleased to tell you about a group of men who have come together to become ambassadors of change at this institution. Our group is called Lives Worthy of Purpose. LWOP–condemned men attend our weekly motivational meetings to promote hope and positive change and living amends to those we’ve harmed in the past. We have a #LivesWorthyOfPurpose Facebook page that highlights the men, including myself, who have joined in solidarity to promote a non-violent, positive lifestyle. I personally have the teachings of Buddhism to thank for changing my life and shedding light on a world that requires empathy, compassion, and kindness to create balance as well as prosperity. There are good-quality men behind bars here who are working very hard at evolving into men who deserve a chance at freedom someday.

– Respect, Scott D.

***

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tricycle is evolving with the times. As the print edition enters its thirty-third year of publication, there’s also growing interest in our posts on tricycle.org and our twice-monthly podcasts: Tricycle Talks with editor-in-chief James Shaheen, launched in 2017, and Life As It Is with James and Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg, launched in 2021. Here is some of the feedback we’ve received from our listeners. 

I have been listening to your podcasts for quite a while, and I enjoy the variety of subjects and topics that you discuss. I particularly like the interviews with the authors of articles featured in the current issue of Tricycle. I feel much more connected to the author, the article, and the message conveyed by the article after having listened to the author. That deepens the experience for me, and I am grateful.

– Dave Gerlits

On “Let Life Come to You” with Pico Iyer, Tricycle Talks, March 7, 2023:

I am 71, and for the first time in my life I took the opportunity to listen to an interview with someone who, through experience and knowledge, has provided me with a very enriching understanding of the wonderment of being human and the possibilities available to us all. I admire Mr. Iyer for exhibiting a “don’t-know mind” throughout his many world travels, and I certainly appreciate his ability to welcome inclusivity with all peoples and cultures.

– Randy Nelson

On “Tired of Pretending to Be Me” with Joseph Goldstein, Tricycle Talks, June 9, 2021:

While I invariably find your podcasts to be just as high-caliber and informative as the magazine as a whole, I wanted to say that Mr. Shaheen’s interview with Joseph Goldstein is not just a wonderful interview but one of the most lucid and useful Q&As on meditation practice I’ve ever experienced. Shaheen and Goldstein have real chemistry, and what a privilege to get a taste of Joseph’s lifetime of deep lay practice. Extremely inspiring. 

– Kevin Knox

You have to appreciate someone who can use Janis Joplin to illuminate deep principles.

Thank you for the explanation of No Self. After fifteen years of studying Mindfulness and never, ever coming close to understanding that concept, one sentence from Joseph and I get it—lack of self-centeredness. Every time Tricycle offers an article or podcast, there is always a little nugget to be mined.

– Sue Legree

♦

To be considered for the next issue’s Letters to the Editor, send comments to editorial@tricycle.org, post a comment on tricycle.org, or visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

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Tenzin Gyurmey

Tenzin Gyurmey Dorjee, the 36-year-old Tibetan artist featured in “Memories in Exile,” came to an interview with the writer Adele Tomlin in a sweater that said “I like boring things.” For Gyurmey, that Andy Warhol quote references not the banality but the beauty of quotidian life. Raised in Himachal Pradesh, a Tibetan enclave in northern India, he paints family and friends with the diaspora an underlying theme. “My work delves into the realm of anticipation, the moments of love in the family that go unspoken,” he says, “and an identity that is always changing.”

Kamilah Majied, PhD

Kamilah Majied, PhD, who pays tribute to the late jazz musician Wayne Shorter in “The Wonderful Sounds of Wayne Shorter,” called writing about the renowned saxophonist and composer “a beautiful gratitude practice.” Like Shorter a longtime practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, she said, “I’ve tried to live with a ‘never give up’ spirit, but it was not until I wrote this article that, inspired by Mr. Shorter’s example, I was able to articulate what ‘never give up’ means to me as a Buddhist.” Her conclusion? “It is a call to endless spiritual creativity and power.”

Anne C. Klein

Reflecting on the experience of writing her latest book, On Being Human and a Buddha Too: Longchenpa’s Seven Trainings for a Sunlit Sky, scholar and dharma teacher Anne Klein, aka Lama Rigzin Drolma (“The Big Picture”) said, “I was connecting with something that feels vast and universal. I am eager to share that connectedness with others. At the same time, it feels so intimate and personal that I feel shy at revealing it. Neither of these undercuts the other. They are part of a larger dance. And that wholeness is amazing.”

Sarah Fleming

Tricycle’s audio editor, Sarah Fleming produces the podcasts Tricycle Talks and Life As It Is. “I love coordinating the interviews with people I want to learn about,” she says. For “An Academic Like No Other,” she interviewed scholar-translator-professor Robert Buswell, one of the most distinguished and influential Buddhist academics in the world. “I was struck by his humility and gentleness and kindness,” she recalls. A Harvard Divinity School graduate and Soto Zen practitioner, Sarah is a palliative oncology chaplain at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “Doing end-of-life care is tied to the practice for me,” she says.

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If you have children in your life that you would like to introduce to Buddhist concepts, Buddhist children’s books are a great place to start. Nowadays, there are more and more of them that either directly or indirectly disseminate the Buddha’s teachings, from mindfulness and lovingkindness to impermanence. Here are eight such books appropriate for a variety of reading levels, from early education through middle school. 

Goodnight Love: A Bedtime Meditation Story 
Written by Sumi Loundon Kim, with illustrations by Laura Watkins. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, February 2023, 32 pp., $17.95, cloth. For ages 2–5.

This all-encompassing bedtime meditation follows two sloths as they ground themselves in a reflection of our capacity to love deeply. Their practice begins by focusing inward with self-compassion before offering compassion toward the animals, natural landscapes, and the universe beyond. By the end of the book, both parents and children will be left feeling safe, happy, loved, and ready to sleep.  

It’s OK: Being Kind to Yourself When Things Feel Hard
Written by Wendy O’Leary, with illustrations by Sandra Eide. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, March 2023, 32 pp., $17.95, cloth. For ages 0–2.

It’s OK gently guides readers through the afflictive emotions of sorrow, anger, guilt, and jealousy with reminders that the tremendous feelings we experience will eventually pass. In relatable vignettes, we observe the universality of these painful emotions and learn to soften how strongly we identify with them. The resounding message is that we are all deserving of care and compassion. This illustration-forward storybook is great for new readers and includes ten exercises at the end to help develop self-compassion, such as “Kind Voice” and “Kind Touch.” 

Ashoka the Fierce: How an Angry Prince Became India’s Emperor of Peace
Written by Carolyn Kanjuro, with illustrations by Sonali Zohra. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, December 2021, 40 pp., $17.95, cloth. For ages 4–8.

Carolyn Kanjuro presents a modern retelling of the epic Indian tale of how Ashoka the Fierce became known as Ashoka the Great. An angry and overlooked young prince, Ashoka grew into a fierce emperor eager for war. But after a particularly bloody battle, Ashoka experienced a change of heart and vowed to dedicate his life to promoting Buddhist teachings on ​​compassion, tolerance, and virtue. Accompanied by mural-like illustrations, Ashoka’s compelling story of transformation exemplifies our potential to overcome feelings that seem unshakable.

Love Your Amazing Self: Joyful Verses for Young Voices
Written by Ofosu Jones-Quartey, with illustrations by Ndubisi Okoye. Storey Publishing, 2022, 72 pp., $17.99, cloth. For ages 7 and up.

Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher and hip-hop musician, seamlessly carries readers through teachings of mindfulness, gratitude, and self-compassion in a playful blend of illustrations and lyrical verse. With words that call out to be spoken, recited, or sung aloud, this book invites young readers to step into the creativity of self-expression through an embodied practice. 

Buddhist Stories for Kids: Jataka Tales of Kindness, Friendship, and Forgiveness
Written by Laura Burges, with illustrations by Sonali Zohra. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, December 2022, 76 pp., $18.95, cloth. For ages 4–8. 

The Jataka tales are ancient stories of the Buddha’s lives before his birth as Prince Siddhartha. This modern retelling of ten tales by Soto Zen teacher and retired educator Laura Burges is written with readers aged 4–8 in mind. These rich morality tales and vibrant illustrations feature a wise gardener, a mischievous monkey, a discerning gazelle, and other characters relaying lessons that can be easily understood and incorporated into a child’s daily life right away: opening our hearts to others, the value of a true friend, and that everything changes.

—Wendy Biddlecombe Agsar, “What We’re Reading” from Tricycle’s Winter 2022 issue

Don’t Kill the Bugs: How Kids Can Be Heroes for Creatures Big and Small
Written by Berthe Jansen, with illustrations by Victoria Coles. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, March 2023, 32 pp., $17.95, cloth. For ages 3–7. 

“Be kind, don’t kill. That harmless bee is scared, just like you. That tiny thing has real feelings, too!” This gentle story follows a group of friends as they learn to reconsider their relationship with the small beings of the earth—spiders, ladybugs, bees, and beetles—that are equally deserving of kindness and compassion. This book prompts reflection on how we respond to moments of conflict, fear, or uncertainty. 

Kuan Yin: The Princess Who Became the Goddess of Compassion
Written by Maya van der Meer, with illustrations by Wen Hsu. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, May 2021, 32 pp., $17.95, cloth. For ages 4–8.

Featuring whimsical illustrations, this fairy tale about how Kuan Yin, the Chinese translation for the bodhisattva of compassion, came to be will delight children who love princesses, animals, and adventures. It’s also a story about two sisters supporting each other and the importance of following one’s heart.

–Alison Spiegel, Tricycle’s Web Editor

Everything Changes: And That’s OK
Written by Carol Dodd, with illustrations by Erin Huybrechts. Bala Kids, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, October 2022, 32 pp., $17.95, cloth. For ages 3–7. 

“Everything changes, night to day. Everything changes, and that’s OK.” The concept of impermanence is thoughtfully explained in Everything Changes through vibrant illustrations and bouncy, rhyming couplets. By exploring change across place, relationship, and seasons, this book reminds children that change does not have to be scary and they can instead find comfort in the liveliness of change. 

The post Buddhist Books for Kids appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Did he ever—and they function as core teaching stories in the Buddhist scriptures.

According to Buddhist teachings, all beings cycle endlessly from one rebirth to the next, escaping only through enlightenment. The Buddha was no different—although the stories of his past lives, known as Jataka tales, indicate a pretty remarkable being.

In these Jatakas, the Buddha-to-be takes birth as various kinds of humans, ranging from murderers to sages to princesses; myriad animals; and numerous other deities and metaphysical beings. Jatakas are chock-full of colorful characters—wily criminals, evil seducers, and magnanimous kings.

Each story is a teaching about the virtues that the Buddha-to-be perfected on the path to enlightenment: selflessness, compassion, determination, wisdom, and so on. In one of the most famous, he is a rabbit who throws his body on a fire in order to feed a hungry mendicant in the forest. The beggar turns out to be the god Shakra, who then marks the moon with the image of a rabbit to commemorate its generosity.

In another, he is a wandering ascetic named Sumedha, who happens to bump into Dipankara Buddha and his followers while traveling on an unfinished road. As a sign of respect, Sumedha offers his body for Dipankara’s entourage to use as a bridge. While being trampled, he recites a vow to achieve Buddhahood in a future lifetime, which Dipankara confirms to be his fate.

In another, he is the captain of a ship carrying 500 passengers. Realizing that one of his passengers is plotting to kill everyone aboard, the Buddha-to-be takes the life of the would-be killer—not only to save 499 other lives but also to prevent him from amassing the negative karma that such a deed would incur. Even as an act of compassion, taking a life lands the Buddha-to-be in hell for eons.

There are many collections of Jataka tales that differ from tradition to tradition. The Pali canon, for example, catalogs a whopping 547 Jatakas—though it does not include the story of the thwarted mass murder mentioned above.

The post Did the Buddha Have Past Lives? appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Where did you grow up? In a shire in Middle England.

When did you become a Buddhist and why? In 2006, after meeting my first and main Tibetan Buddhist guru in India. I took Buddhist refuge vows from him.

What’s your favorite breakfast on retreat? Fresh coffee (if I can get it!), fruit, and/or whole wheat toast.

What’s your daily practice? On the mat: refuge, bodhicitta, recalling emptiness, mandala/offerings, guru yoga, deities and protector practices. Off the mat: compassion, patience, love, and more compassion!

Favorite aphorism? “All that glitters is not gold.” Closely followed by “Practice what you preach!”

Favorite musician? Too many to choose! When I was a teenager, I loved singing and playing piano, so I particularly like female singer-musicians like Nina Simone or Kate Bush.

Book on your nightstand? The Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi: Tibetan Mahasiddha by Charles Manson.

What do you like to do in your free time? Meditate, dance, yoga, read, write, listen to music, go for walks in nature, sit outside a café with a magnificent cappuccino and watch the world go by.

Who is your teacher? The ultimate teacher is always the buddhadharma and one’s inner buddhanature, and the relative teacher embodies and reflects that. It’s a cliché, but life experience is the “best” and most honest teacher!

Why is emptiness important for practitioners? Both method (compassion/bliss) and wisdom (the view of emptiness) are considered crucial for attaining full awakening. Practicing the method alone can lead to compassion that is well-meaning but lacks the insight and wisdom to make it genuinely beneficial for others.

♦

Visit tricycle.org to watch Adele Tomlin’s dharma talk on emptiness. See more of Adele’s work here. 

The post Visiting Teacher: Adele Tomlin appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

One of the things I’ve noticed through the years is that Tricycle has been doing a better and better job of covering the various sects of Buddhism, and the Spring 2023 issue might be the best example yet, with wonderfully informative articles on the Nichiren and Pure Land [Jodo Shinshu] schools (“Knowing Nichiren” and “True Entrusting” [now titled “One Mess Within Oneness” on tricycle.org]).

Something that fascinates me is how so many people view their practice as the only valid one. I consider sitting meditation to be the most miraculous discovery of my life. But some years ago, when I was teaching at Duke University, one of my students told me about her grandmother, a Nichiren Buddhist who moved from Japan to America for cancer treatment. She faced her illness—and her eventual death—with complete equanimity and would wake up every morning at 4:00 a.m. to chant for two hours. I was in awe of that.

One evening she gathered her family and told them how grateful she was to have them and to have discovered Buddhism. She died later that night. The best spiritual practice is the one that you actually do.

–David Guy

Dear Editors,
I just wanted to express my appreciation for your inclusion of Nichiren Buddhist perspectives in the range of articles that you publish and events that you put on. I am always pleased to see work from teachers like Bishop Myokei Caine-Barrett [head of the Nichiren Shu Order of North America] or contributions from a more academic perspective like the recent interview with Professor Jacqueline Stone (“Knowing Nichiren,” Spring 2023).

I was especially pleased to see “You Can Get There From Here” by Mark Herrick in the Spring 2023 issue and would love to see more content that explores the range of Nichiren-inspired Buddhist practice in the West beyond the better-known Soka Gakkai.

More broadly, I would welcome any contributions that illustrate how Buddhist practices can be so much more diverse than breath meditation and mindfulness, important as those practices are in their own right. Thank you.

With best regards,
John Crossland
Brighton, UK

“It was refreshing to see the sect and discipline that I follow receive some attention. Thank you for helping to educate others.”

As a Nichiren Buddhist practitioner, I was excited and pleased to read the interview with Professor Jaqueline L. Stone (“Knowing Nichiren,” Spring 2023). Nichiren Buddhism does not get the same media attention from Buddhist magazines as other traditions do—largely, in my opinion, as a result of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge. Frederick M. Ranallo-Higgins conducted an exemplary interview, underscoring history, eradicating misnomers, and providing much-needed insight into the Daimoku. Please highlight Nichiren Buddhism in Tricycle more frequently, perhaps by interviewing practitioners.

It was refreshing to see the sect and discipline that I follow receive some attention. Thank you for helping to educate others. 

–Shundrea S. Trotty, MPA

Greetings,
I loved the article in the Spring 2023 issue on defilements as the path to awakening (“You Can Get There from Here” by Mark Herrick) and the interview with Jacqueline Stone (“Knowing Nichiren”). Both articles were excellent in providing insights on Nichiren Buddhism, a less-known lineage not often discussed in “mainstream” Buddhist circles. Nichiren Buddhism, particularly the Nichiren Shu lineage, has been around for over 750 years. This is a Buddhism that stresses equality and diversity. I would greatly appreciate if Tricycle could publish more articles on this very enlightened lineage of Buddhism.

With Gassho,
Nadine Shaw-Landesvatter

I really enjoyed Mark Herrick’s article on Nichiren Buddism and the Lotus Sutra (“You Can Get There From Here”). It is very interesting and informative. I look forward to seeing more articles by him.

–Kathleen Dinsmore 

In response to the Buddhism for Beginners article, “Is Buddhism a religion, a philosophy, or a way of life?”: It seems unnecessary to try to pin Buddhism down to one of these three categories since, in fact, it may be all three or just one, depending on the needs and perspective of the individual. For some, Buddhism may also be a psychology, [with] practice incorporated into a therapeutic approach. Buddhism may start out looking like one thing, say a philosophy, and later appear as a way of life and/or a religion. Despite not fitting the description of a religion using Judeo-Christian criteria, in many parts of the world Buddhism is undoubtedly a functioning religion that helps people through maintaining faith in the dharma and connects them through belonging to a sangha. Important rituals and practices help maintain and strengthen this faith, and provide people with important insights into how everything in the universe exists and how one fits into a network of relationships that is non-dual.

Maybe most importantly, as you suggest, Buddhism helps people cope with the obvious fact of suffering through a deep understanding of the four noble truths. I think the tenets of any religion should be open to question and to the test of one’s personal experience, regardless of what you call it.

-@davidtomlinson1804
on Instagram

♦

To be considered for the next issue’s Letters to the Editor, send comments to editorial@tricycle.org, post a comment on tricycle.org, or visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

The post Letters to the Editor appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.