Tricycle Talks

Pulitzer Prize Finalist Arthur Sze discusses translating Chinese poetry and the vitality of the Chinese poetic tradition. He explores the ruptures and continuities between classical and contemporary Chinese poetry, the process of translation, and the importance of translation in today's world. He also reads poems from his latest collection, The Silk Dragon II.

Acharya Gaylon Ferguson discusses his new book merging Zen and Tibetan Buddhist wisdom, highlighting how dissatisfaction can lead to awakening. He explores the role of self-acceptance, the significance of balance and beginner's mind, and the dangers of losing touch with one's inherent goodness. Learn about a welcoming meditation practice for embracing mindfulness and compassion.

Karma Lekshe Tsomo came to Buddhism because of a typo: years ago, her family name had been mistakenly changed from Zinn to Zenn. When her classmates started teasing her about being a Zen Buddhist, she took to the library to learn more about Buddhism and was instantly sold. After deciding to dedicate her life to Buddhist practice, she ordained as a nun and went on to found the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women and the Jamyang Foundation, which supports educational programs for Buddhist women and girls around the world.In this episode of Life As It Is, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg sit down with Tsomo to discuss her unlikely path to Buddhism at a young age, her work advocating for women’s education internationally, how she integrates spiritual practice and political activism, and her hopes for the future of women’s ordination.

In March 2008, journalist Amy Yee was assigned to cover a press conference in Dharamsala following the Chinese government’s crackdown on protests throughout Tibet. After an unexpected personal encounter with the Dalai Lama at the conference, she set out to highlight the stories of Tibetans living in exile in Dharamsala and around the world. Her new book, Far from the Rooftop of the World: Travels among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents, follows the stories of four Tibetans as they forge new lives in exile in India, the United States, Belgium, and Australia. In this episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, sits down with Yee to discuss how the Tibetan communities she encountered preserve their cultural heritage in exile, what happens when a religious tradition takes root in a new environment, and how she hopes the book will contribute to larger conversations around forced migration.

In this podcast, they discuss the importance of embracing life's challenges, finding joy through resilience and gratitude, and discovering happiness in the present moment. They also touch on cultivating sustainable happiness, appreciating the little things in life, and embracing childlike wonder and awe. The episode includes a guided meditation and reflections on unity and true nature.

In this conversation, Seth Segall, a Zen priest and psychologist, shares insights from his book on ethics and human flourishing. He explores the virtues of different traditions, highlighting how compassion and courage enhance our lives. Segall discusses the significance of everyday courage and the collective responsibility of ethics, critiquing individualism's impact on society. He emphasizes the transformative power of acceptance in the face of loss, illustrating how wisdom and self-restraint contribute to personal growth.

Laura Burges is a lay-entrusted teacher in the Soto Zen tradition, and she has been leading retreats on recovery at the San Francisco Zen Center for over twenty years. In her new book, The Zen Way of Recovery: An Illuminated Path Out of the Darkness of Addiction, she brings together Buddhist wisdom and the teachings of recovery programs to lay out a sustainable path to sobriety and freedom.In this episode of Life As It Is, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg sit down with Burges to discuss her own story of overcoming addiction, the central role of surrender in both Zen and recovery, how atoning for past wrongs can free us to live more fully in the present, and why she believes humor is an essential component of Buddhist practice.

It can be so easy to feel like we’re not enough or that we’re somehow insufficient. According to meditation teacher Tara Brach, this feeling of unworthiness is fundamentally a disease of separation, as it alienates us from ourselves and the people around us. For Brach, one way to free ourselves from this trance of unworthiness is the practice of radical acceptance.In the twentieth-anniversary edition of her classic book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha, she uses a blend of psychology and Buddhist insights to lay out a path to freedom in the face of pervasive feelings of inadequacy and isolation.In this episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, sits down with Brach to discuss what she’s learning by revisiting the book now, why she believes we’re living in a collective spiritual crisis, and how we can learn to recognize our own basic goodness.

Sunita Puri, a palliative medicine physician, discusses unlearning assumptions around death, the importance of language in illness, and regarding death with reverence. She explores the field of palliative care and the integration of arts in healthcare. The podcast also touches on contemplative practice, the spiritual aspect of death, and expressing gratitude through a guided meditation.

Vanessa R. Sasson, author of 'The Gathering', discusses the resilience and relevance of Buddhist women, motivations for writing fiction, and the role of mythology in the Buddhist world. The podcast explores the formation of the women's community, the power of women imagining a different future, challenging expectations and exploring renunciation, the impact of renunciation on relationships, the speaker's transition from academia to fiction writing, engaging with education and responsibility, and the role of the fabulous in Buddhism.