Blog

A daily quote, and the occasional longer thought.

  • Have Vigilance

    It is when people lack vigilance that they make the most mistakes. This is especially the case these days, since most people focus their attention outward, instead of looking in at themselves.

    Tulku Pema Rigtsal, “Arm Yourself with Vigilance”, Tricycle

  • Absolute Stillness

    Beyond love and sadness and worldly identities there is something magnificent, something that exists at the coordinates of absolute stillness.

    Sunita Puri, “Seeking Refuge”, Tricycle

  • Let Go to Live

    To live is to let go, and in order to live fully we must learn to let go fully and to embrace the flow that is the universe.

    Bodhipaksa, “What You’re Made Of”, Tricycle

  • You Are a Fool

    If you cannot have a sense of humor about what a fool you are, then you are misusing your mind in such a way that it produces suffering.

    Yoshin David Radin, “The True Path”, Tricycle

  • Notice What’s Here

    The goal is not to escape everyday problems, situations, or issues that need to be dealt with. Instead, experience what it’s like to step out of the problem-solver identity: Relax this manager and notice what’s here.

    Loch Kelly, “Glimpsing Mindfulness”, Tricycle

  • Living with Intention

    Living with intention, from a Buddhist perspective, is about integrating mindfulness, ethical conduct, and mental cultivation into every aspect of our lives.

    Lama Aria Drolma, “Living with Intention”, Tricycle

  • Dissolving Ego

    The realization that the egoic system will eventually dissolve if we don’t add more thought or energy to it is a wonderful one when first experienced, and a real taste of the potential freedom to come if we continue with practice.

    Teah Strozer, “RAIN”, Tricycle

  • Feel Confident

    You should feel confident: Yes, I can attain enlightenment, I can benefit beings. Here in samsara I can help my family, I can support the sangha and benefit sentient beings. I can do it.

    Phakchok Rinpoche, “Four Simple Tips for Living a Buddhist Life”, Tricycle

  • Pure Loving-Kindness

    We very much notice when someone’s actually interested in us. And that’s such a pure form of loving-kindness. People want so deeply to be seen.

    Ajahn Nisabho, “The Dhamma of Dolly Parton”, Tricycle

  • Meditating on Sensation

    However deeply we go into a particular sensation, we find no center. And however much we sense outward through the layers of sensation, we find no edge.

    Martin Aylward, “Neither Edge Nor Center”, Tricycle

  • Comedic Truth

    If there really is truth in comedy, maybe there must also be comedy in truth.

    Pamela D. Winfield, “Ha Ha Zen”, Tricycle

  • Right Attitude

    Right attitude in practice fearlessly inquires, “What story of suffering am I telling myself?” When awareness observes the threads of the story, wisdom dissolves the suffering.

    Steve Armstrong, “Got Attitude?”, Tricycle

  • The Path of Happiness

    Happiness means feeling you are on the right path every moment. You don’t need to arrive at the end of the path in order to be happy. The right path refers to the very concrete ways you live your life in every moment.

    Thich Nhat Hanh, “The Heart of the Matter”, Tricycle

  • Whole Within One’s Self

    What if we can be intimate with the entire world? This can happen in small, quiet ways. It isn’t dramatic. To simply be alone is to be whole within one’s self, and this radical solitude exists whether or not we are with others.

    Sallie Jiko Tisdale, “How to Be Alone”, Tricycle

  • The Constantly Changing Self

    Because it is altered by each act, wise or foolish, fearful or brave, the self, even as decision-maker, is doomed as an enduring entity. Constantly changing, it arises and passes. Yet in that very evanescence lies promise.

    Joanna Macy, “Karma and the Energy of Will”, Tricycle

  • Learning to Stand on Your Own

    Every challenge we encounter is an opportunity to learn to stand on our own again, grounded and immovable by any external force, unperturbed by inner grasping or turmoil.

    Reverend Cristina Moon, “Look Beneath Your Feet”, Tricycle

  • Meditate on the Body

    When we are aware of all the intricate processes and parts that make up our bodies, we are less likely to identify the overall image as “me.” Disdain for our bodies is, in fact, born not of detachment but of identification.

    Hannah Tennant-Moore, “Not Our Bodies, Not Ourselves”, Tricycle

  • Awakening to Reality

    Compassion is the primary attitude that assists the awakening to reality.

    Karuna Cayton, “The Myth of Reality”, Tricycle

  • Experiential Aspiration

    Zen’s aspiration is experiential, not academic. You don’t have to prove the existence of a god before you commit yourself to living a good life. Otherwise, you may never get started.

    Geoff Dawson, “Moral Philosophy and Zen”, Tricycle

  • Greater Empathy

    Seeing things as they really are entails becoming more attuned to other human beings—their sufferings, needs, and aspirations. It lies in a shift toward greater empathy and understanding of the subjective realities of those around us.

    Nagapriya, “Imagining Reality”, Tricycle