In the face of global crises and catastrophes, how can we work with our anger effectively? And how can we channel our grief and rage without becoming consumed by it? These questions are at the core of Jungwon Kim’s practice. Kim is a multidisciplinary communications strategist and advocate who has chronicled frontline environmental and human rights movements for the past two decades. She previously worked at the Rainforest Alliance and Amnesty International, and she also co-founded two BIPOC Buddhist communities. In a recent episode of Life As It Is, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen ..read more

As a Buddhist teacher, I want to acknowledge how important trees are in Buddhist teachings. The Buddha was born under a tree. He practiced under trees, he got enlightened under the Bodhi tree. He taught under a tree, wandered under the trees, and died between two sal trees in a grove. I lived for a number of years in Ajahn Chah’s forest monastery on the border of Northeast Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. We lived in an ancient rhythm where we would get up in the dark and walk through the forest, sit and chant in the morning, and walk barefoot on dusty paths to the nearby villages for people to ..read more

Unlike many contemporary American poets, Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Sze did not attend a traditional MFA program to learn to write poetry. Instead, he turned to translation to hone his craft. His latest collection, The Silk Dragon II: Translations of Chinese Poetry, compiles fifty years of his translations, illustrating the vitality and versatility of the Chinese poetic tradition across nearly two millennia. The collection is unique in bringing together classical and vernacular Chinese poetry in the same volume, and it includes several poems by the Chinese Modernist master Wen Yiduo (1899 ..read more

I recently finished watching National Geographic’s latest exploration of the natural world—a rather close examination of its insects, aptly titled A Real Bug’s Life, in a playful nod to Disney’s animated 1998 feature film A Bug’s Life. Over the years, I’ve grown to appreciate this type of nature documentary more and more—other favorites include Apple’s Tiny World (2020–21) and Netflix’s Tiny Creatures (2020)—where the micro becomes the macro in a dazzling, otherworldly fashion. These documentaries push viewers to appreciate what largely goes unnoticed in everyday life, and this is often accom ..read more

Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist philosopher, educator, nuclear disarmament activist, founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist community, and treasured mentor to me and millions of Buddhists globally, passed away in Tokyo on November 15, 2023 at the age of 95. Throughout his life, Ikeda Sensei emphasized that a profound transformation within an individual can lead to profound global change, a process he referred to as human revolution:  “A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will enab ..read more

When my retreat cabin shook this Friday during a historic earthquake in the Northeast, I reached for “The Powerful Prayer of Aspiration,” a Dzogchen prayer that is prescribed not just for earthquakes but also eclipses.  A fourteen-verse prayer meant to be recited out loud, the prayer comes from a larger Dzogchen text entitled The Tantra of Great Perfection that Reveals the All Penetrating Mind of Samantabhadra. This text teaches that by making powerful prayers of aspirations, all beings will surely awaken to Buddhahood. For those interested in reciting this prayer during today’s total so ..read more

Perhaps the truest form of touching the reality of this moment is this: to experience our capacity to praise and love our world, as it is. Even when it’s on fire.  The Arctic is on fire. The rainforest of the Amazon is on fire. The Bolivian rainforest is on fire. Great swaths of Indonesia and Central Africa are on fire.  Can we praise our world still? Yes.  Last November, I was at a retreat at Spirit Rock. Doing walking meditation outside on the road, just concentrating, placing the foot, lifting the heel. But this mindfulness was broken by a stupid memory—it stuck like a bur ..read more

Fa, an energetic teacher in her 30s, has held on to many hopes for her life’s varied aspirations: getting into university, landing a good job, and even winning the lottery. For all these desired experiences, Fa has tried her hand at the Buddhist ritual of wish-making. “When I make a wish, I have to consider how much merit I have and how strong my observance of Buddhist morality is. I have to say my name and what I will offer to the sacred statue—the terms have to be very clear and the rules [clearly established]. I have to think carefully about what I will offer in exchange if I get my wish ..read more

The sutta of Kisagotami Theri is one of the most famous stories in the Pali canon. Born into poverty, Kisagotami marries into a wealthy but patriarchal family that doesn’t respect her until she can prove her worth by giving birth to a boy. When she does indeed have a son, her life then takes a drastic and tragic turn when the infant falls ill and dies. After her son’s death, Kisagotami experiences what is described as “sorrow-to-the-point-of-madness,” and, carrying his body through the village, desperately seeks a way to bring her child back to life. Advised by a village elder, she appeals to ..read more

Many years ago I was living in Providence, Rhode Island. A severe hurricane came up the coast and battered New England. I moved the crib of my baby against the wall and covered the crib so that if windows were broken the glass wouldn’t hit the baby, and we made other appropriate preparations. But we were directly in the path of the hurricane, and it was fierce. In front of the house we could see enormous old trees cracking and falling over. Then after three or four hours, it became quiet. The sun came out, and the birds started to sing. The wind ceased. We were in the eye of the hurricane. In ..read more