Best Tricycle Talks Podcasts (2024)

1
Abortion and Buddhist Ethics with Katy Butler 49:36

5d ago49:36

49:36

When journalist Katy Butler first committed to the Buddhist precepts, it didn’t occur to her to consider her two abortions in their light. Now, fifty years later, she has come to understand abortion in the context of harm reduction and the alleviation of suffering. In her article in the November issue of Tricycle called “Abortion and the First Prec…

1
Picking Up the Pieces in a Postapocalyptic World with Vajra Chandrasekera 55:05

22d ago55:05

55:05

Vajra Chandrasekera is a novelist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His new novel, Rakesfall, follows two characters as they're reincarnated across histories and worlds from the mythic past to modern Sri Lanka to the far future Earth through endless epicycles of love, violence, and betrayal. In this episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief,…

1
A Safe Place to Fall Apart with BJ Miller 54:40

29d ago54:40

54:40

When BJ Miller was a sophomore in college, he climbed atop a commuter train and was immediately electrocuted, causing him to lose both legs and half an arm. In the aftermath of his own near-death experience, he turned to the arts to make sense of his injuries and to grapple with questions of disability and what it means to live a good life. Miller …

1
Becoming Thay with Adrienne Minh-Châu Lê 43:37

1M ago43:37

43:37

Thich Nhat Hanh was one of the most influential figures in contemporary Buddhism, from his founding of the Order of Interbeing and the Plum Village Tradition to his popularization of Engaged Buddhism. Yet his background is often overlooked. Adrienne Minh-Châu Lê, a Columbia University PhD candidate in international history, is one of the first scho…

1
A Meditator's Guide to Buddhism with Cortland Dahl 1:20:13

2M ago1:20:13

1:20:13

Cortland Dahl is a Buddhist scholar, translator, meditation teacher, and contemplative scientist based in Madison, Wisconsin. In his new book, A Meditator's Guide to Buddhism: The Path of Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom, he offers an accessible introduction to Buddhist principles and practices through the lens of the three yanas, or vehicles. In …

1
Breaking Bias with Anu Gupta 55:10

2M ago55:10

55:10

Anu Gupta is an educator, lawyer, research scientist, and meditation teacher, and his work focuses on harnessing mindfulness and compassion practices for social change. In his new book, Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From—and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them, he weaves together Buddhist teachings and insights from mod…

1
I'm Mindful, Now What? with Andrew Holecek 1:10:12

2M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Mindfulness has become ubiquitous as a practice. Yet according to meditation teacher Andrew Holecek, mindfulness is not enough to meet the challenges of the modern world. Holecek is a teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition who leads workshops on meditation, dream yoga, and preparing for death. In his new book, I'm Mindful, Now What?: Moving Beyo…

1
US Poet Laureate Ada Limón on Returning to Wonder 59:58

3M ago59:58

59:58

Ada Limón is the 24th Poet Laureate of The United States and the author of six books of poetry. Her most recent project, You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, is a collection of poetry that she edited in collaboration with the Library of Congress focused on how poetry can help us reconnect to the world around us. In this episode of Tricycle Ta…

1
'There Is No Enemy' with George Mumford 58:19

3M ago58:19

58:19

It can be so easy to get trapped in feelings of jealousy and envy, particularly in the context of competitive environments. According to meditation teacher George Mumford, one of the best practices for working with envy is cultivating mudita, or sympathetic joy. Mumford has worked as a mindfulness coach and sports psychologist for three decades, an…

1
Transforming Grief into Wisdom with Sister Dang Nghiem 57:29

3M ago57:29

57:29

Born in Central Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War, Sister Dang Nghiem grew up singing made-up songs to comfort herself and express her suffering. After moving to the US, she began writing poetry at the encouragement of an English teacher, and eventually, she ordained as a nun in the Plum Village tradition following the sudden death of her pa…

1
Practical Tools for Uprooting Anger with Thubten Chodron 49:44

4M ago49:44

49:44

In tumultuous times, it can be easy to turn to anger. But according to Venerable Thubten Chodron, from a Buddhist perspective, anger is never useful. Venerable Chodron has been a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition since 1977, and she is the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Washington State. In her book, Working with Anger: Buddhist Teachi…

1
Everyday Enlightenment with Susan Kaiser Greenland 50:26

4M ago50:26

50:26

Enlightenment can often sound like an unattainable goal. But mindfulness teacher and author Susan Kaiser Greenland believes that we can find enlightenment in every moment. In her new book, Real-World Enlightenment: Discovering Ordinary Magic in Everyday Life, she draws from various wisdom traditions to lay out practical tools for easing anxiety and…

1
Already Free with Bruce Tift 51:43

4M ago51:43

51:43

Bruce Tift is a psychotherapist and longtime practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism. In his book, Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on the Path to Liberation, he lays out why he believes that the approaches of Buddhism and Western psychotherapy are fundamentally irreconcilable—and what we can learn from holding these contradictory energies sim…

1
Warrior Zen with Cristina Moon 58:01

5M ago58:01

58:01

At the age of 25, Cristina Moon sat her first ten-day meditation retreat to prepare for the possibility of arrest and torture inside military-ruled Burma. While Moon acknowledges the naïveté of her initial intent, on the retreat she nevertheless discovered not only a method to withstand pain but also a new way of seeing the world that set her on a …

1
Weathering the Eight Worldly Winds with Ethan Nichtern 53:50

5M ago53:50

53:50

In the midst of constant change, it can be easy to feel knocked around by forces outside our control. In Buddhist terminology, these forces are often referred to as the eight worldly winds: pleasure and pain, praise and blame, fame and insignificance, and success and failure. According to meditation teacher Ethan Nichtern, working with these pairs …

1
Awakening in Every Moment with Kazuaki Tanahashi 43:17

5M ago43:17

43:17

Kazuaki Tanahashi is an artist, translator, calligrapher, and environmental activist and peaceworker. In his new book, Gardens of Awakening: A Guide to the Aesthetics, History, and Spirituality of Kyoto’s Zen Landscapes, he explores the contemplative art form of Zen gardening and discusses why he believes gardens are an essential instrument of awak…

1
Why Actor Michael O’Keefe Renounced His Buddhist Vows 48:13

6M ago48:13

48:13

Michael O’Keefe is an actor, poet, and lyricist—and he’s also a former Zen priest. In his article in the Spring issue of Tricycle, “The Lost Robe,” he explores what led him to renounce his vows and leave the priesthood. In this episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, sits down with O’Keefe to discuss his path to ordina…

1
Calling on Our Ancestors with Kaira Jewel Lingo 54:11

6M ago54:11

54:11

When she was just 11 years old, Kaira Jewel Lingo already knew that she wanted to be a nun. Fourteen years later, she ordained in the Plum Village tradition, where she trained closely with her teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, for fifteen years. In her new book, Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation, which she co-…

1
At the Crossroads of Buddhism and America with Helen Tworkov 46:27

6M ago46:27

46:27

Helen Tworkov grew up in a family of artists where art was considered the religion. Yet from an early age, she sought another kind of religion—one that would address deeper questions of the nature of truth and the self. After traveling throughout Asia and experimenting with a variety of New Age practices, Tworkov eventually arrived at Buddhism—and …

1
Facing Injustice with Joy with Dr. Kamilah Majied 1:00:08

7M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

Dr. Kamilah Majied is a mental health therapist, clinical educator, and consultant on advancing equity and inclusion through contemplative practice. In her new book, Joyfully Just: Black Wisdom and Buddhist Insights for Liberated Living, she draws from Black cultural traditions and the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism to lay out a path to liberation …

1
Transmuting Generational Grief with Jungwon Kim 56:00

7M ago56:00

56:00

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…

1
Pulitzer Prize Finalist Arthur Sze on Translating Loss and Renewal 1:00:36

7M ago1:00:36

1:00:36

Unlike many contemporary American poets, 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 poet…

1
Awakening to What We Already Are with Gaylon Ferguson 1:01:09

8M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

Gaylon Ferguson is an acharya, or senior teacher, in the Shambhala International Buddhist community and a faculty member in Religious Studies at Naropa University. In his new book, Welcoming Beginner's Mind: Zen and Tibetan Buddhist Wisdom on Experiencing Our True Nature, he uses the classic Zen oxherding pictures as a way of illustrating the stage…

1
A Call for the Full Ordination of Women with Karma Lekshe Tsomo 55:34

8M ago55:34

55:34

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 …

1
Living Between Worlds with Amy Yee 50:04

8M ago50:04

50:04

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…

1
A Guide for When Things Don't Go Your Way with Haemin Sunim 50:36

9M ago50:36

50:36

Haemin Sunim is a Korean Zen monk based in Seoul, where he founded the School of Broken Hearts and the Dharma Illumination Zen Center. In his new book, When Things Don't Go Your Way: Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times, he offers a guide to transforming life’s unexpected challenges into opportunities for awakening. In this episode of Life As It Is, Tric…

1
What Makes a Good Life with Seth Segall 56:58

9M ago56:58

56:58

What does it mean to live an ethical life? And how can cultivating wisdom and virtue support us in navigating the crises of today’s world? These questions are at the center of Zen priest and psychologist Seth Segall’s new book, The House We Live In: Virtue, Wisdom, and Pluralism. Drawing from Aristotelian, Confucian, and Buddhist ethical traditions…

1
The Zen Way of Recovery with Laura Burges 56:37

10M ago56:37

56:37

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 …

1
Revisiting Radical Acceptance with Tara Brach 1:04:36

10M ago1:04:36

1:04:36

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 ra…

1
Restoring Dignity at the End of Life with Sunita Puri 1:08:58

11M ago1:08:58

1:08:58

Sunita Puri is a writer, a palliative medicine physician, and an associate professor at the UMass Chan Medical School. In her memoir, That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, she explores her journey of helping patients and families redefine what it means to live and die well in the face of serious illness. In her article in Tricycl…

1
How the First Buddhist Women Became Free 59:39

12M ago59:39

59:39

After the Buddha’s enlightenment, his aunt and adoptive mother, Mahapajapati Gotami, asks him to ordain women and welcome them into his new monastic community. The Buddha declines to fulfill her request. But Mahapajapati Gotami doesn’t give up—accompanied by a large gathering of women, she sets out to ask him again. In her new novel, The Gathering:…

1
Meeting Crisis with Compassion with Oren Jay Sofer 56:13

12M ago56:13

56:13

What is the role of contemplative practice in times of crisis? And how can meditation actually support us in meeting the greatest challenges of our time? Oren Jay Sofer takes up these questions in his new book, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love. As a meditation teac…

1
Becoming the New Saints with Lama Rod Owens 1:06:06

1y ago1:06:06

1:06:06

Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and authorized lama in the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. In his new book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors, he draws from the bodhisattva tradition to rethink the relationship between social liberation and ultimate freedom, putting forth the notion of the New Saint. In the pro…

1
How to Save Time (By Doing Nothing) with Jenny Odell 52:10

1y ago52:10

52:10

In her first book, How to Do Nothing, writer and artist Jenny Odell examined the power of quiet contemplation in a world where our attention is bought and sold. Now, she takes up the question of how to find space for silence when we feel like we don’t have enough time to spend. In her new book, Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock, Odel…

1
Actor Michael Imperioli on Patience, Practice, and Liberation 45:40

1y ago45:40

45:40

Michael Imperioli has a knack for playing mobsters and villains. Best known for his roles as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos and Dominic Di Grasso on The White Lotus, the Emmy Award–winning actor has made a career out of exploring addiction and afflictive emotions on screen. Offscreen, though, Imperioli is a committed Buddhist practitioner. …

1
Attending to the Fullness of Life with Ross Gay 46:53

1y ago46:53

46:53

In 2016, poet Ross Gay set out to document a delight each day for a year. After he published The Book of Delights, his friend asked him if he planned to continue his practice. Five years later, he began The Book of (More) Delights, demonstrating that the sources of delight are indeed endless—and that they multiply when attended to and shared. For G…

1
“Don’t Despair of This Falling World” with Jane Hirshfield 57:26

1y ago57:26

57:26

When poet Jane Hirshfield first arrived at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center nearly fifty years ago, a Zen teacher told her that it was a good idea to have a question to practice with. She’s been asking questions ever since. Both in her Zen practice and in her poetry, Hirshfield is guided by questions that resist easy answers, allowing herself to be tr…

1
A Different Kind of Healing with Anthony Back 49:34

1y ago49:34

49:34

As a young oncologist, Anthony Back turned to Buddhism as a practical way of processing the suffering he encountered each day. Over time, his practice has become an essential support to his work in accompanying patients as they navigate illness and death, and it has radically transformed his understanding of what it means to provide care. Back curr…

1
Being Human and a Buddha Too with Anne C. Klein 53:07

1+ y ago53:07

53:07

When Anne C. Klein (Rigzin Drolma) first read that everyone, including her, was already a buddha, she was so shocked that she put down the book she was reading. Now, as a professor of religious studies at Rice University and a teacher at Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism in Houston, she continues to grapple with the relationship between our…

1
From Despair to Possibility with Rebecca Solnit 1:06:13

1+ y ago1:06:13

1:06:13

These days, with catastrophe after catastrophe, it can be easy to turn to despair and to believe that there is nothing we can do. But writer Rebecca Solnit is determined to change that narrative. Over the course of her career, Solnit has published twenty-five books on feminism, popular power, social change and insurrection, and hope and catastrophe…

1
Writing in the Bardo with Tenzin Dickie 48:15

1+ y ago48:15

48:15

When Tenzin Dickie was growing up in exile in India, she didn’t have access to works by Tibetan writers. Now, as an editor and translator, she is working to create and elevate the stories she wished she had had as a young writer. Her new book, "The Penguin Book of Modern Tibetan Essays," offers a comprehensive introduction to modern Tibetan nonfict…

1
Listening Fearlessly with Meredith Monk 49:27

1+ y ago49:27

49:27

For the past sixty years, composer and interdisciplinary artist Meredith Monk has been expanding the possibilities of the human voice. A pioneer of extended vocal technique and interdisciplinary performance, she has created collaborative performance pieces that stretch the limits of music, inspiring figures from Björk to Merce Cunningham. Her most …

1
When the Baptists Came to Burma with Alex Kaloyanides 50:34

1+ y ago50:34

50:34

In July 1813, a young American couple from Boston arrived in the Buddhist kingdom of Burma to preach the gospel. Although Burmese Buddhists largely resisted Christian evangelism, members of minority religious communities embraced Baptist teachings and practices, reimagining both Buddhism and Christianity in the process. In her new book, "Baptizing …

1
Casting Indra's Net with Pamela Ayo Yetunde 54:04

1+ y ago54:04

54:04

Pamela Ayo Yetunde has worked as an activist, lay Buddhist leader, chaplain, pastoral counselor, practical theologian, and teacher. In each of these roles, she has witnessed how our humanity has been distorted and how distraction and delusion keep us from our true purpose of caring for one another. Drawing from Buddhist and Christian teachings on m…

1
Living at the Edge of Chaos with Neil Theise 52:15

1+ y ago52:15

52:15

Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a practicing Zen Buddhist. For the past twenty years, he has been fascinated by the science of complex systems from the infinitesimal level of quantum foam to the vastness of our entire universe. In his new book, "Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connectio…

1
Opening to Freedom with Sharon Salzberg 1:02:27

1+ y ago1:02:27

1:02:27

A world-renowned meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg is the founding teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. In her new book, "Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom," she weaves together Buddhist psychology, her own experiences, and insights from a variety of contemplative traditions to examine how…

1
The Magic of Vajrayana with Ken McLeod 46:23

1+ y ago46:23

46:23

For the past forty years, Ken McLeod has worked as a translator of Tibetan texts, practices, and rituals. With his new book, "The Magic of Vajrayana," McLeod takes a more personal approach, drawing from his own experience to provide readers with a taste of Vajrayana rituals and practices. Through practice instructions, evocative vignettes, and stor…

1
Joy as a Practice of Resistance and Belonging with Ross Gay 43:12

1+ y ago43:12

43:12

It can be so easy to dismiss joy as frivolous or not serious, especially in times of crisis or despair. But for poet Ross Gay, joy can be a radical and necessary act of resistance and belonging. In his new essay collection, "Inciting Joy," Gay explores the rituals and habits that make joy more available to us, as well as the ways that joy can contr…

1
An Antidote to Despair with Emma Varvaloucas 47:51

1+ y ago47:51

47:51

According to the recently released COVID Response Tracking Study, Americans are the unhappiest they’ve been in fifty years. Between the pandemic, mass shootings, and ongoing environmental catastrophes, it can be easy to feel like we’re always in crisis—and to believe that the world is coming to an end. But journalist Emma Varvaloucas believes that …

1
How Art Can Liberate Our Perception with Charles Johnson 38:03

1+ y ago38:03

38:03

Charles Johnson is a novelist, essayist, screenwriter, professor, philosopher, cartoonist, and martial arts teacher—and he’s also a Tricycle contributing editor. Over the course of his career, he has published ten novels, three cartoon collections, and a number of essay collections that explore Black life in America, often through the lens of Buddh…

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