Psychology

Eastern Self/Western Self Revisited

My previous blog post reflecting on Gish Jen’s new book Tiger Writing: Art, Culture, and the Independent Self, generated quite a bit of discussion. Some respondents dismissed as mere “personal observation” the claim that people from…

By Linda Heuman

May 29, 2013

Ideas Psychology

Eastern Self/Western Self

We in the West are quite concerned these days with how to make the dharma authentically Western. But caution please, folks. Before we start inventing a new flavor of Buddhism to suit Western palettes, it is…

By Linda Heuman

May 08, 2013

Psychology

Video Interview with Shinzen Young

Next week we’ll begin Shinzen Young’s month-long Tricycle Online Retreat “What is Mindfulness?” Through talks and guided practices, Shinzen will elucidate how mindfulness is defined from numerous points of view and discuss factors that could facilitate…

By Tricycle

Aug 15, 2012

Meditation Psychology

Interview with Tibetan Buddhist Scholar Robert Thurman

The first American to have been ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Robert A.F. Thurman, Ph.D., has been a personal friend of the Dalai Lama for over 40 years. The New York Times has recognized him as…

By David Bullard, PhD

Jul 25, 2012

Meditation Psychology

The Brains of Buddhist Monks

Buddhism and the brain is a hot topic these days. Here’s a recent BBC News report on meditation and the brains of Buddhist monks: Dr Josipovic’s research is part of a larger effort better to understand…

By Tricycle

Apr 25, 2011

Meditation Psychology

Meditation makes you a more rational decision maker

According to a recent study conducted by researchers in Canada and the US, meditation can actually reprogram the brain to make more rational–and less emotional–decisions. Via USA Today: The researchers looked at a classic psychological test…

By Tricycle

Apr 20, 2011

Psychology

Ushering Wellness: The Convergence of Buddhism and Psychoanalysis

via Pilar Jennings, Ph.D. on the Huffington Post, Once considered esoteric by most Westerners, Buddhism and psychoanalysis have come to infiltrate much of contemporary culture. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has become a universal symbol of…

By Tricycle

Dec 23, 2010

Culture Psychology

Did David Foster Wallace Meditate?

Sometimes I like to imagine David Foster Wallace meditating. It seems like maybe Zen or Vipassana might have been the perfect venue for the writer to explore, if not release, the pressure that clearly built up…

By Tricycle

Dec 01, 2010

Meditation Psychology

Eastern vs. Western conceptions of “mindfulness”

As a student on the Antioch Education Abroad Buddhist Studies program in India, in 2005, I recall the director of the program, Robert Pryor, telling me during an afternoon tea break that he believed that scientists…

By Tricycle

Jul 22, 2010