The design is finalized, the articles are in place, the proofs have been checked and now—at long last—the August issue is off to press. So, what’s in store for the upcoming magazine? You’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out, but here are a few things to look forward to: Tricycle has long been interested in how historical scholarship can both challenge and enrich dharma practice. In the upcoming issue, Buddhist scholar Rita M. Gross addresses the importance—and the difficulties—of teaching Buddhist history to Buddhist practitioners. From her piece:
Many Buddhists, including the His Holiness Dalai Lama, are keenly interested in modern science. Many claim with no small amount of pride that Buddhism is compatible with modern science and like to quote the Dalai Lama’s famous statement “If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.” Given this high regard for squaring Buddhism with findings derived from rigorous modern scholarship, I find it curious that there have been few such comments about the immense contributions Western and Japanese historians of Buddhism have made and how little impact their work has had on Buddhist self-understanding. Why is this? I suggest that it is because the findings of modern historical studies are far more challenging to some traditional Buddhist perspectives than is modern science.
For those interested in historical scholarship, check out our interview with religion scholar Elaine Pagels and Jan Nattier’s article on the Lotus Sutra. In addition to thought-provoking articles and interviews, the August issue features a portfolio by Zen teacher, calligrapher, and translator Kazuaki Tanahashi. Tanahashi’s ensos fill the interior with bright colors and bold brush strokes. 
And for those who enjoyed editor-at-large Andrew Cooper’s Fall 2009 article on his adventures with the late Buddhist peace activist Maha Ghosananda, you can look forward to Cooper’s account of his travels with Thich Nhat Hanh in the early 1980s. Beyond that, our lips are sealed. Look for the new issue on newsstands August 1! The cover will be hard to miss…