Tricycle Talks Dementia and the Sense of Self with Philip Ryan
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Mar 11, 2026 Philip Ryan, Tricycle’s executive editor and author of a personal essay on his father’s dementia, reflects on memory, identity, and impermanence. He discusses noticing loss of professional self, how relationships shape who we are, the irony of living wholly in the present, and how Buddhist teachings frame unknowability of the mind. The conversation also touches on genetics, sensory loss, humor, and making present moments count.
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Buddhist Texts Shape Questions About Inner Experience
- The Diamond Sutra line 'past mind cannot be found...' made Philip question whether his father's inner experience still contained the storm of thoughts everyone assumes.
- He read teachings to probe whether the mind was blocked, peaceful, or still active despite diminished outwardness.
You Can Barely Know Your Own Mind
- Quoting Vasubandhu reminded Philip that we scarcely know our own minds, so inferring another's mental life—especially one altered by dementia—is precarious.
- This perspective reframed his impulse to 'get into his head' as likely futile and humble.
Mental Life Is Central To Personhood
- Richard Gombrich's idea that 'everything of importance happens in the mind' made the loss of mental faculties feel like a profound diminishment of personhood.
- Philip links this to his father's frontotemporal dementia that affects identity, memory, and emotion.