Tricycle Talks

Maria Heim, a scholar of early Buddhist texts and author of How to Feel, explores how feeling is central to Buddhist teachings. She discusses translating vedana as feeling, the Four Noble Truths ‘for one who feels,’ the paradox of pleasure and pain, how noticing feelings can reshape habit, and practices like the brahma viharas that create spacious freedom.

Daisy Hernández, associate professor and author exploring immigration and belonging. She traces her family’s immigration stories, treats citizenship as a social myth, and links U.S. policy to migration. She discusses criminalization, healthcare fears, movements that expand belonging, and how Buddhist practice and Thich Nhat Hanh help her cope with political despair.

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.

Richard Payne, Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies and ordained Shingon priest, unpacks tantric Buddhism across Asia. He discusses why delineation trumps definition, tantra’s invisible spread and coherence, ritual forms from fire rites to deity-identification, and how practices serve communal and protective roles beyond personal transformation.

Sunita Puri, a palliative medicine physician and writer, shares how nature and Buddhist ideas of impermanence shaped her life and work. She discusses burnout, finding expansiveness outdoors, and shifting from mastery to ongoing practice. Conversations cover using nature to teach grief, radical honesty in care, and cultivating an inner refuge that travels with you.

Li-Young Lee, acclaimed American poet known for spiritual verse and a Daoist-Christian sensibility, talks about poetry as a spiritual practice. He explores reconciling opposites, writing from a don’t-know mind, silence and motion in verse, translating the Tao Te Ching, and poetic postures of awe, adoration, and turning toward the unknown.

David Guterson, novelist from Washington State and author of Evelyn in Transit, reflects on a lifelong engagement with Buddhism and the real-life Sakya family that inspired his story. He talks about reincarnation and a mother’s wrenching choice, the meeting of Western and Tibetan lives, and the search for freedom from the self. Short, reflective conversations touch on faith, doubt, and cultural crossing.

Francis Weller, a seasoned psychotherapist and author of 'In the Absence of the Ordinary', dives deep into the transformative nature of grief. He discusses the 'long dark' as a collective experience that fosters cultural rebirth through rituals. Weller emphasizes the importance of deep listening and restraint as ways to connect with the world around us. He shares how rituals can invite healing, and highlights grief as a skill to be cultivated within community. Plus, he leads a guided practice to connect with love and support.

Brandon Shimoda, a poet and professor at Colorado College, dives deep into the legacy of Japanese American wartime incarceration. He shares his personal journey of discovering hidden family histories, sparked by a scene from The Karate Kid. The discussion explores how to memorialize ongoing injustices and reflects on the importance of storytelling from survivors. Shimoda also contemplates the connections between past and present oppressions, emphasizing poetry's role in healing and remembrance. He reads an excerpt from his poignant work.

In this engaging conversation, veteran meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg and acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl dive into their new children's books. Sharon shares insights on adapting loving-kindness meditation for kids, while Sarah discusses the power of imagination in addressing childhood fears. They reflect on their creative processes, highlighting collaboration with illustrators and engaging with young audiences. Additionally, Sharon leads a guided loving-kindness practice, aiming to foster kindness and connection among families.