Tricycle : the Buddhist Review

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great "in-the-middle" Buddhist Magazine
Comment: I'm a little "new" to Buddhism. I've been trying to learn more over the past few years. I find that Buddhism is a lot like Christianity for the fact that there are lots of different "types". There's not one Christian religion, there are lots of different ones. . .Baptist. . . Church of Christ. . .Methodist. . . .etc. etc. etc. This is the same way with Buddhism, and honestly, one of the reasons I find Buddhism so "difficult".

Having said that, "Tricycle" is a magazine that shares all points of view. The publisher tries to give each type (or tradition, as it's often called) of Buddhism a voice with having articles from a variety of people each issue.

Though, to be honest, I'm still VERY confused about Buddhism, I really like "Tricycle" because though it's not really a magazine for "beginners", like me to learn about Buddhism, per se, it does have great articles, and I have found it helpful and enjoyable to read.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Extremely well written
Comment: Hard to compare, since there isn't a lot of competition in the world of spiritual-inspired magazines. Tricycle stands out on it's own as a great publication. Well written articles, and a broad range of topics covered. And, my favorite bit, they don't repeat themselves every few issues.

Customer Rating:
Summary: I liked it but . . .
Comment: I really liked Tricycle. I enjoyed the articles and poems and found them interesting, and informative. But the magazine really smells. Every issue exudes an unpleasant odor. I found it difficult to read the magazine because it smelled so much. I cancelled my subscription when my son refused to sit in my lap while the magazine was open.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great...where is it going?
Comment: I've enjoyed Tricycle for many years, but it does contain a lot of advertising, and I'm baffled when the publisher solicits donations to keep the magazine running. I'd rather see them fully embrace one form of revenue or the other. If they're not-for-profit, what's with all the slick ads?

Essentially, Tricycle seems to be heading towards a more self-serving model of publishing. Perhaps I simply miss the days when it was fresh and vibrant with new ideas.

Still, four stars!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Dont have to be a Buddhist to love this magazine....
Comment: While I am not a Buddhist,(our son and friends are) I still love, appreciate and gain wisdom from this wonderful publication, which I was exposed to over a decade ago by Zen master Don Gilbert of Tracy, CA. And I was so excited, if that's the right word, when the new issue arrived, because two articles caught my eye.

One is titled (page 39) The Gossip Trap and should be read by most Americans. Page 40 'What are we achieving by holding up a magnifying glass instead of looking in the mirror?' Or page 111 'If speech has five marks, O monastics, it is well spoken, not badly spoken, blameless, and above reproach by the wise. What are the five marks? It is speech that is timely, true, gentle, purposeful, and spoken with a mind of loving kindness. -the Buddha (Auguttara Nikaya).

The second (page 62) is titled Growing Ground and is a serious but also humorous piece about composting toilets at a Zen center in Southern California. All about the process of human waste becoming compostable soil and the funny things that happen when one has to turn the stuff with wood chips, leaving the drop door open so that cold wind and not warm air hits the bottom end of those who sit down to make a deposit. Page 54 'Once they get going, wood chips and waste have the kind of chemistry and connection that puts most human couples to shame'.

Alas, this is a mature, thoughtful publication to be sure. But it also doesn't take itself so seriously that one cannot see the simple joy in ones life, that sadly, to many Americans wont slow down to see.