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Buddhist in us all
Quarterly for followers of a great spiritual tradition
By Jeff Bercovici
Q: What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor?
A: "Make me one with everything."
The meaning of Buddhism is an impossible thing to pin down. The definition changes according to who's writing it, whether it's Asian immigrants who know Buddhism as the religion of their ancestors, American converts, or Jews and Christians who incorporate Buddhist meditation and attitudes into their own worship.
Even a relatively concrete question such as the number of Buddhists in America can have a wide range of answers.
But one thing is for certain: Whether you call it a faith, a philosophy or an ethical code, Buddhism is growing faster than ever in the U.S., gaining both adherents and visibility at an ever-increasing clip.
That's especially good news for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
Founded to chronicle the spread of Buddhism in the West, Tricycle, a quarterly, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this fall with a new editor in chief, a redesign and an expanding readership.
Though a number of other Buddhist publications exist, Tricycle was the first major magazine to explore the subject without affiliating itself with a particular discipline or community, says editor James Shaheen.
"In the beginning people used to want to know what Buddhism was," says Shaheen. After they learn that it is no cult or fad but a 2,600-year-old spiritual tradition, he says, "Now they want to know what the Buddhist take on a particular issue is."
Thus, through essays, interviews and black-and-white photography, Tricycle contributors look at how Buddha’s teachings can be applied to issues like genetic engineering, life in the military, corporate culture and parenting.
The name, in case you’re wondering, is a reference to the three main branches or "vehicles" of Buddhism—Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana—and to the three "jewels": Buddha, dharma and sangha. (Tricycle’s web site, www.tricycle.com, features a primer on the basics of Buddhism with explanations of these and other terms.)
In stepping into the editor in chief job, Shaheen, who has served as Tricycle's publisher for the last five years, succeeds founding editor Helen Tworkov, who is stepping up to head the magazine's parent company, The Buddhist Ray Inc. Before joining Tricycle at the end of 1995, Shaheen worked for almost five years as an editor at Forbes.
Though he can’t say how many practicing Buddhists there are in the U.S., Shaheen says proof that their ranks are growing exists in the increasing numbers of Buddhist books that are published each year, both by specialty houses and by major publishers, and in the rising attendance at places of devotion, known as dharma centers.
It’s also evident from Tricycle’s circulation. In 1991, Tricycle sold only about 5,000 to 6,000 copies per issue. Now it’s selling 10 times that much, with over 30,000 subscriptions and the rest selling on the newsstand at a price of $7.50 per issue.
Buddhism is attracting new followers in this country as people increasingly come to see their inherited religions as being at odds with their day-to-day experiences, says Shaheen.
"I think people turn to Buddhism because it seems to be the most compatible with their lives in the secular world," he says.
"It doesn't seem to contradict the tenets of Western science. It's not true to say we're living in a post-religious world, but what is available? Buddhism offers a broad range of choices."
As a nonprofit, Tricycle operates at a loss, with the yearly shortfall being made up by contributions. The magazine also sells advertising, but The Buddhist Ray’s board of directors has strict policies that prohibit it from accepting ads for products or services that are seen as being inconsistent with Buddhist practice.
Most of the ads in Tricycle are for Buddhist books and classes, prayer pillows and benches, art objects and travel companies offering spiritual retreats and pilgrimages to Asia.
Shaheen says the board of directors has lately been considering whether to relax its limits to accept ads for products without a direct connection to Buddhism, such as, for instance, environmentally friendly hybrid cars.
Even though Buddhism teaches that the abolition of desire is necessary for happiness, Shaheen says he sees no conflict inherent in carrying ads.
"This is the means available to us to disseminate the dharma, and our magazine requires that we sell advertising in order to survive. We’re not pretending to be anything other than a magazine."
September 4, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Jeff Bercovici is a staff writer for Media Life.
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