09 September 2007

Tricycle Presents: Change Your Mind Day 2007

Change Your Mind Day has undergone a surprising transformation over the years, moving from a single event in New York City's Central Park to many events held around the country and the world.

In 2007, Tricycle will host a virtual Change Your Mind Day on tricycle.com that anyone with an internet connection can attend. The date is set for Saturday, September 15th, 2007.

We will continue to support Change Your Mind Day celebrations around the country. If you'd like to host an event in your own community, please contact us!

Let us know if you're planning on holding a Change Your Mind Day! The following Change Your Mind Days are scheduled to happen around the country:
  • Boston, Massachusetts - Contact LamRim Buddhist Center, Linda Mancini at 617-277-8269 or by email.

  • Clemson, South Carolina

  • Durham, North Carolina (Zen Center of Chapel Hill)

  • Fairbanks, Alaska - Please contact Susan Kessler of Cold Mountain Zen Center at 479-7939 or susan@acca-ilp.org.

  • Los Angeles, California - Rosemead Buddhist Monastery, 7833 Emerson Place, Rosemead, CA 91770. Visit backbenders.org or labuddhist.com for more information.

  • Nashville, Tennessee

  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - contact Jeff Green at 405-473-4701 or by email.

  • Ormond Beach, Florida (Daytona Beach Area) - Contact Volusia Buddhist Fellowship at 386-738-3715 or at sanghawv.org

  • Pueblo, Colorado
View the Change Your Mind Day 2006 report

Organize a Change Your Mind Day for 2007!


In 1993 Tricycle created Change Your Mind Day, an afternoon of free meditation instruction, as a way of introducing the general public to Buddhist thought and practice. Tricycle decided to hold the teachings out of doors, as in the time of the Buddha, in the hopes of welcoming people who otherwise might shy away from the formality of a zendo or gompa. We booked a hill in Central Park and put up fliers around town.

A few hundred people showed up for the first Change Your Mind Day, a pleasant mix of newcomers and seasoned practitioners. Seven Buddhist teachers from different lineages gave instruction. Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass performed "Do the Meditation Rock." Maggie Newman got the crowd up on their feet to do twenty minutes of tai-ch'i. A lone shakuhachi ended the day as the sun began to set behind the trees.

Change Your Mind Day has since grown into a worldwide event. Some gatherings are large, attracting thousands of people, while others may consist of just a handful sitting together and reading guided meditations from a variety of Buddhist traditions (see the Change Your Mind Day Meditation Kit). But whether attended by many or few, the event is always powerful, connecting thousands of silent sitters around the globe. Please contact Tricycle for more information.

Change Your Mind Day is co-sponsored by The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism.

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