Zen and the art of lifestyle maintenance

by G. Beato

Mother Jones

Vol. 22 No. 6  Nov/Dec.1997   P.78

Copyright of Mother Jones

                
By now you've no doubt heard that Buddhism is a pretty cool religion--it's
flexible and nondogmatic, and lots of celebrities say they practice it.
Still, it's not exactly easy getting a handle on all that dharma stuff, or
keeping up with who's trading one-liners with the Dalai Lama. So if you're
a busy professional seeking to integrate Buddhism into your meaningless
existence, look no further than Tricycle or Shambhala Sun. Combining the
latest Buddhist teachings with all the ancient wisdom of the lifestyle
magazine genre, these two groundbreaking publications make spiritual
devotion just as sexy, fun, and stylish as any secular hobby.
                      Tricycle             Shambhala Sun
Upscale cover price   $750                 $4.95
Catchy cover head     "Reincaranation:     "Rocking for a free
-line                 Could it Happen       Tibet"
                      to You?"
Celebrity coverage    Friends and          Monks chant on cue
                      Buddhist chat and    while filming Brad
                      take pictures as     Pitt's new Buddhist
                      Allen Ginsberg       movie
                      dies
Fun getaway           Stupas along the     Surfing in Nova Scotia
feature               Rio Grande
Brand extension       Books, seminars      None
T-shirt available?    Yes                  No
Dr. Andrew Weil ad?   Yes                  Yes
Cross-pollination     Sallie Tisdale,      Burning incense is a
factor                who also writes      good way to cover up
                      for Saveur, is a     the smell of cigar
                      consulting editor    smoke
                      Saveur               Cigar Aficionado
Upscale cover price   $5                    $4.95
Catchy cover head     "The Meaning of      "103 Double Coronas"
-line                 French Fries"
Celebrity coverage    An inside look at    Jean-Luc Godard muses
                      the Betty Crocker    forlornly while
                      kitchens             smoking a $20 cigar
Fun getaway           "As it turns out,    Smoking and golfing
feature               turtle is one of     in Biarritz
                      only a few things
                      we don't each on
                      our gastronomic
                      tour of Cambodia"
Brand extension       In the works         Cigar Aficionado Clean
                                           Air System, Big Smoke
                                           Las Vegas Weekend,
                                           artwork, books
T-shirt available?    No                   Yes
Dr. Andrew Weil ad?   No                   No
Cross-pollination     Sallie Tisdale       Meditative cigar
factor                contemplates Betty   smoking
                      Crocker kitchens
                      from a Buddhist
                      perspective
                            Martha Stewart Living
Upscale cover price         $5.50
Catchy cover head           "Personalizing a Sofa"
-line
Celebrity coverage          Robert DeNiro appears
                            in an article about sushi
Fun getaway                 "Social beasts" skinny-dip
feature                     in Saint Barthelemy, then
                            get married
Brand extension             TV shows, books, cake-decorating
                            kit, bed and
                            bath accessories, paint,
                            ad infinitum
T-shirt available?          Yes
Dr. Andrew Weil ad?         No
Cross-pollination           Rampant Martha Stewart
factor                      materialism invariably leads
                            to desire for Buddhist
                            nonattachment