History of Change Your Mind Day

In 1993 Tricycle Magazine 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. They 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. Alan 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.

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