"Life doesn't make a speech. It sings a song."

Find your center, the Old Wheel told the Young Tire. Your center is the greatest open road of all.
It will show you who and what you truly are beyond your tread. You are so much more than you think you are.
But the Tire looked toward the center and found nothing, only an empty circle. Without a hub and axle to cling to, the Tire felt useless and broken. It’s only emptiness, the Tire said sadly. Nothing.
The Old Wheel laughed and said, Tire, empty does not mean nothing, and nothing is never empty.
Things are not always as they appear.

In the tradition of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Siddhartha, and The Tao of Pooh, comes this unforgettable story of a simple car tire in search of meaning on the road of life. Thanks to the kindness of friends and the patience of wise teachers, TIRE discovers that an empty circle at the center can be the greatest open road of all, and that it can indeed take a lifetime to really change a tire. A series of adventures await in a story that is as simple as it is profound.

TIRE’s story is inspired by a variety of ancient teachings including the writings of Zen Master Eihei Dogen of Japan, Chan Buddhist Master Huangbo Xiyun of China, and Nondualist Guru Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj of India. Here you will find the timeless insights of Buddhism, the Tao, Dzogchen of Tibet, and the enduring truths of Hinduism's Advaita Vedanta — all woven seamlessly together with lots of hidden “easter eggs,” which makes this the perfect story to introduce these teachings to new students. TIRE is an exciting new way of exploring some of humanity’s oldest wisdom.

PRAISE FOR TIRE

“In TIRE, Coy Barefoot has created the bridge many have been waiting for—an accessible way to grasp the timeless treasure of non-duality. A practical manual for living well wrapped in a poignant fable, Barefoot’s work is more than a book; it is a shared experience that leaves the reader deeply joyful. After reading TIRE, I am not the same. I found myself laughing and crying simultaneously. By the final pages, it feels as though the author is simply polishing a jewel, shining up the glow so that the book’s radiance becomes part of the reader’s own heart.”

—John Hunter, President Emeritus and Founder, The World Peace Game Foundation

“Coy Barefoot has transformed timeless Buddhist teachings into a tender tale that captivates the imagination. For those of us who practice and teach mindfulness, each chapter reads like a koan that unlocks our intuitive and impressionistic understanding of paradoxical truths. In TIRE we find the stories that open us to the full experience of daily sitting with body, breath, and sound. TIRE teaches us how to stay open to the joys of light playing on water, of birds swooping in the sky, of being tossed into the air and leaping forward to meet the next thing.”

—Linda Keys, Coordinator for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, Mindfulness Instructor, Brains International School, Madrid

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*** AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1, 2026 ***

TIRE SCENES.mp4