Gina Sharpe

About Gina Sharpe

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Gina Sharpe has created 85 blog entries.

Worldly Winds

2017-01-09T08:08:21-05:00

We each have our measure of joy and of suffering, which the Buddha referred to as the Eight Worldly Winds: gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, fame and disrepute. I suspect he named them meteorologically because, like these worldly winds, we are subject to the weather but cannot control it. Gentle breezes to gale force winds all unpredictably blow through our lives.

Worldly Winds2017-01-09T08:08:21-05:00

The Beloved Community

2017-01-09T08:08:48-05:00

Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose teachings resound through time. He preached that each of us has the power to change the world and ourselves, to consider how one confronts social evil without creating further evil, division and enmity. This is not unlike Buddhadharma, both recognizing the universality of the human struggle for freedom.

The Beloved Community2017-01-09T08:08:48-05:00

Who Are You Really?

2017-01-09T08:09:05-05:00

What does it mean to say “not self?” I often hear the confusion of this penetrating teaching of the Buddha, ubiquitously described as the most transcendent and transformative aspect of his teaching.

Who Are You Really?2017-01-09T08:09:05-05:00

Train the Heart

2017-07-29T21:40:05-04:00

It is important to train the heart to default to love. Working on undoing racism, I am increasingly aware both in my own heart and in my beloved culture, that aversion in our hearts may not lessen if we are unwilling to acknowledge it. Much suffering comes from our unwillingness to look at how conditioning has shaped our attitudes, beliefs and actions.

Train the Heart2017-07-29T21:40:05-04:00

Presence with Equanimity

2017-01-09T08:09:52-05:00

In these past days, sitting in a hospital room with my dearest one very ill, I have frequently recollected these words from Suzuki Roshi:

Presence with Equanimity2017-01-09T08:09:52-05:00

The Ground for a Happy New Year

2017-07-29T21:38:40-04:00

Annually at this time we pause to reflect and renew our determination to eliminate, or at least weaken, unskillful habits and to cultivate, develop and strengthen skillful ones. We call them “resolutions,” yet, because we are not permanent, unyielding or unchanging beings, nor are our circumstances ever permanent, perhaps they can be better seen as moment to moment shifting and changing responses, grounded in wise intentions. Our best possible resolution is to undertake a vigilant and compassionate practice of mindfulness, examining in every moment the intentions that drive our thoughts, acts and speech; to establish and act from those that are wholesome and refrain from acting from those that are unwholesome.

The Ground for a Happy New Year2017-07-29T21:38:40-04:00

Generous Now

2017-07-29T21:10:35-04:00

It has been cold and snowing in New York! And it feels appropriate in this season, which we often describe as the time to be “jolly.” Yet, there are many people who feel the sting of inequity and poverty in the world, even more at these times of year, when the hustle and bustle of consumerism is annually at its peak. One sixth of the world still experiences hunger every day. Need is great everywhere, including in our own communities.

Generous Now2017-07-29T21:10:35-04:00

Breathe

2017-01-09T08:11:34-05:00

The first instruction for establishing Mindfulness is to know the body, and it begins with focusing on breathing. Even though it’s an essential part of our life support system, we normally give very little attention to the breath, unless there is a problem with it.

Breathe2017-01-09T08:11:34-05:00

Liberation in Seven Days!

2017-01-09T08:12:42-05:00

In the Satipatthana Sutta, the root text in which the Buddha gives detailed instructions for practicing Mindfulness, he promises that following those instructions precisely and diligently for even as little as seven days will lead to freedom. Wow!! This gets my attention.

Liberation in Seven Days!2017-01-09T08:12:42-05:00

Deep Bows

2017-01-09T08:12:59-05:00

Isn’t it wonderful that this week we as a country pause to celebrate a holiday devoted to gratitude and giving thanks! We collectively agree to focus on the quality of mind that the Buddha cited as defining what it means to be civilized. In fact, he said it was rare to find in the world people who 1) are first to do a kindness, and 2) who are grateful and thankful for kindness done.

Deep Bows2017-01-09T08:12:59-05:00
Go to Top