This month, I felt the need for some inspiration of the senses, so I’ve decided to set up a webpage dedicated to visual art that’s either been created by practising Buddhists, or features images or sculptures of the Buddha, or evokes meditative states. Below are just a few samples I’ve found recently. There are largerContinue reading “January/February 2018 super blue blood moon – Buddhist visual art and architecture”
Author Archives: Jill Shepherd
January 2018 full moon – re-set
Sydney Insight Meditators 2018 New Year’s retreat Making positive changes The New Year is traditionally a time to try to make positive changes for the year ahead. And yet most of us have had the experience of starting out with a rush of good intentions, only to find ourselves collapsing back into old habits veryContinue reading “January 2018 full moon – re-set”
December 2017 super moon – impermanence, vastness, and intimacy
Impermanence This month’s full moon post is a little late, because just this morning, I finished co-teaching the last six weeks of the three-month retreat at IMS in Barre, Massachusetts. The ending of any period of intensive meditation practice is poignant, but even more so when it’s been a longer retreat. As this retreat wasContinue reading “December 2017 super moon – impermanence, vastness, and intimacy”
New neuroscience research on the lasting benefits of meditation
Dan Goleman and Richie Davidson are both well-known names in the fields of psychology, science journalism and neuroscience, and they have recently co-authored a book laying out their most recent research on the benefits of meditation. Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson, publishedContinue reading “New neuroscience research on the lasting benefits of meditation”
September 2017 full moon – Taking A Stand
Stand Against Suffering: A Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers “‘As long as a society protects the vulnerable among them, they can be expected to prosper and not decline.’ The Buddha, in the Mahaparinirvana Sutta Buddhism does not align itself with any party or ideology. But when great suffering is at stake, Buddhists must take aContinue reading “September 2017 full moon – Taking A Stand”
July 2017 full moon – Gratitude
Just last week, I finished a one-month retreat at the Insight Meditation Society’s Forest Refuge in Barre, Massachusetts, led by Sayadaw U Vivekananda. What a relief it was, to temporarily put down some of the burdens I didn’t even know I was carrying, and to have such a powerful opportunity to “disentangle the tangle” (asContinue reading “July 2017 full moon – Gratitude”
Let’s Stand Up Together – Bhikkhu Bodhi
In response to the intense turbulence of the last few months, and the immense outpouring of messages of resistance and support, adding my own not-so-articulate-or-informed opinions to all of that seemed redundant. I’ve been staying quiet in terms of not posting, but active in terms of looking for ways to resist harmful energies, whichever countryContinue reading “Let’s Stand Up Together – Bhikkhu Bodhi”
December 2016 full moon – Wise Action, Wise Non-Action
The Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path is the Buddha’s prescription for completely curing ourselves of unhappiness. And like any good medicine, it doesn’t only work in one way. It’s a very holistic treatment that works on several different aspects of our lives at once – in fact, every aspect of our lives isContinue reading “December 2016 full moon – Wise Action, Wise Non-Action”
November 2016 full moon – Turmoil
almost super-moon, Newcastle Beach NSW Australia 13 November 2016 Turning towards and turning away Whether it’s global political upheaval, worsening social injustice, natural disasters, personal stress, emotional pain, relational crises, or health challenges, we seem to be in a phase of intense turmoil right now. Many of the communities around the world that I careContinue reading “November 2016 full moon – Turmoil”
October 2016 full moon – Reinstating the Buddha’s Vision of Gender Equity
Friends of mine from IMS recently sent me information about this presentation on a little-known aspect of Buddhist history, the recent revival of full monastic ordination for women. “This presentation was developed by Friends of Aloka Vihara co-founder Mindy Zlotnick. It outlines the history of bhikkhunis (fully ordained Buddhist nuns) from the time of theContinue reading “October 2016 full moon – Reinstating the Buddha’s Vision of Gender Equity”
Jill Shepherd: insight meditation 