Author Archives: Jill Shepherd

September 2014 full moon – equanimity part 2

Equanimity: Evenness of mind Last month I wrote a bit about equanimity, and how the possibility of not holding on to changing experiences can offer a sense of ease, even in the middle of difficult circumstances.  So this quality of equanimity can be a kind of refuge, but – at least in my own experienceContinueContinue reading “September 2014 full moon – equanimity part 2”

August 2014 full moon – Equanimity

Gain/loss, status/disgrace, censure/praise, pleasure/pain: these conditions among human beings are inconstant, impermanent, subject to change. Knowing this, the wise person, mindful, ponders these changing conditions. Desirable things don’t charm the mind, undesirable ones bring no resistance. His [or her] welcoming and rebelling are scattered, gone to their end, do not exist. Knowing the dustless, sorrowlessContinueContinue reading “August 2014 full moon – Equanimity”

July 2014 full moon – Hatred never ceases by hatred …

          Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law. quoted in “The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times” by Pema Chödrön 2001 Hatred never ends through hatred.  By non-hatred alone does it end.  This is anContinueContinue reading “July 2014 full moon – Hatred never ceases by hatred …”

4 July 2014 – celebrating two years of “homelessness”

Just realised today is the second anniversary since I had to leave the US, which means I’ve been technically homeless and living out of this suitcase (the silver sub) for two years now!  Sending much gratitude to all the people who have given me a roof over my head – thanks to all of you,ContinueContinue reading “4 July 2014 – celebrating two years of “homelessness””

Danish retreat with Joseph Goldstein and Uffe Damborg, June 2014

A view of Kerteminde harbour Just wanted to share a few photo souvenirs from this retreat, which took place last week on the outskirts of Kerteminde, an old fishing village a couple of hours from Copenhagen.  The retreat was led by Joseph Goldstein and Uffe Damborg, who have known each other for over forty years,ContinueContinue reading “Danish retreat with Joseph Goldstein and Uffe Damborg, June 2014”

Brene Brown on shame, vulnerability and compassion

Australian echidna not enjoying having its photo taken Recently I’ve offered a couple of retreats and courses exploring the theme of “Transforming Poison into Medicine – working with the mind’s difficult energies.”   That phrase about “poison and medicine” was borrowed from a chapter in a book by Pema Chodron, an American nun in the TibetanContinueContinue reading “Brene Brown on shame, vulnerability and compassion”

Reflections on the Brahma Vihara practices

This article (with minor amendments) was first published in the March 2014 BMIMC newsletter. Since returning to Australia and New Zealand from the United States eighteen months ago, I’ve been teaching several weekend retreats, day-long workshops and evening classes in New South Wales and Auckland.  Alongside the insight meditation practice, I’ve usually included some focusContinueContinue reading “Reflections on the Brahma Vihara practices”

Insight Meditation weekend – Auckland, New Zealand

This weekend’s insight meditation retreat at St Francis Retreat Centre in Auckland was blessed by good weather, good food, good friends – and good singing and chanting, courtesy of a Pasifika dance group on Saturday and a Hindu meditation group on Sunday!  Much gratitude to everyone who contributed to providing such powerful conditions for theContinueContinue reading “Insight Meditation weekend – Auckland, New Zealand”

Welcoming the New Year

Greetings from snowy Massachusetts! I intended to write this post a few days ago, but I’ve been under the weather with a combination of jet lag, a head cold, AND a gastro bug. So I wasn’t exactly the life of the party on New Year’s Eve, but being forced to take time out has givenContinueContinue reading “Welcoming the New Year”

Joseph Goldstein’s new book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

Joseph Goldstein has just published a new book which looks in detail at the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which is the key text for the practice of insight meditation.  It should be a very helpful resource for anyone who wants to refine their understanding of mindfulness and its role in the developmentContinueContinue reading “Joseph Goldstein’s new book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening”

Rick Hanson interviews Joseph Goldstein on mindfulness

This is a recent interview by neuroscientist Rick Hanson with his teacher, Joseph Goldstein, who is one of the founding teachers of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Joseph gives a very clear explanation of the full range of what mindfulness is, and also what it isn’t, based on his forty years experience ofContinueContinue reading “Rick Hanson interviews Joseph Goldstein on mindfulness”

Generosity part 4: Giving and Receiving

Greg Scharf and volunteer cook Donald Elniff enjoying cake dana at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre Right now, I’m assisting my friend Greg Scharf teach a two week retreat at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre in New South Wales, Australia.  And right about now, the annual three-month retreat at the Insight Meditation SocietyContinueContinue reading “Generosity part 4: Giving and Receiving”

Generosity part 3: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

This TED talk by a musician, Amanda Palmer, on “The Art of Asking” really resonated with some of my own recent experiences of giving and receiving.  It’s not a classical Buddhist “dana talk” – it even features some brief nudity – but her courage in being willing to connect with a diverse cross-section of people,ContinueContinue reading “Generosity part 3: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer”

Non-residential weekend retreat, Auckland, New Zealand

Update 24 July – ONLY 2 PLACES LEFT Freeing the Heart-Mind A non-residential weekend retreat exploring Buddhist meditation practices for developing wisdom and compassion During this non-residential weekend retreat we will explore two main forms of Buddhist meditation, insight (vipassana) and loving-kindness (metta). Together, these two practices help us to cultivate more awareness of ourselvesContinueContinue reading “Non-residential weekend retreat, Auckland, New Zealand”

Metta weekend, Auckland, New Zealand

Gratitude to all the participants in the recent Metta weekend retreat held at Bella Rakha in Auckland, New Zealand. The dedicated team! Shrine prepared by Sue, with everyone’s aspirations in the bowl below

Insight Meditation in Silicon Valley

This article from Wired magazine gives a snapshot of how insight meditation is being used – and/or misused – in big tech companies such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, PayPal, etc. It’s not meditation any more, it’s “neural self-hacking!” http://www.wired.com/business/2013/06/meditation-mindfulness-silicon-valley/

Winter in Australia and New Zealand – study and practice opportunities

This year is flying by, and in less than two weeks I plan to be in retreat at the Forest Refuge for the whole month of May.  So I wanted to take the opportunity now to remind NZ friends that there are still some places available for the 14-16 June weekend retreat at Bella RakhaContinueContinue reading “Winter in Australia and New Zealand – study and practice opportunities”

Responding and reacting

CPR masks What?  Yet another act of mass violence? This one very close to home … I arrived in Boston yesterday morning, just a few hours before Logan airport was closed down due to the marathon bombings.  A friend picked me up and took me straight to a local hospital so we could spend timeContinueContinue reading “Responding and reacting”