Gina Sharpe was born in Jamaica and immigrated to New York as a child. After successful careers in government, the motion picture industry, philanthropy, and law, she cofounded New York Insight Meditation Center in 1997, where she led its People of Color sangha and served as its guiding teacher until 2017. A member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, she led, with Larry Yang, Lila Kate Wheeler, and Rachel Bagby, the most diverse dharma teacher training in Spirit Rock’s history, which was completed in September.
Gina Sharpe
Recent Articles
The Promise and Peril of Spiritual Authority
Gina Sharpe, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, and Pilar Jennings examine spiritual power, the roots of its abuse, and how we might learn to hold it differently going forward.
How Do I Work with My Fear of Other People’s Anger?
You can’t stop people from being angry at you, advises Insight Meditation teacher Gina Sharpe, but you can change how it makes you feel.
The Heart of Generosity
For December, Lion's Roar features teachings on a powerful practice: compassion. Here, Gina Sharpe offers a short introduction to generosity, explaining how it can be the beginning of the end of suffering.
Training the Buddhist Leaders of Tomorrow
Gina Sharpe and Larry Yang share how the most diverse Buddhist teacher-training program in American history, now underway at Spirit Rock, came to be.
The Heart Is Tender
Gina Sharpe says the most important Buddhist teaching for the world today is to have a compassionate heart.
No Small Effort
Coming back to the issue of diversity is no different from bringing one’s awareness back to the breath or any object of awareness.