Podcast appearances and mentions of Cheryl A Giles

On fostering spiritual kinship and community, a plea to stay in the fold of love and civility, and recipes to fortify the truth of our interbeing. (3:40) - Facing grief and loss as a chaplain. (10:21) -Buddhist retreats for intergenerational healing. (18:55) -Narcissism and the Buddhist Path to Authenticity. (25:11) - Intergenerational wisdom and mindfulness. (31:25) - Buddhist teachings and meditation practice. (37:03) -Ethics, gratitude, and relationships. Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde is a pastoral counselor, writer, instructor and speaker. She did her post-doctoral work at Harvard Divinity School, earned a Doctor of Theology in Pastoral Counseling from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, earned her M.A. in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA, and her law degree from Indiana University of Law. She is a Community Dharma Leader certified by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. Her articles appear in Buddhadharma, Lion's Roar, Journal of Buddhist-Christian Studies, Religions and Feminist Theology. She is an interfaith pan-Buddhist practitioner. Ayo is the author of three books: Casting Indra's Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community (2023, Shambhala Publications). Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race Resilience, Transformation and Freedom co-edited with Cheryl A. Giles (2020, Shambhala Publications). Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, U.S. Law, and Womanist Theology for Transgender Spiritual Care (2020, Palgrave Macmillan).  

Major religious traditions call on their adherents to respond to the causes of suffering, those who suffer, and the prevention of suffering. The ways we respond and serve can take many forms including activism and holding political office. How does spiritual practice support the difficult work of speaking truth to power as well as being in positions of power without losing focus on the relief of suffering? In this book talk and conversation, Lori E. Lightfoot, Esq., 56th Mayor of Chicago, and Pamela Ayo Yetunde, J.D., Th.D., author of Casting Indra's Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community, reflected on the role of political officeholders and public theologians in the divisive social contexts we live in today. This event was live-streamed on the HDS Youtube channel, and took place October 24, 2023. Bios Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago Law School. She was an Assistant United States Attorney who also served in other governmental positions with the Chicago Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management and later, Lightfoot was a law partner at Mayer Brown. Lightfoot served as the 56th Mayor of Chicago. She was the second woman, first African-American female and first openly gay person to ever serve as Mayor. Her tenure ran from May 2019—May 2023. Mayor Lightfoot is a 2023 Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she is teaching a course on leadership and key discussion-making in public health. Pamela Ayo Yetunde, J.D., Th.D., is a pastoral counselor in private practice, Community Dharma Leader, human rights advocate, and the author of Casting Indra's Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinships and Community. Along with HDS's Dr. Cheryl A. Giles, Ayo co-edited Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom. This anthology led to Dr. Charles Stang, director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, hosting a powerful program about being Black and Buddhist. Ayo is also an associate editor with Lion's Roar and Buddhadharma and has hosted many of their podcast interviews. You can visit Ayo's website (https://www.pamelaayoyetunde.com:) for more information, including how to purchase the book. For more information: https://hds.harvard.edu/academics/ministry-studies/buddhist-ministry-initiative A transcript is forthcoming.

I used to think that being Buddhist was a similar experience for everyone; a sangha a retreat for all people. Today I share an interview by James Shahhen who talks with editors of the Anthology Black and Buddhist, Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles Sponsors: Amazon.com - Shop Amazon using this link and a portion of what you spend will go back to the show. Become a Super-Fan of the Show Support ZEN commuter and get access to patron bonuses THANKS FOR LISTENING! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Also, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful, they help it reach a wider audience.  The more positive reviews the higher in the rankings it goes.  Of course that means more peace in the world.  So please let me know what you think.  I read ever one of them. Did you enjoy the podcast?

In the latest episode of Tricycle Talks, editor-in-chief James Shaheen sits down to talk with four contributors to Tricycle’s Summer issue out this May. First up are psychotherapist Mindy Newman and translator and musician Kaia Fischer. Together over the past year they have presented a series of teachings from a newly translated Tibetan sutra. Through their collaborative writing practice, Mindy and Kaia have been able to explore psychology and scriptural exegesis, Buddhist storytelling, and guru devotion in the Tibetan tradition.  Poet and short story writer Souvankham Thammavongsa is a rising star in the literary world. Born in a Lao refugee camp in Thailand and raised in Toronto, Thammavongsa is known for her nuanced reflections on immigrant and refugee experiences. In this episode, she joins us to talk about her family’s history, the power and limits of language, dislocation, and loss—themes woven throughout her short story How to Pronounce Knife, which appears in the current issue.  In his feature article, “The Land of Many Dharmas,” Kenneth Tanaka, a Jodo Shin Buddhist priest and professor emeritus of Buddhist Studies at Musashino University in Tokyo, discusses how, for the first time, Buddhists from virtually every tradition can be found living side by side in North American cities. He explores America as a site of unprecedented religious pluralism and asks what this means for the future, especially in light of the recent wave of anti-Asian violence. Also in this issue: Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles—the editors of the anthology Black and Buddhist—discuss what the dharma and the experience of Black people in America can teach us about the nature of suffering and freedom; scholar Donald S. Lopez writes about how, for most of its history, Buddhist teachings have had little to offer social activism; and the photography of Burmese artist Nge Lay captures the collision of Myanmar’s past and present.

We explore sitting with our anger, fear, and sadness with Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and psychologist, Cheryl Giles. The essay is called Beyond the Color Line: Cultivating Fearlessness In Contemplative Care and is found on pg. 41 with the selection on pg. 43. The essay is included in The Arts of Contemplative Care ed. by Cheryl A. Giles and Willa B. Miller and published by Wisdom Publications in Boston in 2012.