Where did you grow up?
Canada.
When did you become a Buddhist and why? There wasn’t a point when I became a Buddhist, and I am still reluctant to use the label. Nevertheless, I have been immersed in the path since I was a teenager. When I was 17, I went to Asia for several years and lived and studied in the Tibetan and Theravada traditions.
Why are you reluctant? If someone asks me if I am a Buddhist I would likely answer yes, but would prefer, if there were space and time, to explain that the Buddha didn’t, in my understanding, teach a religion.
What is your daily practice? It varies. I focus on the brahma-viharas (the Buddha’s four heart teachings (lovingkindness, compassion, equanimity, and sympathetic joy) and samatha (calming meditation). I also have off-the-cushion intentions, such as generosity or skillful speech, that I work on for a year at a time.
Favorite aphorism? “Whatever we practice, the skillful or unskillful, will grow.”
Longest retreat? Four months.
Favorite breakfast on retreat? Yogurt.
Book on your nightstand? Into the Silent Land: Travels in Neuropsychology by Paul Broks.
What do you like to do in your free time? I love to spend time in nature and with my young grandson.
Who is your teacher? I don’t have a current teacher, but there are a number that I enjoy listening to, including Ajahn Sucitto.
Coffee or tea? Tea.
Favorite subject in school? In high school I most enjoyed history, but now I realize how selective the curriculum was.
What was your first job? I have never done anything apart from sharing the dharma.
Most used emoji? I don’t use emojis.
What would you do if you weren’t a Buddhist teacher? If I weren’t teaching, I would pause before taking up something new to fill in that space, and enjoy living.
♦
Learn more about Christina Feldman’s online course, Universal Empathy, with Bodhi College colleague Chris Cullen, at learn.tricycle.org.