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ScheduleAll Sunday meetings start at 6:00. Meetings are live-streamed and sometimes in-person. For the connection link and other information, visit:MarinSangha.org/news?ev=live. Note that this schedule can change at any time without advance notice.
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Marin Sangha TeachersPhillip Moffitt
Phillip Moffitt founded Marin Sangha in 1998.
At the peak of his career, former CEO and Editor-in-chief of Esquire magazine, Phillip Moffitt, traded in his worldly aspirations to explore the inner life. He then founded the Life Balance Institute and now teaches vipassana meditation with an emphasis on living the dharma in daily life. Phillip is the author of Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Dancing with Life. Phillip's most recent book is Awakening Through the Nine Bodies. For more information about Phillip and his work, see DharmaWisdom.org and LifeBalance.org. Talks given by Phillip Moffitt at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=moffitt. To offer dana to Phillip, you can send a check to Life Balance InstituteOr, donate (via PayPal) by clicking on this link: www.paypal.com/paypalme/lifebalanceinstitute. Donald Rothberg
Dr. Donald Rothberg, a principal teacher at Marin Sangha,
is one of the nation's foremost leaders in
socially engaged spirituality. His experience uniquely combines a
long record of activism and organizing, extensive teaching,
and leadership roles in pioneering programs that weave together social action
with spirituality. He has practiced Buddhist meditation for over 25 years
and has been significantly influenced by other spiritual traditions,
particularly Jewish, Christian, and indigenous.
Recently Donald directed a two-year training program in connecting
individual and social transformation, "The Path of Engagement,"
through Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
He is on the Teachers' Council of Spirit Rock and has been an
organizer, teacher, and board member for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Donald has also served as director of the Socially Engaged Spirituality program
at the Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco.
His book, The Engaged Spiritual Life:
A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World,
was named one of the best spiritual books of 2006 by Spirituality and Practice.
He has been an editor of ReVision:
A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation for ten years,
and he co-edited Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading
Transpersonal Thinkers.
Donald lives and teaches in Berkeley, California.
www.donaldrothberg.com
Talks given by Donald Rothberg at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=rothberg. Here are three ways to offer dana to Donald:
Dawn Scott
Dawn Scott is a principal teacher at Marin Sangha.
She has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2008 and served as the
Family Program Coordinator for eight years at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
She is a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society's 2017 - 2021 teacher
training program and is a core teacher
of Spirit Rock's Liberation, Emptiness, and Awareness Practices (LEAP) Program
and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and Insight Meditation's joint program,
Exploring the Heart of Freedom.
Dawn has a deep love of long retreat practice and the Buddha's liberating teachings.
Talks given by Dawn Scott at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=scott.
To offer dana to Dawn, please use
Noliwe Alexander
Noliwe Alexander has been a student of Vipassana meditation for over 15 years.
Throughout this time of deep devotion to the Dharma,
Noliwe has become a dedicated practitioner,
teacher of various sitting groups around the Bay Area,
facilitator of community workshops and Buddhist meditation day longs
and class series programs. She is a Life & Business Coach dedicating both her
coaching & Dharma practice to the POC, LGBT, At Risk and Elder communities.
She is a graduate of Spirit Rock's CDL4 program and completed
EBMC's Commit 2 Dharma program in 2010.
Talks given by Noliwe Alexander at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=alexander.
To offer dana to Noliwe, please use
PayPal (noliwe@comcast.net) or Venmo (@Noliwe-Alexander). Kim Allen
Kim Allen has been practicing Insight meditation since 2003, and has trained intensively in the U.S. and Asia with cumulative years of silent retreat.
She has practiced with primary teacher Gil Fronsdal and other Western teachers, Theravadan monastics, and a few Mahayana teachers, and now offers retreats, sutta study, and experiential Dharma engagement. A teacher and author, Kim aims to bring classical Dharma to a modern context and to encourage lay practitioners in fully living a life of Dharma. Her website is
http://www.uncontrived.org.
To offer dana to Kim, please visit uncontrived.org/donate.html
Talks given by Kim Allen at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=allen. Ayya Anandabodhi
Ayya Anandabodhi first encountered the Buddha's teachings in her
early teens, igniting a deep interest in the Buddha's Path of Awakening.
She lived and trained as a nun in the Forest Tradition at
Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries in England
from 1992 until 2009, when she moved to the US to help
establish Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women.
Her practice and teaching are guided by early
Buddhist scriptures and through nature's pure and immediate Dhamma.
To offer dana to Ayya Anandabodhi, please go to the Aloka Vihara Support Page at alokavihara.org/donate.
Talks given by Ayya Anandabodhi at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=anandabodhi. Sally Armstrong
Sally Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981.
She spent five years in England,
where she managed a retreat center and was a founding member of the Sharpham
meditation community.
When she moved to California in 1988, she continued her dharma service at
Spirit Rock Meditation Center in a number of roles, including executive director.
Sally began teaching in 1996, and is one of the guiding teachers of
Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program.
To offer dana to Sally, please use
Talks given by Sally Armstrong at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sarmstrong. Sally Armstrong
Sally Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981.
She spent five years in England,
where she managed a retreat center and was a founding member of the Sharpham
meditation community.
When she moved to California in 1988, she continued her dharma service at
Spirit Rock Meditation Center in a number of roles, including executive director.
Sally began teaching in 1996, and is one of the guiding teachers of
Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program.
To offer dana to Sally, please use
Talks given by Sally Armstrong at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sarmstrong. Leslie Booker
Booker brings her heart and wisdom to the intersection of Dharma +
Embodied Wisdom + Activism;
an integration of ancient wisdom practices that support us in
navigating our modern world.
She is dedicated to changing the paradigm of self and community
care and to broadening the vision of culturally responsive teaching.
She lends her expertise nationally as guest lecturer and
teacher at conferences, universities, and Dharma centers.
For over a decade, Booker shared practice with the most vulnerable populations in NYC, and has contributed to several books and academic papers. She graduated from Spirit Rock's Mindful Yoga and Meditation training (2012), Community Dharma Leaders Training (2017), and will complete the Spirit Rock 4 year Residential Retreat Teacher Training in 2020. For more information on Leslie Booker, see www.spiritrock.org/leslie-booker To offer dana to Leslie, please use one of these:
Talks given by Leslie Booker at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=booker. Heidi Bourne
Heidi Bourne is a meditation teacher in the Insight Meditation
tradition and is the founder and guiding teacher of
Pacific Mindfulness. She has been teaching since 2005 in both
public and private settings, offering classes, series courses,
nature retreats, resiliency-focused professional programs,
and teaches regularly at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Heidi is especially interested in the integration
of the common sense, accessible and timeless teachings of awareness,
ethics, and compassion into the complexity of our everyday lives.
She is known for her grounded, down-to-earth humor and presence.
To offer dana to Heidi Bourne, please use one of these:
Talks given by Heidi Bourne at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=bourne. Matthew Brensilver
Matthew Brensilver, PhD, began practice in the Tibetan tradition and
since 2003 has studied with Shinzen Young.
He served as a Buddhist chaplain at USC for four years and teaches about
the intersection of mindfulness and psychotherapy at
UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center.
He has been involved with Spirit Rock Teen Retreats since 2008.
Matthew's website is MatthewBrensilver.org.
To offer dana to Matthew, go to MatthewBrensilver.org/support.
Talks given by Matthew Brensilver at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=brensilver. Edward Espe Brown
Edward Espe Brown is a Zen priest and author of The Tassajara Bread Book and
Tomato Blessings, Radish Teachings. Also a student of Vipassana, yoga,
cranio-sacral therapy, handwriting analysis, and chi gung, as well as a
lover of poetry, his teaching style weaves together his multiplicity of
interests.
Talks given by Edward Espe Brown at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=brown. Shaila Catherine
Shaila Catherine is the founder of Bodhi Courses, an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay, a Buddhist meditation center in Silicon Valley. She began practicing meditation in 1980, studied with masters in India, Thailand, and Nepal, spent more than nine years in silent retreat, taught meditation internationally since 1996, and authored three books on mindfulness, concentration, jhana, and insight. Her first book, Focused and Fearless: A Meditator's Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity, introduces the deep concentration practices of jhana. Her second book, Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana, makes the systematic practices taught by Pa-Auk Sayadaw accessible to western practitioners. Her third book, Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind, teaches skills to overcome restless thinking, rumination, and obstructive habitual patterns. Shaila's teachings emphasize deep samadhi, jhana, and the path of liberating insight.
Find out more about Shaila and her teachings at:
Talks given by Shaila Catherine at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=catherine. There are three ways that you can offer dana to Shaila Catherine:
Ying Chen
Ying Chen, Ph.D., was born in China and immigrated to the US as a young adult. She took refuge to become a Buddhist with Venerable Ji Ru in 1995. She was first exposed to Chinese Mahayana Buddhism after coming to the US. In 2001, she was drawn to the Theravada tradition. Since then, she's been practicing primarily under the guidance of Gil Fronsdal. Ying is a graduate of the Sati Center Chaplaincy program and Local Dharma Leader program from Insight Meditation Center. Ying also studied suttas under the guidance of Shaila Catherine. She currently facilitates the Insight Meditation Center support group for people living with illness and co-leads Asian Dharma Circle with Lilu Chen. Before retiring from IBM, Ying worked as a data scientist for 18 years.
Talks given by Ying Chen at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=chen
In gratitude to Phillip Moffitt, Ying asks that any dana go to him:
Life Balance InstituteOr, donate via PayPal by clicking on this link: www.paypal.com/paypalme/lifebalanceinstitute. Bill Coffin
Bill Coffin has been meditating since 1987.
He has attended dozens of silent retreats and studied in
Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program.
He has been teaching meditation since 2006.
He and his wife, Barbara McHugh,
lead a twice-monthly
sitting group at a church in Berkeley.
Bill worked for ten years as a professional drummer
and 20 years as a computer software developer.
Talks given by Bill Coffin at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=coffin.
Any dana that Bill receives is given to Marin Sangha, so if
you wish to offer dana for the teachings, please go to
www.marinsangha.org/donate. bruni dávila
bruni dávila has practiced Insight and Zen meditation since 1995, and is a graduate from the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training Program. Bruni has been guided and supported by various wonderful teachers/sanghas, and her ancestors of Puerto Rican heritage. Grounded in the teachings of Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Tejaniya. bruni is drawn to/and inspired by long retreat practice and Dharma in daily life, and has deep confidence that the fruits of peace, contentment and ease can be cultivated and experienced in our lives through practice.
To offer dana to Bruni, use paypal (please notice the letter "p" before the "@"):
Talks given by bruni dávila at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=davila.
Eve Decker
Eve Decker began Insight Meditation practice in 1991. i
She co-leads the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley;
she is a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation
Teacher Certification Program led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach;
she teaches for the family program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center;
and she leads ongoing weekly mindfulness and compassion practice groups.
She is the forthcoming author of a book about self-friendliness,
and an accomplished musician. She was a founding member of the
feminist trio Rebecca Riots, and since then has released
five collections of "Dharma Music"
(songs inspired by Buddhist teachings).
She has a podcast titled
LOVED: Mindful and Musical Perspectives on Daily Life.
To offer dana to Eve: - Venmo: @Eve-Decker (last 4 digits of phone if needed- 0934) For more information on Eve Decker, visit www.evedecker.com
Talks given by Eve Decker at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=decker. JD Doyle
JD Doyle (they/them) served as Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, where they co-founded the Alphabet (LGBTQIA+) Sangha. They graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Retreat Teacher Training in 2020 and teach at sanghas across the US and in Canada. JD began studying and practicing Buddhism in 1995, at Insight Meditation Society and at Spirit Rock, and continued with extensive retreat practice in Thailand and Burma in the Theravadan lineage. For over twenty-three years, they worked as a public school teacher. JD holds a BS in Environmental Studies from Cornell University, a bilingual multicultural teaching certificate from UC Santa Cruz, and a Masters in Language and Literacy and Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of our human sangha, transforming the impacts of racism on our communities, honoring all genders, and living in ways that affirm the sacredness of the Earth.
To learn more about JD Doyle, or offer dana, please visit https://www.heartmindteaching.com/ To offer dana to JD, please use Paypal using DoyleJD.
Talks given by JD Doyle at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=doyle. Mei ElliottFor more information on Mei Elliot, visit www.spiritrock.org/teachers/mei-elliottTalks given by Mei Elliott at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=elliott. To offer dana to Mei Elliott:
Lisa Ernst
Lisa Ernst is a meditation teacher, artist and founder of One Dharma Nashville. In her teaching, Lisa emphasizes both transformational insight and everyday awakening as an invitation to embrace all of the path's possibilities. Lisa has been meditating for over 30 years in the Zen and Vipassana traditions. She received teaching authorization in the Thai Forest/Spirit Rock lineage of Ajahn Chah, Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield. Lisa teaches internationally and has led retreats and classes for organizations such as Spirit Rock, InsightLA, Sangha Live and Southern Dharma. As a practicing visual artist Lisa incorporates Dharma into contemplative photography and writing.
Dana can be made through Venmo @lisadharma or Paypal at lisa@lisaernst.com or by check at Lisa Ernst 1240 Mary Helen Drive, Nashville, TN 37220. Talks given by Lisa Ernst at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=ernst.
For more information on Lisa Ernst, please visit
lisaernstmeditation.com.
Shahara Godfrey
Shahara Godfrey followed the teachings of the Buddha since 1989, with
her primary practices in Compassion and Social Activism. She
completed the Community Dharma Leadership Program and the Path of
Engagement programs at Spirit Rock, and received her Ph.D. in Humanities
with a focus on Transformative Learning and Change from the California
Institute of Integral Studies. Shahara taught mindfulness to adults and
children in the Bay Area and also at the East Bay Meditation Center in
Oakland, CA. A self-taught mixed-media artist, she exhibited in the
Bay Area, Oregon, Washington, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Sadly, Shahara died on Dec. 1, 2020. We miss her but are deeply grateful for her presence and wisdom.
Talks that Shahara Godfrey gave at Marin Sangha are still available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=godfrey. Leslie Grant
Lesley Grant ECD is the founder & director of Marin Mindfulness Institute,
a professional certification program for psychotherapists and teachers
in mindfulness and child development.
She has spent nearly 30 years evolving developmentally appropriate
mindfulness practices for children and teens teaching mindfulness in
medical clinics & educational settings.
She also founded, and directs Marin Mindfulness an educational program for teachers,
parents, & children pre-school-teens,
serving hundreds of children & teens and parents each year as well as
a special needs teen group for teens with autistic spectrum disorders,
ADHD and anxiety disorders. She has lectured at Stanford
for the George Miller Youth Lecture Series,
East Bay Mental Health, The Child Therapy Institute in San Rafael, and conferences.
Has given in-service training to the teachers of Mindful Schools,
and in 1984 she developed a mindfulness-based program in a neurology
clinic & continued in medical clinics & private practice for 18 years.
She has mentored teachers for 16 years.
She served as the internship director for mindfulness & yoga based stress
management groups in medical & mental health settings,
as part of an East/West MA psychology program through Sonoma State University.
Graduating from CIIS with a thesis in psychology education,
she is also a California certified director & teacher,
and she has practiced mindfulness for 37 years.
She is the author of an upcoming book on Mindfulness and child development
and her program Marin Mindfulness Institute is in a full length feature
film about children helping with a difficult world problem and
practicing mindfulness and loving-kindness practice,
scheduled for national distribution in January 2014.
www.mindfulness-education.orgKevin GriffinFor more information on Kevin Griffin, see www.KevinGriffin.net
Talks given by Kevin Griffin at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=griffin. Art Jolly
Art Jolly has been practicing insight meditation for over 25 years,
most of that time under the guidance of Phillip Moffitt.
In addition to having attended numerous retreats,
he also completed Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioners Program,
Community Dharma Leaders Program, and Advanced Practitioners Program.
In 2003 he spent five months as a monk in Burma,
which was a transformative experience for him.
In addition to leading his own meditation group for many years,
he has taught at Marin Sangha, East Bay Meditation Center and other
groups around the San Francisco Bay Area.
He is being trained by Dana DePalma and Phillip Moffitt
to share the Nine Bodies Insight Method.
Talks given by Art Jolly at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=jolly. To offer dana to Art: Venmo: @ArtJolly Barbara McHugh
Barbara McHugh has been meditating for more than 30 years.
She has attended dozens of silent retreats and studied in
Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program.
Barbara has been teaching meditation since 2006.
She is the author of the prize-winning novel,
Bride of the Buddha.
Barbara and her husband, Bill Coffin,
lead a twice-monthly sitting group at a church in Berkeley.
Barbara has a PhD in religion and literature.
She also teaches the art and craft of writing fiction.Lisa Dale Miller
Lisa Dale Miller is a private practice psychotherapist specializing in
mindfulness psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing therapy for the treatment
of mood disorders, trauma, addiction, emotion dysregulation,
chronic pain, and relationship distress.
She is the author of a highly regarded textbook on Buddhist
psychology for mental health professionals,
Effortless Mindfulness: Genuine mental health through awakened presence.
Lisa is also an outpatient clinician for the Veterans Administration
San Jose and a teacher of Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)
for addiction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for
depression relapse prevention,
and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
Training clinicians in the practical application of
Buddhist psychology is her greatest joy.
She has been a yogic and Buddhist meditation practitioner for four decades.
To learn more about Lisa Dale Miller, visit
www.lisadalemiller.com.
Talks given by Lisa Dale Miller at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=miller. When Lisa Dale Miller visits us, she donates her dana
to Marin Sangha. To honor Lisa's teaching, please
Donate to Marin Sangha. Nikki MirghaforiFor more information on Nikki Mirghafori, see www.nikkimirghafori.comTo offer dana to Nikki, please use
Talks given by Nikki Mirghafori at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=mirghafori. Caverly MorganFor more information on Caverly Morgan, see www.caverlymorgan.org
For dana: Caverly's tag is the same on Paypal and Venmo, and it's @caverlymorganllc Dawn Neal
Dawn Neal, Guiding Teacher of Insight Santa Cruz, has devoted several years to silent retreat. She has an MA in Theravada Buddhist studies, and professional experience as an interfaith spiritual care counselor (chaplain). Her practice includes ordaining in Burma, where she was authorized to teach Buddhist practice through the lens of Metta. She has been teaching meditation since 2010. Dawn is now in the final stages of Dharma Teacher training with Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. To learn more about her and her wider teaching activities, please see
www.liberatingdharma.org.
Talks given by Dawn Neal at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=neal.
To offer dana to Dawn Neal, please
use PayPal, paying to dawn.p.neal@gmail.com.
Or you could use VenMo with the VenMo ID of @Dawn-Neal-6. Wes NiskerFor more information on Wes Nisker, see www.wesnisker.com
Talks given by Wes Nisker at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=nisker. Stephanie Noble
Stephanie Noble talks and writes about the dharma from a poet's perspective,
finding helpful similes and metaphors to enhance modern-day understanding of
challenging concepts. She leads the weekly Marin Insight Women's Sangha on Zoom.
She is the author of Asking In, Six Empowering Questions Only You Can Answer, and posts dharma talks and guided meditations on her website. She also serves on the Board of the Buddhist Insight Network. In 1993, she found her spiritual home at Spirit Rock, where she has been a student, practitioner, retreatant, class manager, and teacher. She has dedicated herself to sharing the dharma since being asked to teach in 2007. For more information on Stephanie Noble, see stephanienoble.com Talks given by Stephanie Noble at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=noble.
To offer dana to Stephanie, please use
PayPal by clicking this link:
Stephanie Noble Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith
For more information on Ramona, please visit freespiritofferings.com
To offer dana to Ramona, please use
Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith
Talks given by Ramona Ortiz-Smith at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=ortiz-smith. Wendy Palmer
Wendy Palmer was the founder of Leadership Embodiment,
a process that uses principles from the non-violent Japanese martial art of
Aikido and mindfulness to offer simple tools and practices to increase
our capacity and respond to stress and pressure with greater confidence,
inspiration and equanimity.
Wendy practiced mindfulness for over 45 years and was
deeply touched by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
She held a sixth degree black belt in Aikido and was the author
of three books, The Intuitive Body,
The Practice of Freedom and Leadership Embodiment.
We're very sad to announce that Wendy Palmer died on December 2, 2022. Wendy was a long-time guest teacher at Marin Sangha, starting back in the days of our Turtle Island location. Many of us fondly remember her dharma talks and continue to use "Noble, Awesome, Shiny" as a personal mantra. Her background in martial arts made her an effective teacher of embodied awareness practice. We miss her.
Many talks given by Wendy Palmer at Marin Sangha are still available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=palmer. Roy RemerFor more information on Roy Remer, see www.zenhospice.org/about/staffTalks given by Roy Remer at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=remer.
To offer dana to Roy Remer,
click this link:
Roy Remer Tuere SalaFor more information on Tuere Sala, see www.spiritrock.org/teachers/tuere-salaTalks given by Tuere Sala at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sala.
To offer dana to Tuere, please click on this link:
Ayya Santacitta
Santacitta Bhikkhuni was born in Austria and did her graduate studies in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on dance, theatre and ritual. She also worked in avant-garde dance theatre as a performer and costume designer. In 1988 she met Ajahn Buddhadasa in southern Thailand, who sparked her interest in Buddhist monastic life. She trained as a nun in England and Asia from 1993 until 2009, primarily in the lineage of Ajahn Chah. Since 2002, she has also received teachings in the lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Santacitta Bhikkhuni co-founded Aloka Vihara in 2009 and received Bhikkhuni Ordination in 2011. She is committed to Gaia as a living being and resides at Aloka Earth Room, currently located in San Rafael, CA. To offer dana to Ayya Santacitta, please donate to the Saranaloka Foundation at alokavihara.org/support-2/donate. To offer meals to Ayya Santacitta, please visit the Aloka Earth Room calendar at alokavihara.org/support-aloka-earth-room.
Talks given by Ayya Santacitta at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=santacitta. Ayya SantussikaFor more information on Ayya Santussika, see karunabv.orgTalks given by Ayya Santussika at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=santussika.
To offer dana to Ayya Santussika, please visit
karunabv.org/donations.html Richard ShankmanFor more information on Richard Shankman, see www.RichardShankman.orgTalks given by Richard Shankman at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=shankman. To offer dana to Richard Shankman:
Ashley Sharp
Ashley Sharp, E-RYT, is known for her wit, practicality, and tenderness as an instructor. She has been teaching Buddha-dharma and meditation for over 20 years while continuing to study and practice at home and across the world. She is also trained in yoga therapy and yoga nidra (a reclining meditation practice).
Ashley's ongoing practice of Vipassana meditation leads naturally to her unique weaving of mindfulness and dharma (wisdom) themes into an embodied understanding of the teachings. She graduated from the "Dedicated Practitioner Program," and the "Community Dharma Leader" trainings (both are 2 year invitational trainings through Spirit Rock Meditation Center). She lives in Northern California among the redwood trees where she runs a small retreat center called Refuge at Pudding Creek. The center focuses on awakening through mindfulness, nature, art and yoga. Sharp is the author of "Mindfulness for Beginners: 4 Weeks to Everyday Peace, Gratitude, and Focus". To offer dana to Ashley Sharp, please use
Talks given by Ashley Sharp at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sharp. Cathy Small
Cathy Small is an author and retired professor of anthropology, who has been practicing vipassana meditation for more than twenty years. She has completed numerous extended meditation retreats in the U.S., India, and Nepal focusing on awareness, loving kindness and concentration, and has taught meditation since 2010. She currently co-teaches a six-week course in mindfulness every semester at Northern Arizona University for faculty, staff, and community members, and offers a mindfulness course for inmates at the county jail. She is a regular teacher at the Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Talks given by Cathy Small at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=small.
To offer dana to Cathy, please use Ayya Sobhana
Ayya Sobhana is the Vice Abbess of Dhammadharini,
a community for monastic women located on the Sonoma Coast of California.
Together with Ayya Tathaaloka Theri,
Ayya Sobhana has been deeply involved in the recent restoration of
Bhikkhuni full ordination in the Theravada tradition.
She has meditated and trained with Bhante Henepola Gunaratana since 1989.
She stayed at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia from 2003 to 2010.
She ordained in 2003 and obtained full Bhikkhuni ordination in 2006.
Her primary practice is the Eightfold Noble Path --
integration of meditation with ethical living and compassionate
relationships for the sake of liberation.
Talks given by Ayya Sobhana at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=sobhana.
To offer dana to Ayya Sobhana, please go to the Dhammadharini Support Page at
www.dhammadharini.net/support.
You can also donate via their Paypal link:
Dhammadharini Support Foundation Oren Jay Sofer
Oren Jay Sofer
has been a practitioner and student of
Theravada Buddhism since 1997, and holds a degree in
Comparative Religion from Columbia University.
He began studying Dharma in Bodh Gaya, India with
Acarya Anagarika Munindra and Godwin Samararatne,
and has since studied extensively with Joseph Goldstein,
Michele McDonald, and Venerable Ajahn Sucitto.
He holds a degree in Comparative Religion from Columbia University,
is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for healing trauma
and a graduate of the IMS-Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program.
His work and teaching brings a strong emphasis to
living the path of awakening in our daily lives.
www.orenjaysofer.com.
Talks given by Oren Jay Sofer at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sofer.
To offer dana to Oren Jay Sofer, please go to
www.orenjaysofer.com Heather Sundberg
Heather Sundberg has taught insight meditation since 1999, and has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training program. She is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Beginning her own meditation practice in her late teens, for the last 35 years Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Vipassana and Vajrayana traditions. She has completed 3+ accumulated years of retreat, and has sat 1-3 months of retreat a year for the last 25 years. In addition, she has training in both Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi Mindfulness Somatic Therapy. Between 2010- 2015 she spent a cumulative one-year in study, practice, and pilgrimage in Asia. From 2021 - 2021, she was the local Senior Teacher at Mountain Stream Meditation Center and sister communities in the Sierra Foothills, as well as teaching retreats in the US, Canada and Europe. These days Heather mainly teaches long-term trainings for experienced students in MahaSati Emptiness-Pure Awareness out of the Thai forest tradition. For more information about Heather,
visit www.heathersundberg.com.
To offer dana to Heather, please use PayPal using her email address heather(at)heathersundberg.com; or the Pay Pal button found at www.heathersundberg.com.
Talks given by Heather Sundberg at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sundberg. Ayya Tathaaloka
Venerable (Ayya) Tathaaloka Theri is an American-born member of the
Buddhist Monastic Sangha with a background in Zen and Theravada Buddhism.
Ayya Tathaaloka began her journey into monastic life nearly thirty years ago,
and was fully ordained as a bhikkhuni by the Sri Lanka Sangha in
Southern California in early 1997, with Ven. Havanpola Ratanasara as preceptor.
In 2005 she co-founded Dhammadharini "Women Upholding the Dhamma" and the
first Theravadan Buddhist women's monastic community for bhikkhunis in the
United States, here in Northern California.
Inspired by Buddhist Forest traditions, in 2008,
she went on to co-found Aranya Bodhi Awakening Forest Hermitage,
a rustic off-grid women's monastic retreat on the Sonoma Coast.
In 2009, Ayya Tathaaloka became the first Western woman to be appointed a
Preceptor for bhikkhuni ordination in Theravadan Buddhism,
serving in groundbreaking women's ordinations in both Australia and California.
In 2016, her community realized a longterm dream, opening an
accessible "permanent" new Dhammadharini Monastery at the western foot of
Sonoma Mountain in Penngrove.
Talks given by Ayya Tathaaloka at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=tathaaloka. To offer dana to Ayya Tathaaloka, please go to the Dhammadharini Support Page at www.dhammadharini.net/support Or you can send checks to Dhammadharini Support Foundation Jacques Verduin
Jacques Verduin, MA Somatic Psych., is the Founder of the GRIP
(Guiding Rage into Power) Program, a best-practices,
comprehensive offender accountability program.
He has a 20 year history as a subject matter expert on prison
rehabilitation programming,
a record of successful pioneering and sustaining programs,
and has cultivated a sizable network of connections in the field.
Currently Director of Insight-Out, Mr. Verduin founded the
Insight Prison Project, which under his leadership produced the
Victim Offender Education program.
His efforts helped create the Prison Mindfulness Initiative,
the Prison Yoga Project, the Insight Garden Project,
Veterans Healing Veterans, among others.
All of these organizations are actively replicating.
In addition to California,
he is a consultant to the US State Department,
and he and his staff have travelled abroad to train professionals
in Guatemala, El Salvador, Bosnia and the Netherlands.
Talks given by Jacques Verduin at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=verduin. Brett WheelerFor more information on Brett Wheeler, visit www.spiritrock.org/teachers/brett-wheelerTo offer dana to Brett Wheeler:
Talks given by Brett Wheeler at Marin Sangha are available at
www.marinsangha.org/talks?tch=wheeler.
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