Email List  Facebook  Group

Marin Sangha Teachers

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.

To offer dana to Donald, here are three possible ways:
Through PayPal, using redmountain@donaldrothberg.com for payment, if possible through "Family & Friends";
or Venmo, using <@Donald-Rothberg> and the last four digits of his cell phone, 4718;
or mail a check to Donald Rothberg at 1505 Holly Street, Berkeley, CA 94703.

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
PayPal (dawnmoreyscott@gmail.com)
or Venmo (@Dawn-Nichole-21)

 


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

For more information on Kim Allen, see uncontrived.org/about-kim-allen.html

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

  • Paypal: www.paypal.me/SallyArmstrong (Please use "Friends & Family" option to avoid business fees.)
  • Or send a check to
    PO Box 213
    Woodacre, CA 94973

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:

  • Zelle: UrbanSanghaProject@gmail.com
  • Venmo: @LeslieBooker-LLC
  • PayPal: paypal.me/LeslieBookerLLC

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:

  • Venmo: @Heidi-Bourne-1
  • PayPal: @pacificmindfulness
  • By check: 1110 Tantara Lane, McKinleyville, CA 95519

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:

  • www.shailacatherine.com
  • www.bodhicourses.org
  • www.imsb.org

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:

  • Dana may be checks made payable to Shaila Catherine:
    Shaila Catherine
    PO Box 490
    Menlo Park, CA 94026
  • Transfer funds through the Friends and Family feature of PayPal, using insight@imsb.org
  • Use a credit card at: bodhicourses.org/donate/.

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.

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)
- Paypal: evedeckermusic@gmail.com
- Check: to Eve Decker, 1622 Stuart Street, Berkeley CA, 94703
- Zelle - (510) 331-0934

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.

Anna Douglas

For more information on Anna Douglas, see www.spiritrock.org/anna-douglas

Talks given by Anna Douglas at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=douglas.

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.org

Kevin Griffin

For 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
Zelle: Art Jolly 510-299-7909
PayPal: artjolly@gmail.com

If you want to pay by check, his address is
5407 Zara Ave
El Cerrito, CA 94530


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.

When Lisa Dale Miller visits us, she donates her dana to Marin Sangha. To honor Lisa's teaching, please Donate to Marin Sangha.

Nikki Mirghafori

For more information on Nikki Mirghafori, see www.nikkimirghafori.com

To offer dana to Nikki, please use

  • PayPal (Please use "Friends & Family" option to avoid business fees.)
  • Venmo
  • SquareCash
  • Or send a check to
    707 Continental Cir #2127
    Mountain View, CA 94040

Talks given by Nikki Mirghafori at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=mirghafori.

Phillip Moffitt

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. Phillip is the founder of Marin Sangha. 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 Institute
P.O. Box 725
Tiburon, CA 94920
Or, donate (via PayPal) by clicking on this link: www.paypal.com/paypalme/lifebalanceinstitute.

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 Nisker

For 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:
paypal.me/stephanienoble108
or mail to

Stephanie Noble
655 Irwin St. #1004
San Rafael, CA 94901-3943

Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith

For more information on Ramona, please visit freespiritofferings.com

To offer dana to Ramona, please use
Venmo: venmo.com/u/Ramona-Ortiz-Smith
or Paypal: paypal.me/RamonaLisaOrtizSmith
or mail a check to

Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith
Free Spirit
PO Box 625
Fairfax, CA 94930

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 Remer

For more information on Roy Remer, see www.zenhospice.org/about/staff

Talks 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:
zencaregiving.givingfuel.com/donate .
or send a check to

Roy Remer
601 Van Ness Ave Suite E3-802
San Francisco, CA 94102

Tuere Sala

For more information on Tuere Sala, see www.spiritrock.org/teachers/tuere-sala

Talks 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:
https://www.tueresala.org/pages/dana

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 Santussika

For more information on Ayya Santussika, see karunabv.org

Talks 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 Shankman

For more information on Richard Shankman, see www.RichardShankman.org

Talks given by Richard Shankman at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=shankman.

To offer dana to Richard Shankman:

  • By Paypal, click on: mettadharma.org/generosity
  • Venmo using @richard-shankman-1
  • Or you can send checks to 79 Templar Place, Oakland CA 94618

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

  • Paypal, using ashleysharpyoga@gmail.com. (Please use "Friends & Family" option to avoid business fees.)
  • Venmo: @Ashleysharp-108
  • Or send a check to
    Ashley Sharp
    24300 Ramsey Ridge Road
    Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Talks given by Ashley Sharp at Marin Sangha are available at www.marinsangha.org/talks.php?tch=sharp.

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.php?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.
Or you can send checks to

Dhammadharini Support Foundation
6791 Sturtevant Dr.
Penngrove, CA 94951

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, has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training program. She is currently a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher's Council. Beginning her own meditation practice in her late teens, for the last 25+ 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 20+ years. She was the Spirit Rock Family & Teen Program Teacher & Manager for a decade. Between 2010- 2015 she spent a cumulative one-year in study, practice, and pilgrimage in Asia. Since 2011, she has been a Teacher at Mountain Stream Meditation Center and sister communities in the Sierra Foothills. She teaches retreats nationally & internationally, and her teaching emphasizes Awakening through the Body (1st foundation mindfulness), the Heart Practices (Divine Abodes), and Wisdom Awareness Practices (MahaSati) out of the Thai forest tradition. In addition, she has training in both Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi Mindfulness Somatic Therapy and offers 'individual meditation support sessions' to students world-wide. For more information about Heather, visit www.heathersundberg.com.

To offer dana to Heather, please use PayPal or Venmo using her email address:
heather@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
6791 Sturtevant Dr.
Penngrove, CA 94951

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.


© 2013, 2024 Marin Sangha