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Gaia House Teachers

Meet the retreat teachers

 

Click on a teacher’s name below for more details.

If a talk does not play, please click on the ‘talks’ link to listen on Dharma Seed (please note, while all reasonable care is taken, Gaia House is not responsible for the content of external websites).   Click here for more Dharma talks.

Gaia House teachers 2009

Gaia House Patrons

After many years of serving on the Gaia House Teacher Council, we are deeply grateful for the continued support of Christina Feldman, Stephen Batchelor and Martine Batchelor as patrons of Gaia House.

Gaia House Teacher Council

The Gaia House Teacher Council provides guidance for the organisation spanning many different areas. Each teacher member leads regular retreats at Gaia House.

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Catherine McGeeJaya RudgardKirsten Kratz
Nathan GlydeYanai PostelnikZohar Lavie

Visiting teachers

Visiting teachers come from all over the world to lead retreats at Gaia House, offering a range of Buddhist Dharma teachings.

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Ajahn JutindharoAjahn SucittoAlan LewisAnushka Fernandopulle
Ayya AnopamaAyya SantacittaBernat FontBhante Bodhidhamma
Caroline JonesChristina FeldmanCarl FooksDene Donalds
Gavin MilneGina SharpeIngen BreenJake Dartington
Jenny WilksJulia WallondKatrin Auf der HeydeLama Rod Owens
Laura BridgmanLeela SartiMartin AylwardMartine Batchelor
Mat SchencksNoirin SheahanRiver WoltonRob Burbea
Ramiro OrtegaSari MarkkanenStephen BatchelorSumedha
Tony O'ConnorVen Canda TheriYahel Avigur

Online teachers

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Anne PatrikainenAntonia SumbunduBonnie DuranBradley Donaldson
Donald RothbergJuha PenttiläKaira Jewel LingoLeigh Brasington
Sophie BoyerVimalasaraYuka NakamuraZoketsu Norman Fischer

Specialist teachers

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Helen Stephenson

Teacher Council bios

CATHERINE McGEE has been teaching Insight Meditation at Gaia House and internationally since 1997. Her teaching emphasises working with perceptions of the body on the path of awakening and in the healing of the individual and collective crises of our times. She is an advisor to One Earth Sangha . Between 2014 and 2020 Catherine collaborated with Rob Burbea in shaping and teaching a Soulmaking Dharma.

Here is a link to Catherine’s reflection on the third foundation of mindfulness - mindfulness of mind, on day five of a meditation retreat.

Third foundation of mindfulness – mindfulness of mind (Duration 51:21)


JAYA RUDGARD began meditating in the 1980s and practised for eight years as a nun in the Thai Forest tradition in England with Ven. Ajahn Sumedho as her teacher. She is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training and teaches Insight Meditation and mindfulness in the UK and internationally. She also studies and teaches qigong.

Listen to one of Jaya Rudgard's Talks at Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 24.11.2015: Seeing Through the Net of Illusion (Duration 47:55)


Image of teacherKIRSTEN KRATZ has practised Buddhist meditation in Asia and the West since 1993. She started teaching in 2006 and since 2015 she has been ‘teacher in residence’ supporting those on personal retreat at Gaia House. Her love and understanding of Dharma has been strongly influenced by, among others, the teachings of her friend and teacher colleague, Rob Burbea. One of her particular passions is exploring how wisdom teachings can foster appropriate responses to the challenges of our time, and Kirsten sees her involvement in activism as an important expression of her practice. Kirsten is co-initiator of the “Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement” (DANCE) and supporting teacher of Freely Given Retreats.

Listen to one of Kirsten Kratz's Talks given at Gaia House on 23.03.2013: Calm and Kindness (Duration 38:57)


NATHAN GLYDE has been practicing and studying meditation since 1997, and sharing teachings on retreats since 2007. In 2004 he co-founded SanghaSeva whose retreats emphasise wisdom and compassion in ecological and humanitarian service.

Listen to one of Nathan Glyde’s Talks given at Gaia House on 15.12.20: Anattā and Mettā (Duration 45:31)

 


YANAI POSTELNIK first encountered the teachings of the Buddha while travelling in Asia in 1989, and has been teaching Insight Meditation and Buddhist practice internationally for 30 years. Yanai is much inspired by the forest tradition of Thailand, and the transformative power of the natural world. He is a member of the Gaia House Teacher Council, and a Core Faculty member of Insight Meditation Society, Massachusetts. Since 2018 Yanai has devoted a significant amount of his time to activism and nonviolent civil disobedience, calling for an appropriate response by government, to the climate, ecological and social justice crises of our time. Having grown up in New Zealand, with parents of European and Asian heritage, Yanai lives with his wife Catherine McGee in Devon, England.

Listen to one of Yanai Postelnik's Talks given at Gaia House on 02.09.2013: The Art of Unknowing (Duration 61:05)


ZOHAR LAVIE has been practising meditation in different traditions since 1995. This journey has taken her from the meditation cushion into exploring further ways of expressing truth and love and in 2004 she co-founded SanghaSeva. She now spends most of her time facilitating retreats that offer service as a spiritual path around the world. Since 2006 she has been teaching on silent retreats and Dharma gatherings in India, Europe and Israel.

Listen to one of Zohar Lavie’s Talks from the Meeting Uncertainty with Wisdom and Courage: Perennial Teachings for a Changing World retreat on 07.06/2021: Anicca Brings Possibilities (Duration 40:35)


 

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Visiting teacher bios

 

AJAHN JUTINDHARO began his meditation practice in 1982 and since 1989 has been a monk in the Thai forest lineage of Ajhan Chah and Ajahn Sumedho, living primarily in the UK. For the last ten years he has been the Abbot at Hartridge Monastery in Devon.

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AJAHN SUCITTO was born in London, England in 1949 and became a bhikkhu in Thailand in 1976. He returned to Britain in 1978 and trained under Ajahn Sumedho at Cittaviveka and Amaravati Monasteries. He was abbot of Cittaviveka 1992-2014, and he still resides there. His website www.ajahnsucitto.org has links to his free-distribution books, articles and talks as well as news of upcoming teaching engagements.

Listen to one of Ajahn Sucitto's Talks given at Gaia House on 07.06.2012: Respecting Space (Duration 59:05)

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ALAN LEWIS has been engaging in spiritual inquiry and meditation practice since the 1970s. He spent 17 years as a Theravadin Buddhist monk and disrobed in December 2000. He now runs an IT business in Devon with his wife Vanessa, with whom he built  the Gaia House website and Zen Moments.org. He teaches meditation and spiritual enquiry through his website alanlewis.org

Listen to one of Alan Lewis's Talks given at Gaia House on 18.01.2019: Investigation and Release (Duration 51:05)

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ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE trained in Buddhist meditation for over 30 years. After studying Buddhism at Harvard, she spent four years in full-time meditation training in the US, India and Sri Lanka. She was invited to teach Dharma in 1998 and later went through a four year meditation teacher training program with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg and other leading teachers. Her teaching is informed by nature, creative arts, political engagement, and modern urban life. For more info visit: Anushkaf.org.

Listen to one of Anushka's talks on AudioDharma: Thirteen ways of looking at Dhamma practice (Duration 39:32)

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Photo of teacherAYYA ANOPAMA has practiced meditation over two decades and spent extensive time in retreat in Burma where she ordained with the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw as a Buddhist nun. She had the good fortune to study with various renowned meditation masters of different traditions over the years and to share the Dharma across continents. Her teaching focuses on wakefulness and compassion and integrates the relational practice of Insight Dialogue. She is affiliated with Tilorien Monastery in Belgium and serves the Global Insight Dialogue Community.
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Photo of teacherAYYA SANTACITTA was born in Austria and did her graduate studies in Cultural Anthropology in Vienna. 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, and has practiced meditation for over 30 years. Since 2002, she has also received teachings in the lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Ayya Santacitta co-founded Aloka Vihara in 2009 and received Bhikkhuni Ordination in 2011. She is committed to Gaia as a living being and is currently developing the Aloka Earth Room, currently located in San Rafael, California.

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BERNAT FONT met the dharma at a very young age and has practiced in Europe, India and Myanmar, gradually putting aside his artistic career. He completed his dharma teacher training with the Bodhi College in 2022, mentored by Stephen Batchelor, and is doing a PhD in Buddhist Studies. He guides a small sangha in his native Barcelona and teaches in English, Catalan and Spanish.

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BHANTE BODHIDHAMMA started training in Soto Zen in 1977, then in the Mahasi Theravada Tradition with Sayadaws U Rewata Dhamma, U Janaka and U Pandita. In 1986 he ordained, subsequently spending eight years at Kanduboda Mahasi Meditation Centre in Sri Lanka. He has been teaching in England, Ireland and internationally since 1998. From 2001- 2005, he was the Resident Teacher at Gaia House. He founded the Satipanya Buddhist Retreat in Wales, a meditation centre devoted to the Mahasi tradition.

Listen to one of Bhante Bodhidhamma's Talks: Mae Chee Kaew: Awakened! (Duration 41:40)    More talks are available on Dharma Seed and Satipanya.
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Carl FooksCARL FOOKS has been practising in Mahāyāna and Theravāda traditions since the late 1980’s, starting with Rinzai Zen before settling on the Mahasi tradition in 2007. He has been leading groups since 2011 and teaching retreats at Satipanya and Gaia House since 2014. He has an MA in Buddhist Studies.
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CAROLINE JONES has been practising meditation since 1989. She started teaching in 2006, and now teaches at Gaia House and internationally. She also has spent time as a resident teacher at Gaia House. Caroline has been resident teacher at the Forest Refuge, Barre, Massachusetts since December 2015.

Listen to one of Caroline Jones's talks given at the Insight Meditation Center in December 2020: Contemplating Impermanence, Part 1. December 2020 (Duration 20:54)
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CHRISTINA FELDMAN is a co-founder of Gaia House. She has been leading Insight Meditation retreats worldwide since 1976. She is a Guiding Teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. She is the author of a number of books including Woman Awake, Way of Meditation, and co-author of Soul Food. Recent books include Silence and The Buddhist Path to Simplicity.

Listen to one of Christina Feldman's Talks given at Gaia House on 24.09.2013: Swimming Against the Tide (Duration 61:35)

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Photo of teacherDENE DONALDS Committed to socially engaged Buddhism. Dene has helped establish a number of  social enterprises working with people with learning disabilities , people with autism, and with refugees. He also offers the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in prisons.

Dene has practiced and studied the Dharma since the mid nineties: Practicing with Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition since 2001, receiving lay ordination in 2007 and becoming a Lay Dharma teacher in 2016.

To watch and listen to talk offered by Dene on youtube, please click here.

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GAVIN MILNE has been practicing the Dharma since 2004 and teaching since 2015. He is especially interested in the role and relevance of these teachings towards the individual, relational and societal transformations being called for in this era. And as such embracing and exploring practice in all areas of our life.

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GINA SHARPE , co-founder of New York Insight Meditation Center, has practiced the Dharma for 40 years and has taught workshops and retreats since 1995. A retired lawyer, she taught for several years in a maximum security prison for women. She is a leader in the work of diversity at Buddhist Retreat and Community Centers. She is a member of Spirit Rock’s Teachers Council.

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INGEN BREEN lives in Tuamgraney, Co Clare. He is a Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind) and has been leading Zen retreats for twenty years in Ireland, California, Moscow and the U.K. Since the first Covid lockdown Ingen has also been teaching online to an international attendance. Ingen studied massage therapy in California upon leaving San Francisco Zen Center. Through the years Ingen has practiced Aikido, T'ai Chi and Chi Kung (Qi Qong) and from these disciplines has created a set of flow exercises which he calls Zen in Motion. To find out more visit www.ingenji.info.

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JAKE DARTINGTON has practised Buddhist meditation since 1995. After training as a Dharma teacher with Christina Feldman, he started teaching in 2007. He has a background in Philosophy and Buddhist Studies and trained to teach MBSR and MBCT at Bangor University. Jake lives in Nottingham and regularly teaches for Bodhi College and the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.

Listen to one of Jake Dartington's Talks given at Gaia House on 20.08.2017: Wisdom, wellbeing and awakening (Duration 47:08)

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JENNY WILKS has practised in various Buddhist traditions since the late 1980s and has an MA in Indian religions. She has taught at Gaia House since 2008, as well as at the Barn Retreat in Devon, and for the Mindfulness Network. She trained in clinical psychology and has taught mindfulness-based approaches in healthcare settings. In recent years her practice has included exploration of deep ecology and nature-based approaches to psychosocial and spiritual well-being.

Listen to one of Jenny Wilks' Talks at Gaia House on 31.12.2016: The Five Recollections (Duration 52:50)

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Image of teacherJULIA WALLOND has been meditating regularly since 2005, mainly with teachers at Gaia House. She trained as an MBCT teacher with Exeter University in 2011, and later as a ‘Community Dharma Leader’ with Gaia house. In this time she supported Bristol Insight to develop and become a charity. More recently she completed her Dharma teacher training with Bodhi College. She currently lives in Machynlleth, west Wales, where she combines work in health care with teaching in a local community meditation group. She enjoys exploring Dharma in everyday life, connecting with the natural world, and exploring engagement with the challenges of our times, socially and environmentally.

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KATRIN AUF DER HEYDE grew up in South Africa where she practiced in both Zen and Theravada traditions.

A physiotherapist and yoga teacher by training she is interested in an embodied practice that integrates sitting, walking and movement.

Katrin completed her Dharma teacher training under the guidance of Martine Batchelor and teaches in South Africa and in the UK.
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LAMA ROD OWENS is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with over 11 years of experience and a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School. A leading voice featured by various national and international news outlets, he is the author of the bestsellers The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors and Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation. His teachings centre on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Lama Rod’s mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. He activates the intersections of his identity to create a platform that’s natural, engaging, and inclusive. Learn more at lamarod.com.

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LAURA BRIDGMAN was a Buddhist nun in the Theravada tradition from 1995 to 2015. Her main teachers within this school have been Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Sucitto and Sayadaw U Tejaniya. She has been offering retreats since 2007, most recently mainly at Gaia House where she is also the staff support teacher. Her practice orientation is the Buddha’s teaching of the Five Spiritual Faculties (trust, balanced effort, mindfulness, composure and wisdom). Alongside her Vipassana (Insight) practice she is a student of the Diamond Approach (Ridhwan).

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LEELA SARTI has been a student of the Buddha's teachings and practices for over 30 years. She lives with her family in Sweden and in addition to teaching Insight Meditation retreats supports students individually in her practice in Stockholm. Leela is also a teacher in the Diamond Approach tradition.

Listen to one of Leela Sarti's Talks at Gaia House. 19.10.2015: Bowing to Instinct and Embracing Desire (Duration 51:54)

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MARTIN AYLWARD began practising Dharma aged 19, spending several years in Asian Buddhist monasteries and with Himalayan hermits. He is co-founder and resident teacher at Moulin de Chaves Retreat Centre in France, and of online Dharma platform WorldwideInsight.org. Martin directs teacher training at Mindfulness Training Institute and leads retreats worldwide. For information on his teachings and schedule visit MartinAylward.com

Listen to one of Martin Aylward's Talks at New York Insight from May 2017.

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Martine BatchelorMARTINE BATCHELOR lived in Korea as a seon nun under the guidance of Master Kusan for ten years. She is the author of Meditation for Life, The Path of Compassion, Women in Korean Zen and Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits.  She teaches meditation retreats worldwide and lives in France. Her latest works are the The Spirit of the Buddha, What is this? and The Definition, Practice and Psychology of Vedana.  

Visit Martine's website for more information.

Listen to one of Martine Batchelor's Talks at Gaia House on 23.07.2015: Instructions - What is This? Questioning. The Way of Korean Seon and it's connection with Vipassana (Duration 34:08)

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MAT SCHENCKS has been practising Insight Meditation under the guidance of teachers at Gaia House since 2003. He has been leading day retreats and short courses since 2011 and trained as a Dharma teacher with Bodhi College. Mat is also a student of the Diamond Approach and works as a psychotherapist and coach in Milton Keynes.

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NOIRIN SHEAHAN has been practising meditation under the guidance of Bhante Bodhidhamma for the past thirty years. She attended Gaia’s first Dharma Study Course in 2002-4 and she has been assisting Bhante Bodhidhamma since 2003. In July 2013 she lost her voice box due to throat cancer and now pioneers Dharma-teaching via an electro-larynx. She teaches regularly at Satipanya and offers on-line “Right Lifestyle” courses which help people to practise in everyday situations.

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RAMIRO ORTEGA has practised Buddhist meditation since 2005 and has completed his training as a Dharma teacher with Bodhi College. He also teaches mindfulness courses and retreats. Ramiro has a background in Western philosophy and is also a philosophical counsellor.

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RIVER WOLTON attended her first Insight Meditation retreat in 2000, and subsequently helped to establish Sheffield Insight Meditation. She is a Community Dharma Leader authorised by Gaia House Teacher Council, and has completed Dharma Teacher Training with Bodhi College. A former Derbyshire Poet Laureate, she has led writing and arts projects for many years, and is an activist in the LGBTQI+ community. For further information please visit her website.

Listen to one of River's talks on Dharma Seed: The Story of Ptolemy the Tortoise and Mettā (Duration 46:24)

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Photo of Teacher.ROB BURBEA (1965-2020) was Gaia House’s much-loved resident teacher for 10 years, from 2005 to 2015 when he had to leave after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

During his time at Gaia House, Rob wrote Seeing that Frees: Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising – an important and influential work that continues to shape and open the meditative exploration of many.

Based on his deep experiential understanding of emptiness, Rob dedicated much of his time and energy during the last years of his life to conceiving, developing and establishing a new body of teachings that he called ‘A Soulmaking Dharma’.

A year before he died Rob Burbea expressed his wish that a foundation be set up to house and protect the extensive body of work he would be leaving as his Dharma legacy. HAF was established by three of Rob's students in 2019 for this purpose. HAF also exists to support the teachers and sangha who are engaging with Rob's teachings.

Please visit the HAF website here: https://hermesamara.org/

You can access all of Rob's talks, videos, interviews and podcasts here: https://hermesamara.org/resources/all

If you would like to be in touch about any aspect of Rob's work or about HAF, please email at: hermes.amara@gmail.com. For details of courses and retreats, updates on HAF projects, and more, sign up for HAF's quarterly newsletter 'The Mirrored Gates' through their website or email.

If you’d like to read how Rob is remembered by some of his friends and students, please click here.

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STEPHEN BATCHELOR trained as a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan and Zen traditions. He is the author of several books, including the bestselling Buddhism without Beliefs. His most recent publications are After Buddhism , Secular Buddhism and What is this? Reflections from a Sŏn retreat. A co-founder of Bodhi College, he teaches worldwide and lives in South West France.

Listen to one of Stephen Batchelor's Talks at Gaia House on 24.07.2015: Instructions - Behold the Ceasing (Duration 34:23)

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SUMEDHA became interested in spiritual practice in her teens and, after studying Comparative Religion at university, practiced as a nun in the Thai Forest Tradition in the UK. After disrobing in 2010 she co-founded Ekuthuleni retreat place in France with Noon Baldwin, bringing together ecology, simple living and meditation.

Listen to one of Sumedha's talks given on the Rest and Renewal retreat at Gaia House January 2023: The Beauty of Renunciation, Aligning w Life (Nekkhamma Pāramī) (Duration 43:52)

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Image of teacherTONY O'CONNOR has been practicing meditation since the mid 90's in both the Insight Meditation and Korean Seon traditions, trained under the guidance of Martine Batchelor and completed the Bodhi College Dharma Teacher Training Programme. He is interested in exploring how Dharma teachings can be integrated into our daily lives and inform the issues of our time.

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Photo of teacherVENERABLE CANDA THERI encountered the Dhamma in 1996 in India and practised intensive meditation, sitting and serving scores of Vipassana retreats, before ordaining in Burma in 2006. She took full 'bhikkhuni' ordination with her teacher Ajahn Brahm in Australia in 2014 and for the last eight years, she and Ajahn Brahm have been developing the UK charity Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project, which will support Britain's first Forest Monastery for women wishing to train toward bhikkhuni ordination.

Venerable Canda Theri now has a little Vihara in the beautiful city of Oxford, close to the River Thames. Besides running the charity and monastery, she teaches extensively and spends 3-4 months a year in solitary retreat. Venerable Canda Theri loves the Dhamma and her offerings are richly informed by the compassion and pragmatism of the Early Buddhist texts. She emphasises kindness and letting go as a way to deepen stillness and wisdom - a work in progress!

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YAHEL AVIGUR is a devoted meditator and Dharma teacher. In 2013, after practicing Theravada and Insight Meditation traditions, he met the Dharma teacher Rob Burbea and became his student. He was encouraged by Rob to teach the complete path of Emptiness as he articulated it, as well as his particular approach to Jhana practice and to train in teaching Soulmaking Dharma. Yahel is also trained in the Hakomi approach of assisted self-study.

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Online teacher bios

 

Photo of teacherANNE PATRIKAINEN has practiced vipassana meditation since 2004 and sat numerous retreats in Europe, USA, and Asia. She is based in Helsinki, Finland, and has been sharing the Dharma since 2011 with Nirodha Insight Meditation in various cities around Finland and online. Anne has completed the Bodhi College Dharma Teacher Training Programme. In her teaching Anne likes to emphasise clarity, daily life practice examples, as well as kindness and compassion for oneself.  Anne’s background is originally in computer science, but in addition to teaching, she now works part-time as a psychologist.

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Photo by Stephen FreiheitANTONIA DORTHEA SUMBUNDU is a Dharma teacher, clinical psychologist, and mental health specialist. She has been practicing meditation for over 35 years and has had the good fortune to practice and study with many great teachers. As a Dharma teacher, she leads retreats, teaches, and supports practice groups internationally. She holds an MA from the University of Copenhagen, a Master of Studies in MBCT from the University of Oxford, and has completed the Bodhi College Dharma Teacher Training programme.

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BONNIE DURAN met the Dharma in 1982 and learned Vipassana in Bodh Gaya India. Since then, she has taken teachings from many western teachers including Joseph Goldstein and Ajahn Sucitto, as well as Tibetan teachers. Bonnie is a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS)/Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) retreat teacher-training program. Bonnie teaches long and short retreats and advanced programs at IMS and Spirit Rock and is on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Bonnie is also involved in Native American spiritual practices and traditions. Dr Duran is a Professor in the Schools of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington and is also faculty at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute.

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Photo of teacherBRADLEY DONALDSON (he/him) began practicing mindfulness in 2014. He lived as an ordained Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition for two years before returning to lay life. He now teaches Buddhist meditation and secular contemplative practices, with a focus on healing and connection for queer folks and Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Visit bradleydonaldson.com for recent writings and other information.

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Photo of teacherDONALD ROTHBERG PhD, a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock in West Marin and a teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, teaches retreats and groups on concentration and insight meditation practice, lovingkindness practice, transforming the judgmental mind, mindful communication, working skillfully with conflict, and socially engaged Buddhism. He has practiced insight meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen, body-based psychotherapy, and trauma work. He has helped guide many six-month to two-year training programs in socially engaged spirituality, both Buddhist-based and interfaith, and is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World, and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue.

More at www.donaldrothberg.com.

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Image of TeacherJUHA PENTTILÄ has been practicing meditation since 2002. He has spent extended periods of time on retreats and in monasteries in Asia and Europe and is one of the founding members of Nirodha, the Finnish Insight Meditation practice community. Juha completed his Insight Meditation teacher training in 2020. In addition to exploring meditation, Juha’s teaching is influenced by the current climate crisis and engaged perspectives into the Dharma. 

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LEIGH BRASINGTON has been practising meditation since 1985 and is the senior American student of the late Ven. Ayya Khema. Leigh began assisting Ven. Ayya Khema in 1994, and began teaching retreats on his own in 1997. He teaches in Europe and North America and is the author of the books Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhanas and Dependent Origination and Emptiness: Streams of Dependently Arising Processes Interacting. Find more information about Leigh’s teaching and schedule at leighb.com

Listen to one of Leigh Brasington's Talks given at Gaia House on 19.10.2013: Nibbana (and Q&A) (Duration 69:11)  

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KAIRA JEWEL LINGO  began practicing mindfulness in 1997 and teaches Buddhist meditation, secular mindfulness, and compassion internationally. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, KairaJewel teaches in the Zen lineage and the Vipassana tradition, at the intersection of racial, climate and social justice with a focus on activists, Black/Indigenous/People of Color, artists, educators, families, and youth. Now based in New York, she offers spiritual mentoring to groups and is author of the just released We Were Made for These Times: Skilfully Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption from Parallax Press. Visit kairajewel.com to learn more.

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Photo of teacher SARI MARKKANEN started to practise Insight meditation in 2005 after years of other meditative practices. Sari has practised meditation on long retreats at Gaia House, in Finland and in monasteries in Thailand. She completed an Insight Meditation teacher training in 2020 guided by her close teachers Rob Burbea, Martine Batchelor and Caroline Jones. Sari has been sharing Dharma for many years in Nirodha, the Finnish Insight Meditation community, earlier as a Community Dharma Leader trainee and graduate. Previously, Sari taught secular mindfulness (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and she was a pioneer in teaching mindfulness in schools in Finland. She has written two books about mindfulness, kindness and compassion practices for children. Nowadays she is committed to serving Dharma.

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photo of teacherSOPHIE BOYER has been  practicing meditation for 20 years during her time providing nursing care. After years spent in hospices, she became more interested in exploring silent meditation retreats in Europe, and in the US and spent 2 years in Myanmar as a buddhist nun. She has been trained under the guidance of Martine Batchelor and completed the Bodhi College Dharma Teacher Training. She also took the MBCAS instructor training program (mindfulness based cognitive approach for seniors). She currently offers meditation sessions for an oncology ward in Geneva and mainly offers retreats in France. She is part of the Terre d’Eveil teacher council. 

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YUKA NAKAMURA PH.D has been practicing in several Buddhist traditions (Vipassana, Dzogchen and Zen) since 1993 and has practiced for long periods in the US (IMS, Spirit Rock), in Burma and Japan. She was trained as a Dharmateacher by Fred von Allmen and has been teaching since 2014 in Europe and in the US. She is a trained psychologist and MBSR-teacher and trainer. She lives near Zurich in Switzerland. www.yuka‑nakamura.ch.

Listen to Yuka Nakamura talks on Dharma Seed; here is a link to one recorded in 2021 with Bodhi College Mudita — The Joyful Heart (Duration 50:41)

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VIMALASARA (VALERIE MASON-JOHN MA - hon doc) is a public speaker and master trainer in the field of conflict transformation, leadership and mindfulness. They are also the author of ten books and the Co-Founder of Eight Step Recovery, an alternative to the 12-step program for addiction. They were featured at TEDxRenfrewCollingwood, where they gave a talk entitled "We Are What We Think", which outlined a course of action we can take to work on the global epidemic of bullying.

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Image of teacherZOKETSU NORMAN FISCHER is a poet and Zen Buddhist priest. For many years he has taught at the San Francisco Zen Center, the oldest and largest of the new Buddhist organizations in the West, where he served as Co-abbot from 1995-2000. He is presently a Senior Dharma Teacher there as well as the founder and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation, an organization dedicated to adapting Zen Buddhist teachings to Western culture.
Norman has written many books both as a poet and Zen Buddhist Priest: His latest poetry releases are; "Nature" (2021, Tuumba); "There was a clattering as..." (2021, Lavendar Ink) and "When You Greet Me I Bow: Notes and Reflections from a Life in Zen" (Shambhala, 2021).Back to Top


 

Specialist teacher bios

 

HELEN STEPHENSON has practised Hatha Yoga and Insight Meditation since 1979. Initially she was taught by the late Robert van Heeckeren and in 1981 she began to study classical yoga with the Indian Yogateacher Sri. S. Rajagopalan. Her movement work is influenced by the work of the late Moshe Feldenkrais "awareness through movement" and her training in body centred therapy with the late Ron Kurtz. Having lived most of her life in a communal setting she and her husband are now part time wardens at a busy Quaker centre in Milton Keynes.

Listen to one of Helen Stephenson's Talks given at Gaia House on 01.05.2012: The Texture of Being (Duration 37:59)

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