Meditation Teachers - Insight Meditation Society

IMS Faculty 2010 & 2011 Core
Ajahn Amaro Ajahn Amaro began his training in Thailand in 1978 with Ajahn Chah. He was a senior monk at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England, and now is the co-abbot at Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, CA, a branch monastery in the forest meditation tradition.
Guy Armstrong Guy Armstrong has practiced insight meditation for over 30 years, including training as a Buddhist monk in Thailand with Ajahn Buddhadasa. He began teaching in 1984 and has led retreats worldwide. He is an IMS guiding teacher and a governing teacher at Spirit Rock. Listen to one of Guy's talks: Working with Difficult Emotions given at IMS on October 2, 2009 -- 62 minutes, 42.5 MB (Download Stream)
Steve Armstrong Steve Armstrong, a co-founding teacher at the Vipassana Metta Foundation's dhamma sanctuary-hermitage on Maui, encourages development of all good human qualities. He offers a variety of Buddhist mindfulness practices designed to strengthen an unshakeable sense of well-being. Listen to one of Steve's talks: Four Noble Truths given at IMS on August 13, 2009 -- 66 minutes, 45.1 MB (Download Stream)
Ruth Denison Ruth Denison studied in Burma in the early 1960s with the meditation master Sayagi U Ba Khin. She has been teaching since 1973 and is founder of Dhamma Dena, a desert retreat center in Joshua Tree, CA, and The Center for Buddhism in the West in Germany.
Christina Feldman Christina Feldman is an IMS guiding teacher and co-founder of Gaia House in England. She has taught meditation since 1976 and has recently been involved in the dialogue between cognitive therapies and Buddhist practice. Her books include Compassion, Silence and The Buddhist Path to Simplicity. Listen to one of Christina's talks: The Wisdom of Disappointment given at IMS on March 11, 2007 -- 44 minutes, 10.1 MB (Download Stream)
Joseph Goldstein Joseph Goldstein is a co-founder and guiding teacher of IMS's Retreat Center and Forest Refuge programs. He has been teaching vipassana and metta retreats worldwide since 1974 and in 1989 helped establish BCBS. He is the author of A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma, The Experience of Insight and Insight Meditation. Listen to one of Joseph's talks: Liberation Through Non-Clinging given at IMS on November 19, 2008 -- 61 minutes, 28.2 MB (Download Stream)
Myoshin Kelley Myoshin Kelley began meditation practice in 1975. Studying with teachers in both the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, she has offered retreats worldwide since 1995. Her teaching style emphasizes a relaxed, caring and attentive attitude combined with joyful interest. Listen to one of Myoshin's talks: Living A Life of Dharma Inquiry given at IMS on September 29, 2006 -- 51 minutes, 11.8 MB (Download)
Michael Liebenson Grady Michael Liebenson Grady has been practicing insight meditation since 1973. He is a guiding teacher at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center. Listen to one of Michael's talks: Not Self: We Are Included in Nature given at IMS on August 25, 2009 -- 52 minutes, 35.3 MB (Download Stream)
Narayan Liebenson Grady Narayan Liebenson Grady is a guiding teacher of IMS and the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center and a regular contributor to Buddhadharma magazine. Her training includes over 30 years in the Theravada tradition as well as in Chan with the late Master Sheng Yen. Listen to one of Narayan's talks: Compassion given at IMS on August 23, 2007 -- 45 minutes, 8 MB (Download, Stream)
Kamala Masters Kamala Masters began practicing in 1975. Trained by Anagarika Munindra and Sayadaw U Pandita, she offers the dharma in the US and abroad. She is a co-founder and guiding teacher of the Vipassana Metta Foundation on Maui and is currently developing Ho'omalamalama, a sanctuary-hermitage for long-term practice. Listen to one of Kamala's talks: Three Pillars of the Dharma given at IMS on August 14, 2009 -- 56 minutes, 38.3 MB (Download Stream)
Michele McDonald Michele McDonald has taught insight meditation around the world for 29 years, helping individuals to find their own natural entry points into stillness and deep liberation. She is a co-founder of Vipassana Hawai'i as well as a leader in retreats for youth and Burma relief projects.
Larry Rosenberg Larry Rosenberg practiced Zen in Korea and Japan before coming to vipassana. He is the founding teacher of the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center and the author of Living in the Light of Death and Breath By Breath.
Sharon Salzberg Sharon Salzberg, a co-founder of IMS and BCBS, has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1971 and has been teaching worldwide since 1974. She is an IMS guiding teacher and author of Faith, Lovingkindness and Real Happiness. Listen to one of Sharon's talks: Three Personality Types given at IMS on March 23, 2004 -- 48 minutes, 11.1 MB (Download)
Rodney Smith Rodney Smith has been teaching insight meditation since 1984. He is a former Buddhist monk and worked in hospice care for 17 years. The author of Lessons From the Dying, he is the founding and guiding teacher for the Seattle Insight Meditation Society and an IMS guiding teacher. Listen to one of Rodney's talks: Radical Accountability given at IMS on December 29, 2006 -- 47 minutes, 10.8 MB (Download, Stream)
Carol Wilson Carol Wilson has been practicing meditation since 1971 with a variety of renowned teachers, including Sayadaw U Pandita and Ashin U Tejaniya. An IMS guiding teacher, she has been offering retreats worldwide since 1986, including the annual IMS Three-Month course. Listen to one of Carol's talks: Perception of Impermanence given at IMS on October 22, 2006 -- 60 minutes, 13.9 MB (Download, Stream)
Visiting
Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia has offered Theravada Buddhist teachings across the US since 1990. She is a student of the disciples of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho and a Lay Buddhist Minister in association with Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in CA. She served as IMS Resident Teacher, 1996-1999.
Ven. Ariya Nani Ven. Ariya Ñani was born in Switzerland, and ordained with Sayadaw U Janaka in Burma in 1992. She leads retreats worldwide, and currently lives at Sayadaw U Indaka’s center where she teaches and translates for foreign meditators.
Sally Clough Armstrong Sally Clough Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981. She moved to the Bay Area in 1988, and worked at Spirit Rock until 1994 in a number of roles, including executive director. She began teaching in 1996, and is one of the guiding teachers of Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program.
Pascal Auclair Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practices since 1997. In 2006 he joined the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. He now teaches at these 2 centers and is a co-founder of True North Insight Meditation Centre in Canada. Pascal enjoys sharing the Buddha's teachings with all curious people, and especially delights in witnessing their liberating insights.
Tara Brach Tara Brach is the founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC. She has practiced meditation since 1975 and leads Buddhist meditation retreats throughout North America. She is a clinical psychologist and the author of Radical Acceptance.
Rebecca Bradshaw Rebecca Bradshaw is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley, MA. She is also a psychotherapist and the Buddhist Advisor at Mt Holyoke College. Her teachings invite exploration of the convergence of love and wisdom. Listen to one of Rebecca's talks: Happiness of Equanimity given at IMS on June 10, 2009 -- 57 minutes, 38.5 MB (Download Stream)
Hugh Byrne Hugh Byrne teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC and is a co-founder of the Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship. He teaches classes on Buddhism and meditation for the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program.
Eugene Cash Eugene Cash is the founding teacher of San Francisco Insight. He is a Spirit Rock teacher where he co-founded and leads the Dedicated Practitioners Program. He also teaches the Diamond Approach® in Bay Area with A.H. Almaas.
Pat Coffey Pat Coffey has over 30 years of meditation experience, including intensive retreat practice under the guidance of Pa Auk Sayadaw. He teaches nationally and founded the Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville, VA and the Blue Ridge Prison Project.
Howard Cohn Howard Cohn has been leading vipassana retreats internationally since 1985. A psychotherapist and an original member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, he brings joy and passion to his teaching with an emphasis on reawakening our natural freedom.
Mark Coleman Mark Coleman has taught retreats since 1997, following extensive training in several Buddhist traditions. He leads Wilderness Meditation courses, has a private practice in counseling and coaching, and is the author of Awake in the Wild.
Matthew Daniell Matthew Daniell, a Buddhist meditation and yoga practitioner since 1984, teaches vipassana and ‘mindfulness yoga', inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is a founder and the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport, MA.
Sky Dawson Sky Dawson has practiced vipassana meditation since 1981 and completed the IMS Teacher Training Program in 2005. She lives in Western Australia where she teaches the dharma. She also has extensive experience in hospice and palliative care.
Chas DiCapua Chas DiCapua, currently the IMS Resident Teacher, has offered meditation since 1998. He is interested in how each person can fully and uniquely manifest the dharma. He teaches regularly at sitting groups and centers close to IMS.
Mark Epstein Mark Epstein, M.D., has practiced insight meditation since meeting IMS founders in 1974. He is a psychiatrist and author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Thoughts without a Thinker and Going to Pieces without Falling Apart.
Jean Esther Jean Esther has practiced vipassana meditation since 1982. She teaches regularly at the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley, and Smith College. The Buddha's teachings on love and wisdom underlie her practice of psychotherapy in Northampton, MA.
Andrea Fella Andrea Fella has practiced insight meditation since 1996, studying with both Western and Asian teachers. With an emphasis on clarity and practicality, she teaches at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and nationally.
Trudy Goodman Trudy Goodman has practiced Zen and Vipassana with Asian and Western teachers since 1974. Trudy founded InsightLA in Los Angeles, co-founded the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy in Boston, and serves both as Guiding Teacher.
Ed Hauben Ed Hauben, a long-term meditator and friend of IMS for over 30 years, has served on its board and assisted with the Teen and Family retreats since the 1980s.
Kittisaro Kittisaro, a Rhodes Scholar, spent 15 years as a monk in the Forest Sangha. A director of Dharmagiri Hermitage & Outreach in South Africa, he has completed two year-long self retreats and teaches worldwide.
Maddy Klyne Maddy Klyne teaches classes and workshops as well as special programs for young people at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, MA.
Ajahn Kusalo Ajahn Kusalo has interest and experience in offering the teachings to families, having lived a householder life before ordaining in New Zealand in 1992. He is co-abbot at Tisarana, a Buddhist monastery in Canada in the Thai forest tradition.
Dori Langevin Dori Langevin, Psy.D., has studied and practiced insight meditation since 1997 and will complete the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program in 2010. She is especially interested in the interface between mindfulness practice and addiction recovery.
Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey's meditation teaching aims to inspire the determination, faith and skills necessary for freedom. A co-founder of The Stone House, a center for spirituality and strategic action, he is also board president of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Catherine McGee Catherine McGee has practiced and studied Buddhist meditation since 1992, and has taught at Gaia House in England and internationally since 1997. She is also a student of the Diamond Approach of A.H. Almaas.
Phillip Moffitt Phillip Moffitt is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and the founder of the Life Balance Institute. He teaches vipassana meditation and is the author of Dancing with Life, a book exploring the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths.
Annie Nugent Annie Nugent has practiced since 1979 and was an IMS Resident Teacher, 1999-2003. Her teaching style aims to reveal how all aspects of our lives can help us come to a clear and direct understanding of the Truth. Listen to one of Annie's talks: Trust in the Unfolding Process of the Dharma given at IMS on February 28, 2008 -- 55 minutes, 23.2 MB (Download, Stream)
Susan O'Brien Susan O'Brien has been practicing vipassana meditation since 1980 and has studied with a variety of Asian and Western teachers. She began teaching in 1996 and coordinates the Insight Meditation correspondence course.
Pa Auk Sayadaw Pa Auk Sayadaw is the abbot of Pa Auk Tawya Forest Monastery in southeastern Burma. Since the age of ten, he has spent his life promoting the teachings of the Buddha through study, practice and realization. He speaks fluent English, teaches worldwide and is the author of Knowing and Seeing. Read Sayadaw's book Knowing and Seeing
Yanai Postelnik Yanai Postelnik has been practicing insight meditation for 20 years. He has been teaching internationally since 1992, and is inspired by the Thai forest tradition and the natural world. He is the Dharma Director of Gaia House, England.
Ajahn Punnadhammo Ajahn Punnadhammo is the abbot of Arrow River Forest Hermitage in northern Ontario. He has studied and practiced Buddhism since 1979, and was ordained in Thailand in the forest tradition of Ajahn Chah in 1992.
Deborah Ratner Helzer Deborah Ratner Helzer has practiced with Western and Asian teachers in the Theravada tradition since 1995, including a year as a nun in Burma. She has been teaching in the Washington, DC area and assisting with retreats around the country since 2001.
Marcia Rose Marcia Rose has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1970. She is the guiding teacher for The Mountain Hermitage in Taos, NM and was IMS Resident Teacher from 1991-1995. Marcia's US and international teaching is rooted in the Pa Auk Forest Monastery and Mahasi lineages. Listen to one of Marcia's talks: Kamma given at IMS on October 22, 2009 -- 53 minutes, 33.4 MB (Download Stream)
Greg Scharf Greg Scharf has been meditating since 1992. He has studied with a variety of teachers both in Asia and the West, and trained as a Buddhist monk in Burma. He is particularly interested in the role of service in the path of awakening. Greg has been teaching residential retreats since 2007.
Amita Schmidt Amita Schmidt, author of Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master, is a former Resident Teacher at IMS. She currently combines the teaching of non-dual awareness with her foundation in Buddhist practice.
Richard Shankman Richard Shankman has been meditating since 1970. He teaches nationally and is the author of The Experience of Samadhi. He is a co-founder of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies and of Mindful Schools, bringing mindfulness training into low-income schools.
Gina Sharpe Gina Sharpe has studied and practiced Buddhism for over 30 years, across several traditions. She co-founded New York Insight in 1998 and has been teaching since 1994.
Bob Stahl Bob Stahl, Ph.D., is a long-time insight meditator who lived in a Burmese Buddhist monastery in the forest tradition of Taungpulu Sayadaw for over eight years. He currently directs MBSR programs in five San Francisco Bay Area medical centers.
Ajahn Thanasanti Ajahn Thanasanti has meditated for 30 years and has been a Buddhist nun for almost two decades. She is currently based in CO, pursuing her vision of monastic and lay practitioners working together to create viable practice communities.
Thanissara Thanissara, a practitioner since 1975, was a Buddhist nun for 12 years and teaches internationally. She is a director of Dharmagiri Hermitage & Outreach in South Africa and has an MA in Buddhist Psychotherapy Practice.
Sayadaw U Vivekananda Sayadaw U Vivekananda has trained under Ven. Sayadaw U Pandita since 1988. He has taught internationally since 1998, guiding meditators in English, Burmese, German and French. He is the resident teacher at Panditarama Lumbini International Vipassana Meditation Center in Nepal.
Spring Washam Spring Washam is a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based practices to communities of color. Practicing meditation since 1997, she is a co-founder of the East Bay Meditation Center in CA and currently teaches retreats and workshops throughout the country.
Pamela Weiss Pamela Weiss is a meditation teacher and executive coach. She has practiced Buddhism for over 20 years, including several years of Zen monastic training. She is currently part of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program.
Lila Kate Wheeler Lila Kate Wheeler has practiced Dharma since 1977 in Asia and the West, and began teaching meditation in the mid-1980s. A writer of fiction and journalism, she is completing her second novel about Buddhists in the US.
Larry Yang Larry Yang, a longtime meditator, trained as a psychotherapist, has taught meditation since 1999 and is a core teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA. He has practiced in Southeast Asia and was a Buddhist monk in Thailand.
Assisted By
Éowyn Ahlstrom Éowyn Ahlstrom is a long-time student of yoga and meditation. She is a certified yoga teacher and massage therapist. Her retreat yoga classes encourage mindful movement and compassion for the body.