Cultivating a Bodhisattva Heart

Yvonne Rand

Yvonne Rand is a meditation teacher and lay householder priest in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition. She began her practice and study of Zen with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. Her other principal teachers and mentors have been Dainin Katagiri Roshi, Maureen Stuart Roshi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Venerable Tara Tulku. Her primary practice path is Zen, augmented by practices and teachings from the traditions of Theravada and Vajrayana. She incorporates insights from the psychotherapy traditions in her teaching. She also investigates the relevance of the arts and gardening for training the mind. Website

Arinna Weisman has studied insight meditation since 1979 and has been teaching since 1989. Her root teacher is Ruth Denison who was empowered by the great teacher U Bha Khin. She has also studied with Thich Nhat Hanh in the Zen tradition, Punjaji in the Advaita tradition and Tsokney Rinpoche in the Dzogchen tradition. She is the founding teacher of Dhamma Dena Meditation Center (now Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer Valley/Dhamma Dena). She is co-author of the book, A Beginner’s Guide to Insight Meditation. She teaches throughout the U.S. and Europe. Website

The Path of the Fool. Website See his biography in the Feb 10 entry iin this list.

Kate Janke is Director of Training and mindfulness teacher for Mindful Schools in Oakland. Mindful Schools offers in-class instruction, professional training, and other resources to support mindfulness in education bringing dramatic improvements in concentration, attention, and empathy among students, while building a climate of calm in the classroom.

Heather Sundberg

You're Already Free. As a child and young adult in Tibet, Anam Thubten received extensive academic and spiritual training from teachers in the Nyingma branch of Tibetan Buddhism. He arrived in the US in the early 1990s and teaches extensively throughout the country. Anam Thubten is the author of various articles and books in both Tibetan and English. His first book in English appeared under the title No Self, No Problem. He is the founder and spiritual advisor of Dharmata Foundation based in Point Richmond, California. Website

No Part Left Out. Janet Keyes has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1987, when she took James’ introductory class; she remains one of his senior students. Janet has done many months of intensive practice. She is a member of several KM groups and participated in the first Dedicated Practitioners Program.  A graduate of the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program, she is a volunteer chaplain for this sangha as well as for the larger East Bay community.

Debra Chamberlin-Taylor has been meditating since 1973 and has led retreats that combine spiritual and psychological growth since 1978. In addition to practicing Vipassana, she has been influenced by Dzogchen, Diamond Heart and devotional practices. A psychotherapist, she also leads workshops on embodiment of awareness and love in relationships and is a certified teacher of Wisdom Healing Qigong. Website

Gifts of Retreat Practice. Gil Fronsdal is the primary teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City and has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock where he is part of its Teachers Council. Tonight, Gil will share news about the new Retreat Center that IMC has just purchased. He’ll be talking about the history and value of his own retreat practice and then share about the retreat center, which will be run entirely on dana.

Deep Time. Susan Moon is a writer and teacher and for many years was the editor of Turning Wheel, the journal of socially engaged Buddhism. She is the author of The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi, a humorous book about an imaginary Zen master, and editor of Not Turning Away: The Practice of Engaged Buddhism. Her most recent book is This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Dignity and Humor. Her short stories and essays have been published widely. Website

Series on 7 Factors of Awakening: Overview
The 7 factors are the Buddha’s list of qualities that need to be developed in order to fully awaken. This eight-week series begins with an overview of all 7 Factors followed by a discussion of each individually in greater depth over the coming weeks. Besides exploring them theoretically, James encourages us to take them on as practices as we go through the weeks seeing how we can consciously cultivate them and bring them into our daily lives.

Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of The Living/Dying Project. He is a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illness and their families for over 30 years. He is the co-author of Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook and has taught meditation for the past 35 years. Website 

Love. Wes “Scoop” Nisker is a Buddhist meditation teacher, author, radio commentator and performer. His bestselling books include Essential Crazy Wisdom; The Big Bang, The Buddha, and the Baby Boom; , and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! He is also the founder and co-editor of the international Theravada Buddhist journal “Inquiring Mind." For the past 15 years, Wes has been leading his own retreats and workshops in Buddhist insight meditation and philosophy at venues internationally. Website