Taos Mountain Sangha,is a lay Sangha, but has hosted many senior teachers from across North America and abroad including Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg from Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and others as noted below.

Stephen Batchelor, a contemporary Buddhist teacher, writer and photographer is best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism.

He was a monk for ten years, first in the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition, and then in Korean Zen. Later, he co-founded the Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and contemporary Enquiry. He has worked as Buddhist Chaplain in a prison, as a guiding teacher at Gaia House meditation center in Devon, England, and as contributing editor of Tricycle. His most recent publications include, Living with the Devil: a Meditation on Good and Evil, Buddhism Without Beliefs, Verses from the Center: A Buddhist Vision of the Sublime, The Awakening of the West: The Encounter of Buddhism and Western Culture, and The Faith to Doubt: Glimpses of Buddhist Uncertainty.

Leigh Brasington has been practicing since 1985 and is the senior American student of the late Venerable Ayya Khema. She confirmed Leigh’s practice and requested that he begin teaching. Leigh assisted Venerable Ayya Khema starting in 1994 and began teaching retreats in 1997. Since the death of the Venerable Ayya Khema, Leigh is the only person authorized by her who is currently teaching the Jhanas (Meditative Absorptions) in North America.  “Don’t take yourself so seriously - you’ll never get out of this alive.” Leigh Brasington Richard Taido Christofferson, Sensei, started his Zen practice with Eido Roshi in New York City in 1983. In 1988, he met Genpo Roshi and has studied with him ever since. He moved to Salt Lake City in 1988 to live and practice at Kanzeon Zen Center there and received Jukai, lay ordination, in 1989. He received Shukke Tokudo, monk ordination, in 1994, and was Shuso, head monk, in the fall of 1998. He received Hoshi, permission to begin teaching under the supervision of Genpo Roshi in 2003. He then received Denkai, in 2006. He received Dharma Transmission, Shiho, on May 12, 2007, and is now an assistant teacher at Kanzeon Zen Center, and serves as Godo, or head of training.

Susie Harrington has been meditating since 1989, and been engaged in Insight meditation practice since 1995. Teaching since 2005 with the guidance of her teachers – Guy Armstrong and Jack Kornfield: she has also been influenced by Advaita Vedanta and Dzochen teachers. She is a graduate of Hakomi Therapy (a somatic psychotherapy modality). She has been an outdoor professional for over 30 years, including years as a river guide, mountaineering guide, and backcountry ranger.  She leads wilderness based vipassana retreats throughout the year.  For schedule of her retreats see: DesertDharma.org

Eric Kolvig, Ph.D., has been teaching Vipassana (insight meditation) since 1985 and has a strong interest in helping build spiritual community in democratic, non-authoritarian ways. He travels throughout the United States to lead meditation retreats, including those specifically for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. His primary teachers are Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg and Michele McDonald. He lives in a spiritual community in Embudo, New Mexico.

Brian Lesage has practiced Buddhist meditation for twenty years. He has studied in the Zen, Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism. He was ordained in the Rinzai Zen tradition in 1996 and underwent intensive training for four years. His training in Vipassana Meditation includes doing extended meditation retreats in Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, and India as well as numerous retreats in the U.S.  He leads retreats and teaches meditation courses nationwide. Brian also has a private practice in Somatic Experiencing®, which is a naturalistic approach to healing trauma.

DaeJa Napier teaches Insight Meditation with a particular emphasis on the Brahma Viharas; lovingkindness; metta; compassion; karuna; joy; mudita; and equanimity; upekkha. She has studied and practiced in various Buddhist traditions for over thirty years and has been teaching for twenty. Her root teacher was the late Zen Master Seung Sahn. As a teacher, DaeJa views herself as a kalyana-mitta or spiritual friend. In recent years, her own practice has been enriched through intensive retreats under the guidance of Sayadaw U Janaka, Sayadaw U Pandita and Pa Auk Sayadaw. Dedicated to the balance of ancient Buddhist teachings and their applications in daily life, DaeJa maintained a formal practice while raising five children.

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 Buddha’s Nature. His latest book is Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! He is also the founder and co-editor of the 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.

For more information about Wes, visit www.wesnisker.com

Annie Nugent has studied and practiced in the Theravadan and Tibetan traditions since 1979 under the guidance of a range of teachers including Sayadaw U Pandita, Tulku Akong Rinpoche and various western teachers. Annie was the resident teacher for staff at The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA from 1999-2003, and has since taught elsewhere, including the annual IMS three-month retreat and The Forest Refuge. Her teaching style aims to reveal how our lives are opportunities to develop a clear understanding of the Truth.

Marcia Rose is the founding and guiding teacher of The Mountain Hermitage and founding teacher of Taos Mountain Sangha. She has been studying and practicing Buddhist teachings and meditation with Asian and Western teachers since 1970, primarily in the Theravada-Vipassana (Path of the Elders) tradition. Her own teaching reflects a clear influence from the Burmese Mahasi Vipassana and the Pa-Auk Forest Monastery lineages. She has also studied and practiced in the Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhist tradition with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Marcia was resident teacher for staff at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA from 1991-1995. She has been one of the teachers for the annual three-month retreat at IMS, and is currently a visiting teacher at The Forest Refuge in Barre, MA. Marcia also teaches Vipassana and Metta retreats in other U.S. and international venues, and is dedicated to offering these ancient and timeless teachings in ways that make them accessible and authentic for contemporary culture.

Laura Wright leads Buddhist based meditation classes, workshops, and retreats. She studied closely with her primary teacher, Pujari Keays, for over ten years, and has received transmission from him. She has also practiced and studied closely with other teachers in the Theravada tradition. Laura is a writer and published author. Her new book coming out this summer is Quiet Mind, Open Heart: Finding Inner Peace through Reflection, Journaling, and Meditation. She and her husband have been happily married for over 20 years and delight in raising their two teenage sons.

Speakers

Robert Berman has studied oriental philosophy most of his adult life.   His association with Buddhist meditation, specifically, goes back 20 years.  He has studied with vrtually every major western teacher as well as key Burmese masters.  He was a founding father of Taos Mountain Sangha and its first president.  In addition to Taos, Robert teaches meditation at Florida Gulf Coast University in Naples, Florida.

Selah Chamberlain has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1969.  He practiced and taught Taijiquan (”Tai Chi”) for several years in the 1970s, and has practiced acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine since 1981. He has led beginning meditation classes at Taos Mountain Sangha and has occasionally facilitated Thursday evening meditation and discussion sessions.

Donna Dufresne began practicing Vipassana meditation with Marcia Rose in 1997. Since then she has attended 2 to 3 retreats a year, including two weeks at Metta Forest Monastery with Thanissaro Bhikkhu and Zen Sesshins. Donna has been involved with TMS about 12 years, serving as a board member, president and librarian.

Daphne Kutzer has been a practioner in the Vipassana tradition for ten years, and gradually the dharma has become central to her life. She lives in Taos full-time, as a semi-retired English professor. She is a published poet and hopes Taos will give her time and space to practice both the Dharma and poetry more intensely.

John Lankford, a student of Marcia Rose, has been practicing since 2000. He is a retired professor of the history of science, who is now writing novels. His first, a SciFi story, appeared in 2008. He has just finished a second novel, Under the Bodi Tree: Two Novellas about Awakening.

Meri Lehtinen has been practicing Vipassana meditation since the late 70’s, mostly with American teachers. She has been an active member of the Taos Mountain Sangha for six years.

Sean Murphy has been a Buddhist practitioner for more than 20 years, including many periods of monastic training. He teaches seminars in writing, meditation, and creativity for many organizations and is the founder of the Creativity and Consciousness program at the University of New Mexico in Taos. He is the author of the American Zen chronicle One Bird, One Stone, as well as three novels. His Hope Valley Hubcap King won the Hemingway Award for a First Novel. His most recent, The Time of New Weather, was released in paperback in 2008. www.murphyzen.com

Bob Parker has been practicing insight meditation for the last twelve years in the Theravada tradition.Prior to this time, he practiced in the Zen tradition. He has attended many retreats throughout the Southwest, both residential and wilderness hiking retreats, and has studied under a number of teachers including; Marcia Rose, Eric Kolvig, Wes Nisker, Stephen Smith, Carol Wilson and Susie Harrington.  In 2003, he practiced in Burma at Kyaswa Monastery under Sayadaw U Lakkhana. He occasionally leads sits and gives Dhamma talks at Taos Mountain Sangha.

Mary Powell has been part of the Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha since its inception and has served on the board and as its president. She has been practicing since 1989 and regularly sits the six week retreat at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. Currently she is enrolled in the two and half year Community Dharma Leadership training program at Spirit Rock in CA. As well as teaching the Introduction and Continuing Education courses at the Santa Fe Sangha, she also leads groups and teaches other courses in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado.

Jean Smith has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1986 and has published nine books on Buddhism–including The Beginner’s Guide to Walking the Eightfold Path and Now! The Art of Being Truly Present–as well as a novel, Himalayan Passage. Jean is a member of Taos Mountain Sangha, where she teaches beginning meditation classes and is often a guest teacher.

Julie Tato, a special education teacher in Taos, has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1988with a variety of teachers, primarily Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and the Tibetan teacher Ven. Tsoknyi Rinpoche. An instructor for the Insight Meditation Correspondence Course, she has assisted in retreats for adolescents and children with Ralph Steele and at IMS. Julie has lived, worked, and practiced for many years in spiritual community, including more than six years at IMS, and has a particular interest in the Brahma Vihares and in the practice of Dharma in daily life. She is a member of Taos Mountain Sangha, where she teaches beginning meditation and occasionally facilitates Thursday evening meditation and Dharma talks.

Christine L. Wells (Chris) has been practicing Vipassana meditation since late 2002.   She has attended a number of week long retreats. Chris is not a long-time student of the Dharma, but she has extensive teaching experience as a former University professor.  Chris is currently the President of the Board of  Directors of Taos Mountain Sangha.