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Mark Epstein, M.D. is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and the author of several books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including “Advice Not Given,” “The Trauma of Everyday Life,” "Thoughts without a Thinker," “Going to Pieces without Falling Apart,” and "The Zen of Therapy: Uncovering a Hidden Kindness in Life.”

Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology, part time, at Harvard Medical School, on the board of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, and author or editor of several books, including "Mindfulness and Psychotherapy," Sitting Together: Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy," "The Mindfulness Solution," and "The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary: FInding Happiness Right Where You Are."

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We are delighted to welcome back Beth Upton as a guest teacher! Beth is a meditation teacher and former Buddhist nun who has practiced meditation in various traditions and settings for over a decade. She began her journey as a nun in Myanmar, where she trained under the renowned Pa Auk Sayadaw and learned the Theravada method of meditation. Beth then explored other techniques and styles, spending time in solitary retreats in caves and forests. She disrobed in 2018 and returned to the western world, where she continues to deepen her understanding of the Dhamma and the challenges of lay life. Beth leads the Sanditthika Meditation Community in Spain and welcomes anyone who is interested in joining her online or in person.

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Lama Surya Das is leading Western meditation teacher, an authorized lama in the Nigyma School of Tibetan Buddhism, and a teacher of the Nyingma's "pinnacle practice," Dzogchen. Before committing himself to Buddhist study and practice, Surya Das spent time in India as a devotee of the legendary Indian saint Neem Karoli Baba, a.k.a. Maharajji, alongside Ram Dass, Krisha Das, Mirabai Bush, and other well-known figures.

Surya Das is the founder of the Dzoghen Center in Cambridge, MA, which now has branches worldwide.

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Mirabai joined us for Q&A in 2021 and it was amazing. She is one of the OGs of meditation in the west. She was at Neem Karoli Baba's ashram with Ram Dass in the 70s, and she helped Salzberg, Goldstein, and Kornfield start the Insight Meditation Society. She was there at UMass when Jon Kabat-Zinn was doing his early work, and she later co-created the curriculum for Google's "Search Inside Yourself" program. Her Center for Contemplative Mind in Society has done pioneering work teaching meditative practices in secular settings.

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Kristina Baré, M.Sc., was introduced to Buddhist meditation as a young child by her father who teaches in the Zen Buddhist tradition. She has practiced in the Insight meditation tradition since 2009. After six months of silent retreat practice in 2019/2020, she was invited into a four-year dharma teacher training process by her primary teacher, Marcia Rose. Kristina is currently being mentored by Marcia, and other Insight meditation teachers, to teach retreats in the Vipassana tradition.

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Melissa McKay has been practicing meditation since the mid 90’s. She has trained in vipassana (insight, mindfulness) meditation and metta meditation in Burma and the U.S.

She began teaching in New York City in 2003 in her yoga studio in Brooklyn. She teaches with InsightLA, MNDFL and Wanderlust.

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Joan Sutherland, Roshi is a teacher in the Zen koan tradition and the first woman teacher in her lineage in the Americas. She is re-imagining that tradition with allegiance to the root spirit of the koans and to their profound potential for vivifying, subverting, and sanctifying our lives. In her unique vision, awakening embraces endarkenment as well as enlightenment.

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Jisho Matsumoto was born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1961. For many years he tried various forms of meditation and other spiritual practices to find the answers to his burning questions: What is the truth? and What happens after life? Although he had gained certain experiences and insights, he was never fully satisfied. One day, he encountered a book by Inoue Gien (1894-1981), one of the most prominent realized zen masters in modern Japan, and immediately understood that his teaching would put an end to his quest. Shortly after, Jisho studied under Inoue Kando (1944-), Gien's son/disciple. Jisho discussed with Kando tirelessly until Jisho mastered how to "sit" correctly in zen practice. He then sat whenever and wherever possible until one night, with the tick [of the second hand of a clock], "that which has always been clear (Truth)" became clear to Jisho.

Concentration is a doorway to deep meditation practice. Developed to a high level, it offers access to the deep absorption states of jhana, and it can also form the basis for powerful forms of insight meditation.

In this session, we'll explore concentration practice in the style of Pa Auk Sayadaw, the Burmese master known for producing accomplished jhana practitioners and for teaching a jhana-based style of insight practice. Leading the session is the meditation teacher Beth Upton, who spent ten years as a Buddhist nun, including five years in Myanmar practicing under Pa Auk Sayadaw.

There will be plenty of opportunity to practice and to ask questions.

This program is free and donation-based, with all donations going to Beth and her community (except for Eventbrite's tiny processing fee).

Please join us!

This event is donation-based and open to all.

Deborah began practicing Buddhist meditation 30 years ago to reduce stress while working on her engineering degree. She has studied and practiced with both western and asian teachers, including a year as a nun with the late Sayadaw U Pandita.

Deborah teaches at Insight Meditation Society, where she was mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Steve Armstrong, and at Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC. Her teaching style reflects the influence of the 20th century Burmese master Mahasi Sayadaw and his emphasis on clear, non-judgmental awareness.

Since becoming a mother, she has also been actively exploring practice within family life.

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Dr. William Jackson joined us in 2021 for Q&A and we are thrilled to have him back! He is a clinical health psychologist and a former Buddhist Monk with 20 years of experience in mindfulness based meditation. William is the founder of SkillfulMeans LLC and creator of the online well-being program The SkillfulMeans Academy. Inspired by his personal experiences with suffering, deep retreat, insight and growth; William cares about creating and fostering safety, connection, and meaningful change.

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Ronya Banks is a Vipassana (Mindfulness or Insight) meditation instructor, teaching meditation to individuals and groups for over 10 years. She began meditating daily in her twenties and has been practicing for over 35 years. Sitting over two years cumulatively on silent Vipassana meditation retreats, Ronya has received instruction from over 30 different Vipassana teachers, including Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Sharon Salzberg. She has also been influenced by teachers such as Chanymyay Sayadaw, Goenka, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Pema Chodron.

Ronya is the founder and lead teacher of the Asheville Insight Meditation in Asheville, North Carolina and has been instrumental in providing programs and resources for individuals and groups to enhance their lives with meditation’s many benefits.

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Allan Cooper has practiced vipassana and samatha meditation practices since 1974. His primary teachers are the Burmese meditation master Sayadaw U Pandita, his student, Sayadaw U Vivekananda, Abbot, Panditarama Lumbini International Vipassana Meditation Center, Lumbini, Nepal, and Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of Insight Meditation Society, Barre, MA.

Allan is the author of A Householder’s Vinaya, which is an accessible step by step ‘how to’ manual for anyone wishing to create an everyday life of meditative development. These new ways help cultivate and deepen meditative wisdom and establishes a deeper and more textured baseline when returning to the retreat center or monastery.

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Dr. Jay Sanguinetti is a scientist and technologist trained in philosophy, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. His collaboration with meditation master Shinzen Young focuses on combining ultrasound technology with meditation to enhance wellbeing and augment meditation practice. Dr. Sanguinetti shared his research during a TEDx Talk called A Technoboost for Meditation.

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Joseph Goldstein is one of the most renowned meditation teachers alive. He has practiced for nearly 60 years and studied with some of the great masters of the last century.

In short, Joseph is the man.

Which is why we're so thrilled he's joining us on Thursday, September 22 for a talk and Q&A session!

Our focus will be on the “deep end” of meditation and how regular people, with jobs and families and all the rest, can explore these deeper regions and experience their benefits.

Come sit with us, learn from Joseph, and ask him a question!

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Dr. William Jackson joined us last year for Q&A and we are thrilled to have him back! He is a clinical health psychologist and a former Buddhist Monk with 20 years of experience in mindfulness based meditation. William is the founder of SkillfulMeans LLC and creator of the online meditation program The SkillfulMeans Program.

Inspired by his personal experiences with suffering, deep retreat, insight and growth; William cares about creating and fostering safety, connection, and meaningful change.

This event is donation-based and open to all.

Rev. Daiken Nelson, Roshi began Zen Practice 34 years ago in Iowa, where he was born. Since that time, he has practiced with several Teachers within the White Plum Zen Lineage of Taizan Maezumi Roshi & Zen Peacemaker Order of Roshi Bernie Glassman. In October 2013, Daiken received Shiho (Dharma Transmission/Authorization To Teach) from Roshi Francisco "Paco" Genkoji Lugoviña, a Successor to Roshi Bernie Glassman. In November 2021, Daiken received Inka from Roshi Paco, the final authorization in one's Zen Training, by which one becomes a Roshi (Japanese: "old/venerable teacher"; "old/venerable master").

Daiken is the Founder & Guiding Teacher of the Pamsula Zen Center in W. Harlem, NYC.

Daiken is also the Founder of The Mandala Café, a nonprofit which provides culinary training and catering job opportunities for those who can’t afford it or who have barriers to employment, including individuals living in shelters, those who were formerly incarcerated, undocumented immigrants, veterans, those coping with mental health and substance abuse issues, and youth

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George Haas moved to Los Angeles from New York to work in film and photography in 1992, when he started practicing Vipassanā at Ordinary Dharma in Venice, and studying Buddhist texts extensively. In 1998 he began study with his current teacher, Shinzen Young, at Vipassanā Support International, where he is now a senior facilitator. Haas began teaching meditation in 2000, founded Mettagroup in 2003, and became an empowered teacher through Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, where he taught from 2007 to 2016. Along with his daily Morning Meditation and full schedule of one-on-one students, Haas continues to teach weekly classes and intensives in Los Angeles, and offer day-long, weekend and extended retreats around the country. He's also an artist with works in the permanent collections of the Hammer Museum, the Library of Congress, MoMA and the American Irish Historical Society.

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Beth Upton joined us in April, she was outstanding, and we are thrilled to have her back! Beth was born in 1982 in London. She graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Economics, then in 2008 ordained as a Buddhist nun at Pa Auk Meditation Centre in Myanmar. She spent five years training diligently in meditation in the Theravada tradition under the guidance of Pa Auk Sayadaw, then a further five years training in other meditation methods and doing long solo retreats. In 2014 Beth founded Sanditthika Meditation Community in the caves of Almeria, Spain. In 2018, after ten years of monastic life, Beth decided to disrobe in order to integrate some of the challenges of western life into her Dhamma practice. Beth has been teaching meditation since 2014 both in Almeria and in meditation retreats around the world.

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Gil Fronsdal has practiced Zen and vipassana since 1975 and has a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. Trained by Jack Kornfield, he is the founder and primary teacher of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California and is also a husband and father. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, co-editor of Teachings of the Buddha, editor of Voices From Spirit Rock, and has published an acclaimed new translation of The Dhammapada. To listen to Gil's talks, visit DharmaSeed.org or AudioDharma.org.

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Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D., is a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author (Unwinding Anxiety). He studies the neural mechanisms of mindfulness using standard and real-time fMRI, and has translated research findings into programs to treat addictions. Brewer founded MindSciences, Inc. (now known as DrJud.com), an app-based digital therapeutic treatment program for anxiety, overeating, and smoking (Eat Right Now, Unwinding Anxiety, and Craving to Quit). He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large.

Brewer is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University, executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare, as well as a research affiliate at MIT.

This event is donation-based and open to all.

Beth Upton was born in 1982 in London. She graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Economics, then in 2008 ordained as a Buddhist nun at Pa Auk Meditation Centre in Myanmar. She spent five years training diligently in meditation in the Theravada tradition under the guidance of Pa Auk Sayadaw, then a further five years training in other meditation methods and doing long solo retreats. In 2014 Beth founded Sanditthika Meditation Community in the caves of Almeria, Spain. In 2018, after ten years of monastic life, Beth decided to disrobe in order to integrate some of the challenges of western life into her Dhamma practice. Beth has been teaching meditation since 2014 both in Almeria and in meditation retreats around the world.

This event is donation-based and open to all.

Meido Moore is the abbot of Korinji, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monastery in Wisconsin, and guiding teacher of the international Korinji Rinzai Zen Community. He is the author of The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice and Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization.

Meido Moore Roshi began Zen practice in 1988, and studied under three Rinzai Zen masters: Tenzan Toyoda Rokoji (under whom he also endured a severe training in traditional martial arts), Dogen Hosokawa Roshi, and So’zan Miller Roshi. All are in the lineage of Omori Sogen Roshi, a famous 20th Century Rinzai Zen Master who was also renowned as a master of calligraphy and swordsmanship.

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Dr. Jay Sanguinetti is a scientist and technologist trained in philosophy, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. His collaboration with meditation master Shinzen Young focuses on combining ultrasound technology with meditation to enhance wellbeing and augment meditation practice. Dr. Sanguinetti shared his research during a TEDx Talk called A Technoboost for Meditation.

This event is donation-based and open to all.

Tina has been meditating for 45 years. She was authorized to teach by Burmese meditation master Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, considered by many to be one of the most advanced meditation teachers and practitioners alive today. In 2007 Tina became the first Western woman authorized by the Sayadaw to teach. Tina is the co-author of the book Practicing the Jhanas. Tina has also studied with the Tibetan Dzogchen master Tsoknyi Rinpoche.