Meditation Teachers - Insight Meditation Society

IMS Faculty 2008 & 2009 Core
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 part of Spirit Rock's Teachers Council. Listen to Guy's dharma talk
Steve Armstrong Steve Armstrong, a co-founding teacher at the Vipassana Metta Foundation's dhamma sanctuary-hermitage on Maui, encourages spiritual development through cultivating insightful awareness and liberating understanding of the core teachings of the Buddha in all life activities.
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 a co-founder of Gaia House in England and an IMS guiding teacher. Following training in the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, she has taught meditation since 1976 and has an ongoing commitment to the long-term retreat program at Gaia House. Her books include Compassion, Silence and The Buddhist Path to Simplicity. Listen to Christina's dharma talk
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 Joseph's dharma talk
Myoshin Kelley Myoshin Kelley began practice in 1975 and has worked with teachers in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Her teaching style emphasizes a relaxed, caring and attentive attitude combined with joyful interest. She is teacher-in-residence at the Forest Refuge. Listen to Myoshin's dharma talk
Jack Kornfield Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in Asia. He is a co-founder of IMS and Spirit Rock, and has taught meditation internationally since 1974. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is the author of a number of books, including A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.
Michael Liebenson Grady Michael Liebenson Grady has been practicing insight meditation since 1973. He is a guiding teacher at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center.
Narayan Liebenson Grady Narayan Liebenson Grady, an IMS guiding teacher, is also a guiding teacher at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center where she has taught since 1985. She is the author of When Singing, Just Sing: Life As Meditation and a regular contributor to Buddhadharma magazine. Listen to Narayan's dharma talk
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 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.
Michele McDonald Michele McDonald has taught insight meditation around the world for 26 years, helping individuals to find their own natural entry points into stillness and deep liberation. A leader in developing meditation retreats for youth, she is also a co-founder of the Vipassana Hawai'i Sangha in Honolulu.
Larry Rosenberg Larry Rosenberg practiced Zen in Korea and Japan before coming to vipassana. He is a guiding 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 The Force of Kindness, Faith and Lovingkindness. Listen to Sharon's dharma talks
Rodney Smith Rodney Smith has been teaching insight meditation since 1984. He is a former Buddhist monk and worked in hospice care for 16 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 Rodney's dharma talk
Ajahn Sucitto Ajahn Sucitto was ordained in Thailand in 1976. He has been closely associated with Ajahn Sumedho for 30 years, and is currently abbot of Cittaviveka Buddhist Monastery in Chithurst, England. He has taught at IMS since 1989.
Carol Wilson Carol Wilson began meditation practice in 1971. She has studied with a variety of teachers in Asia and the West, including time as a Buddhist nun in Thailand. An IMS guiding teacher, she has been offering vipassana and metta retreats around the world since 1986, including the IMS 3-Month course. Listen to Carol's dharma talk
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.
Pascal Auclair Pascal Auclair has practiced and studied Buddhism since 1997 and is currently part of the IMS/Spirit Rock teacher training program. For several years, he has taken an active role in the IMS Family and Teen retreats.
James Baraz James Baraz has practiced meditation since 1974, taught since 1980 and is a founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He leads an online meditation program, Awakening Joy, and is currently writing a book by the same name.
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. Tara is the author of Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.
Rebecca Bradshaw Rebecca Bradshaw has been practicing vipassana meditation since 1983 and teaching since 1993. She is a psychotherapist, a guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley, MA, and the Buddhist Advisor at Mt. Holyoke College.
Bhante Buddharakkhita Bhante Buddharakkhita was born and raised in Uganda. Meditating since 1993, he was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist monk in 2002. Now residing at Bhavana Society in WV, he teaches worldwide and in 2005 founded the Uganda Buddhist Centre.
Rob Burbea Rob Burbea has practiced and studied Buddhism since 1985. Teaching since 2004, he is currently the Gaia House Resident Teacher and a member of its Teacher Council. He is a co-founder of Sanghaseva, an organization exploring the dharma through international service work.
Grove Burnett Grove Burnett, a co-founder and senior teacher of the Vallecitos Mountain Refuge in NM has practiced and trained in the Buddhist tradition for the last 25 years. He is also an environmental lawyer and has litigated important environmental cases in the Southwest.
Sally Clough Sally Clough 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.
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 is the author of Awake in the Wild.
Matthew Daniell Matthew Daniell, a Buddhist meditation and yoga practitioner since 1984, teaches ‘mindfulness yoga', based on the Viniyoga tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar, and vipassana. 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.
Jean Esther Jean Esther has practiced vipassana meditation since 1982 and has worked with the Teen Retreat since 1999. She has a psychotherapy practice in Northampton, MA and has been teaching meditation since 2001.
Anushka Fernandopulle Anushka Fernandopulle has practiced and studied meditation in the US and Asia for most of her life. In addition to retreat teaching, she is engaged with the arts, nature, service work and progressive social justice movements.
Jonathan Foust Jonathan Foust has practiced and taught yoga and meditation for over 30 years and offers a style of movement particularly supportive of meditation practice. A co-founder of the Mindfulness Training Institute of Washington, DC, he leads vipassana classes, trainings and retreats around the country.
Patricia Genoud-Feldman Patricia Genoud-Feldman has been practicing Buddhist meditation (vipassana and Dzogchen) in Asia and the West since 1984 and teaching vipassana internationally since 1997. She is co-founder and a guiding teacher at the Meditation Center Vimalakirti in Geneva, Switzerland.
Trudy Goodman Trudy Goodman has practiced in the Zen and Theravada traditions since 1974. She founded Insight LA, Growing Spirit (for families), and the Center for Mindfulness and Psychotherapy in Los Angeles. She is the guiding teacher of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy in Cambridge, MA.
Bhante Gunaratana Bhante Gunaratana has been a Buddhist monk for over 50 years, and is the founder of Bhavana Society in rural West Virginia. He is the author of a number of books, including Mindfulness in Plain English and his autobiography Journey to Mindfulness.
Ed Hauben Ed Hauben, a long-term meditator and friend of IMS, has served on its board and assisted with the Family and Teen retreats for the past 25 years.
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.
Jon Kabat-Zinn Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., is the founding director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society and professor of medicine emeritus at the UMass Medical School. Since 1979, his research has focused on the outcomes of MBSR training in medical patients and others. He is the author of Full-Catastrophe Living, Wherever You Go, There You Are and Coming to Our Senses.
Bhante Khippapanno Bhante Khippapanno, ordained a Buddhist monk in 1949, practiced vipassana in India and Burma with Dipa Ma, Mahasi Sayadaw and Shwe U Min Sayadaw. He founded Jetavana Vihara, Washington, DC, 1982, and Sakyamuni Meditation Center, CA, 1988. He helped establish Phuoc Son Meditation Center, Vietnam, 1994.
Maddy Klyne Maddy Klyne, a long-time vipassana practitioner, teaches beginners' classes and workshops for adults and young people at CIMC.
Catherine McGee Catherine McGee has been teaching insight meditation since 1997 both at Gaia House in England and internationally. She is also a student of the Diamond Approach of A.H. Almaas.
Annie Nugent Annie Nugent has practiced since 1979 and was an IMS Resident Teacher from 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.
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
Douglas Phillips Douglas Phillips has practiced Zen and vipassana for over 30 years. He has taught at Kripalu and is the founder and guiding teacher of the Empty Sky Vipassana Sangha in Newton, MA.
Yanai Postelnik Yanai Postelnik has practiced meditation for many years in Asia and the West. He has been teaching since 1992 and leads retreats worldwide. He is a Teacher Council member and the Dharma Director of Gaia House in England.
Marcia Rose Marcia Rose has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1970. She is a guiding teacher in Taos, NM for The Mountain Hermitage and founded Taos Mountain Sangha. She was IMS Resident Teacher from 1991-1995 and now teaches in the US and internationally.
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.
Gina Sharpe Gina Sharpe has studied and practiced Buddhism for many years, across several traditions. She is a co-founder of New York Insight Meditation Center and a graduate of the first Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders program. She has been teaching since 1994.
John Teasdale John Teasdale, Ph.D., has practiced insight meditation since 1993, and taught mindfulness internationally. A co-developer of MBCT, he has co-authored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression and The Mindful Way through Depression.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya Sayadaw U Tejaniya began his Buddhist training as a young teenager in Burma under the late Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw (1913–2002). Twelve years ago, following life as a householder with a business career, he ordained as a monk. He teaches meditation at Shwe Oo Min Dhammasukha Tawya in Rangoon, Burma.
Kate Lila Wheeler Kate Lila Wheeler began teaching meditation in the mid-1980s and continues to practice with teachers in Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist lineages. Writing is another important part of her life; she is at work on her second novel.
Larry Yang Larry Yang, a longtime meditator, trained as a psychotherapist, has taught meditation since 1999 and is a teacher at the 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 certified yoga teacher and massage therapist whose primary interest is in teaching awareness of and compassion for the body. She has served on staff at IMS for several years, and is a dedicated dharma practitioner.
Franz Moeckl Franz Moeckl has practiced and studied insight meditation, Tai Chi and Qigong for more than 25 years, including time as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He now teaches in the US, Europe and Asia.