The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Dharma Teachers of Common Ground Meditation Center
Andrew Olendzki
Andrew Olendzki, PhD., is the Senior Scholar at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, which is dedicated to the integration of scholarly understanding and meditative insight. Trained in Buddhist Studies at Lancaster University in England, as well as at Harvard and the University of Sri Lanka, he has taught at various New England colleges (including Harvard, Brandeis and Smith) and is author of "Unlimiting Mind: The radically experiential psychology of Buddhism."

Angela Dews
Angela Dews found the dharma in 1996, starting with Zen, at Vallecitos Mountain Ranch in New Mexico as a refugee from political and community organizing. She is now fictionalizing those experiences in a series of novels. Angela co-leads the NYI Harlem POC & Allies Sitting Group. As an Army brat, she traveled through the south in the 1950s and fled to Howard University and then Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in the 1960s. She is a graduate of the fourth Community Dharma Leaders Program at Spirit Rock and is blown away by all of that.

Anita Raaum

Anushka Fernandopulle
I am a lifelong spiritual practitioner who has trained for over 20 years in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in the U.S., India and Sri Lanka. I live in an urban area and consider how the practices can translate for my fellow citizens with a busy modern life; I am most interested in bringing these ancient teachings to the contemporary world, informed by my love of creative arts, technology, politics and pop culture. I also have an MBA and am particularly interested in the practice as it relates to leadership development -- how we can each see through the things that hold us back from manifesting our unique gifts and talents in the world. I am on the Spirit Rock Teacher's Council and teach at other meditation centers, but also do a lot of teaching & coaching in tech companies, nonprofit organizations, and less overtly spiritual settings. For more information, please visit: www.anushkaf.org

Arinna Weisman
My teaching practice and my personal practice continually intertwine, each weaving a pattern in the larger tapestry of the Dharma. The theme that threads itself throughout my practice relates to the tremendous pain and suffering, the challenges and difficulties that so many beings face, and the possibility of awakening from this suffering. From this immediate calling I've woven the purpose of my life.

Ben Connelly
Ben Connelly is a Soto Zen teacher and Dharma heir in the Katagiri lineage. He also teaches mindfulness in a wide variety of secular contexts including police training and addiction recovery groups. He works with multifaith groups focused on intersectional liberation, racial justice, and climate justice. Ben is based at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, travels to teach across the United States, has written for Tricycle and Lion’s Roar magazines, and is the author of Inside the Grass Hut, Inside Vasubandhu's Yogacara, Vasubandhu's "Three Natures", and Mindfulness and Intimacy.

Bonnie Duran
Bonnie met the Dharma in 1982 at Kopan Monastery and in Bodh Gaya India. Since then she has practiced long and short retreats with Joseph Goldstein and other eastern and western monastics and lay teachers. She is a graduate of the IMS/SRMC teacher training programs and is also involved with Indigenous ceremonies and practices. She is currently a core teacher of the IMS teacher training program and the SRMC Dedicated Practitioners Program. Dr. Duran is a Professor of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Chas DiCapua
Chas DiCapua is currently the Insight Meditation Society's Resident Teacher, and 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.

Cheri Maples
Ordained as a dharma teacher by Zen master & peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, Cheri is also a private consultant and trainer. Cheri worked in the criminal justice profession for 25 years as a police officer, the Head of Probation & Parole, and an Assistant Attorney General in Wisconsin. She also has extensive experience as a community organizer and a social justice advocate. She has incorporated all these experiences into her understanding and teaching of the dharma and her practice of engaged Buddhism.

Craig Vollmar
Craig, a dedicated member of Common Ground Meditation Center community, died of pancreatic cancer on April 18 2014 at 76 years of age. He served on the initial Board of Directors, chaired the Ethics Committee and founded the Twelve Steps and Mindfulness group. He led workshops on anger and forgiveness for many years, and also conducted Twelve Steps and Mindfulness retreats. Common Ground was Craig's spiritual home, and many of his books have been donated to the Common Ground retreat center in Wisconsin.

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