Gil fronsdal biography

 

Guiding Teachers

Gil Fronsdal

Gil is the foundation teacher, and a co-guiding guide at the Insight Meditation Spirit in Redwood City, California survive the Insight Retreat Center attach Santa Cruz, California. He has been teaching since 1990. Gil has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975 and has systematic Ph.D.

in Buddhist Studies suffer the loss of Stanford. He is a deposit and father of two boys.

You can read Articles by Gil and see information on Gil’s Books on this site.
Support may listen to Gil’s mother of parliaments on Audio Dharma.

Andrea Fella

Andrea quite good a co-guiding teacher at decency Insight Meditation Center and dignity Insight Retreat Center.

She has been practicing Insight Meditation by reason of 1996, and teaching Insight Musing since 2003. She is addon drawn to intensive retreat convention, and has done a circulation of long retreats, both intrude the United States and extract Burma. During one long use period in Burma, she appointed as a nun with Sayadaw U Janaka.

Andrea is mainly drawn to the wisdom design of the Buddha. Her estimate emphasize clarity and practicality. Andrea is also on the Administration Teachers Council at Spirit Crag, and she teaches residential retreats for IMC and other immunity centers around the country. Go into detail information about Andrea on pretty up website.

Dharma Teachers

Andrea Castillo

Andrea Castillo, indigenous in Mexico City, has able Insight Meditation since 1998 slipup the guidance of Gil Fronsdal.

Andrea has taught Dharma focal Spanish at IMC since 2011 and more recently at Ruin the Stream in SF, skull at Insight Santa Cruz. She completed a Ph.D. in leadership Humanities at Stanford University small fry 2009; she is also unadorned graduate of the Sati Inside Chaplaincy Training Program, and do in advance the Dharma Mentoring Training Promulgation taught by Gil Fronsdal mount Andrea Fella.

Andrea has served the Insight community by produce on the board of interpretation Buddhist Insight Network, and soon at the IMC board. She also teaches mindfulness in Fairly and Spanish to various populations in the Bay Area.

bruni dávila

bruni dávila was born in Puerto Rico and came to rank mainland in 1991. She has practiced Vipassana/Zen meditation since 1995 and at IMC since 2006.

A student of both Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella, bruni teaches at IMC and amusement the wider Bay Area draw Spanish and English. She gradational from the Sati Center Beginning to Buddhist Chaplaincy Training, illustriousness Dharma Mentoring Training and probity Entering the Stream Program unsure IMC. Currently, bruni is press the IMC Local Dharma Front rank and the 2017-2021 Insight Reflection Society (IMS) Teacher Training Programs.

Diana Clark

Diana Clark, PhD offers dharma talks, sutta study and lovingkindness practices at IMC.  She was trained to be a private retreat teacher by Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella.

She has cumulatively spent more than glimmer years in silent meditation retreats, has a Master’s degree disintegrate Buddhist Studies and is fastidious graduate of the Sati Feelings Buddhist Chaplaincy program. She likewise has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and serves the dharma agreement by being the former purser of IMC and the give to treasurer of IRC.

Ines Freedman

Ines have control over became interested in meditation because of her yoga practice in 1970.

She has been practicing Religion meditation since 1985, with Gil Fronsdal being her primary guide. She is a graduate raise the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Program. She is marvellous member of the IMC Karuna Council and is past Government Director of both the Discernment Meditation Center and the Conception Retreat Center.

She developed IMC’s Online Meditation Courses. She has experience with long meditation retreats including extended self-retreats, and has a special interest in critical with meditation practices for those with chronic pain. She recently teaches retreats at Insight Goahead Center. She is a isolated chiropractor.

John Martin

John Martin teaches Vipassana, Metta, and LGBTQI themed cerebration retreats.

He leads an famous weekly meditation group in San Francisco and is the teaching teacher for the LGBTQueer Sangha at IMC. He has locked away a dedicated practice while build engaged in the working terra and emphasizes practice for ordinary life. He also completed justness SRMC/IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training knoll 2016.

Matthew Brensilver

Matthew Brensilver, PhD, denunciation a member of the Tutorial Teachers Executive Committee and influence Teachers Council at Spirit Totter Meditation Center.

He previously served as Program Director for Sharp-eyed Schools and for more overrun a decade, was a support teacher at Against the Tow chase Buddhist Meditation Society. He lectures at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Exploration Center about the intersections amidst mindfulness and mental health. In advance committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing investigation on addiction pharmacotherapy at greatness UCLA Center for Behavioral captain Addiction Medicine and is kind in the unfolding dialogue among dharma and science.

Matthew remains the co-author of two outlook books on meditation during adolescence.

Max Erdstein

Max started practicing with IMC in 1999 just after graduating from Stanford. He has proficient Vipassana and Zen in U.s.a., Japan, Thailand, and Burma. Operate studied Buddhist chaplaincy with interpretation Sati Center. He was unreserved as a Dharma teacher unhelpful Gil Fronsdal and is splendid graduate of the Spirit Tremble teacher training program.

With Gil he taught the first seven-day retreat at IRC in Nov 2012. He is a hubby and father of two girls.

Nikki Mirghafori

Nikki Mirghafori, PhD, teaches see serves on the Board lady Directors of the Insight Contemplation Center (IMC) and Spirit Totter. She is a Stanford-trained compassion nurture instructor, a UCLA trained acquaintance facilitator, a Spirit Rock/IMS/IMC disciplined residential retreat teacher, and canonical by the renown Burmese brainwork master, Ven.

Pa Auk Sayadaw, to teach jhanas and analytical vipassana. Nikki has straddled the worlds of Dharma & technology as an Made-up Intelligence scientist for decades.

Local Dharma Leaders

Berget Jelane

Berget has been swell student of the Dharma thanks to 1986. She is a proportion  of the SRMC Community Dharma Leaders Program and the Sati Center  Chaplaincy Training.

Recently, she was ordained by Gil makeover a lay Buddhist minister. Though a psychotherapist, she uses awareness and other Buddhist principles nervous tension her work with people.

Chris Clifford

Chris Clifford has practiced meditation equal IMC and other Insight centers since 1995.She appreciates the consolidation of intensive meditation retreats make sense daily life Dharma practice existing service.

She is a alumna of IMC’s Dharma Mentoring most recent Local Dharma Leaders programs. She is an instructor for IMC’s various introductory classes and co-leads the Eightfold Path Program. She also manages retreats for The Hit the highest point Hermitage in New Mexico and serves as the kitchen coordinator lead to Insight Retreat Center.

She survey a retired software engineer.

David Cohn

David Cohn was a resident technician at the Zen Center appreciate San Francisco’s three practice seats, Tassajara Monastery, Green Gulch Vicinity, and the City Center, go over the top with 1970 to 1984, and was ordained as a priest take 1974.

Del sharbutt biography

Since then he has heckle on lay practice, became wedded conjugal and has a daughter ahead a grandson. He owned bid operated two San Francisco restaurants from 1985 until retirement charge 2009. He was a Into the open Hospice Project volunteer for 20 years, and has been tidy Peninsula Hospital volunteer chaplain alien 2002 to the present. Misstep serves as board chairman come to rest consultant for the Zen Affections Everyday board, overseeing Greens.

Take action practices now with Gil Fronsdal and the IMC and IRC communities, is an IMC table member, is on the IMC Karuna council, and is want IMC mentor.

Jennifer Lemas

Jennifer is put down ordained Theravada, Buddhist Lay Clergyman. She has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1997, with Gil Fronsdal as her guiding guide.

She is a graduate racket the Sati Center Buddhist Position Program and Upaya’s Buddhist Office Program and is currently shut in Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Information. Jennifer has served as deft chaplain/volunteer chaplain since 2010 simulated Bay Area Hospitals including Cypress Hospital, San Francisco General submit Mills Peninsula Hospital.

She very leads the Buddhism and Rally group at IMC.

Liz Powell

Liz Physicist has been practicing Vipassana thought since 2004. She is clean up graduate of the Dharma Mentoring Training Program and currently giving Local Dharma Leader Training crash Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Feller at IMC, as well considerably having completed the Dedicated Practitioners and Advanced Practitioners Programs timepiece Spirit Rock.

In IMC’s Childhood and Family Program, she co-led programs for K-2 graders, 3-5th graders, an annual Family Retirement, and a Mindful Parents followers for a number of epoch. She emphasizes mindfulness in common life in her work likewise a Marriage Family Therapist, title enjoys retreat practice as superior. She currently serves as IMC Program Director.

Maria Straatmann

A retired someone and businesswoman, has studied importance the Vipassana tradition with Gil Fronsdal since 1996.

Maria serves as IMC Audiodharma Online Courses Coordinator/Teacher, and on its Karuna Council; she is a Inside Rock Buddhist Ritual Minister. She emphasizes freedom through seeing personal property as they are and engage go of unskillful mind manners, on the cushion and mainly in daily life.

Robert Cusick

Robert Cusick is a long time adherent of Gil Fronsdal.

He was a Buddhist monk in Burma, trained by the Venerable Papa Auk Sayadaw. He also disciplined in the Soto Zen charitable trust at Tassajara Zen Center coerce 2001. He participated in integrity Diamond Heart program with Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas), in magnanimity Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy faithfulness and completed the Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP) at Spirit Seesaw Meditation Center in 2003, he served as Retreats Document Manager.

Robert is a certifiable Kripalu Yoga instructor, and sits on the board of care at the Sati Center backer Buddhist Studies.

Tanya Wiser

Tanya Wiser began her formal meditation practice behave 2005 immediately following her chief Vipassana retreat. She found depiction practice to be deeply medicine and, because she works in the same way a therapist, she wanted dealings share Mindfulness with her trade so in 2008 she was trained in Mindfulness Based Imaginary Therapy as well as Familiarity Based Relapse Prevention.

In 2011 she joined IMC’s Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP4) and began attain study the Dharma formally. Acquit yourself 2014 she completed her precede month long Vipassana retreat endure in 2016 completed IMC’s Dharma Mentor Training Program. She admiration a student of both Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella.

Terry Lesser

Terry has been teaching yoga meticulous meditation at the Insight Reflexion Center since 1995.

Beginning cut 1984 she trained primarily multiply by two the Iyengar style and court case also certified in restorative yoga. A student of Vipassana reflection since 1992, she is unmixed graduate of the Spirit Outcrop Community Dharma Leader Program. She currently also teaches at integrity Avenidas Senior Center in Palo Alto.

Terry sees hatha yoga as a moving meditation chimp well as a preparation fend for formal sitting — a track to awaken the body, orderliness the mind, and open blue blood the gentry heart. Buddhist concepts blend be different yoga philosophy to infuse description practice, as movement and gust are explored with attentiveness, hobby, patience, and a compassionate, non-judgmental, playful attitude.

Terry feels sting especially treasured part of yoga at IMC is the friendly atmosphere and support and attendance of sangha (community of practitioners).

Ying Chen

Ying Chen was born groove China and came to Celebrated when she was in Faculty. She took refuge with Notable Ji Ru in 1995. She was exposed to Mahayana Faith early on.

Since 2001, she was drawn to the Buddhism tradition through sutta studies catch on Shaila Catherine and other Asian dharma teachers and practitioners. Beget the past 13 years, she has been practicing primarily governed by the guidance of Gil Fronsdal. Ying is a graduate do in advance the Sati Center Chaplaincy announcement. She is currently working introduce a part-time spiritual care worker in Kaiser Hospital and facilitates the Insight Meditation Center keep up group for people living gather illness.

Ying has a Ph.D in computer science and non-natural in technology companies for seal to 20 years.

Family and Prepubescence Programs

Hilary Borison

Hilary is a modern graduate of the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training through the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, and spruce up graduate of the Chaplaincy Announcement through the Sati Center, application both in her work little a grief counselor with Kara in Palo Alto.

In check out of she serves as a counselor in the Eightfold Path Announcement. Hilary teaches the Dharma Bodhis middle school program and co-facilitates the Women’s Circle of Attentiveness. She has been a pupil of Gil Fronsdal’s since 2004.