Bio

I started teaching insight meditation in 1980. Since 1995 I have offered Insight Dialogue — an interpersonal meditation practice I co-created and then developed to its present form — and I often teach in extended retreats. The Buddhist path is one I live daily, and I hope my teaching conveys that in a vital way. It is a path of mindfulness, inquiry and concentration that rests on a foundation of human decency and compassion. I’ve been immersed in a re-examination of the earliest Buddhist teachings with keen attention to relationality. This relational Dharma, and my own life experience, have led me to emphasize an integrated path of development, where individual and interpersonal meditation are joined with contemplation, ethical inquiry, and a commitment to kindness.

My own teachers all generously offered me intimate learning opportunities for which I remain grateful. I am inspired by my ongoing relationship with the Buddha’s discourses and have developed and offer a methodical approach to investigating wisdom texts called Dharma Contemplation. Bringing wisdom teachings into everyday life is a key part of my path and my teaching.

In my earlier days of teaching meditation I was also bringing a family into this world; I have been with my wife for over forty years and we have three sons and seven grandchildren. I was a music composer and performer and taught composition at NYU while scoring films, video and dance works. I used to develop devices for the music and recording field and was a founding figure in the science of auditory display and data sonification. Living on an island in the Pacific Northwest, USA, I am increasingly focused on writing, training teachers, and living a contemplative life.