Kalyānamitra
Spiritual friendship and guidance:
support for Dharma Refuge Members
If you are seeking support in your meditation practice, you are invited to contact a Dharma Refuge Lineage Advisor, listed below. If you are not already a member of Dharma Refuge, please consider becoming a member to support our work in the world.
Deborah first experienced the positive effects of meditation in the late 70's when transcendental meditation ('TM') swept the nation and the college campus where she was studying. Decades later, after her partner was diagnosed with serious illness, she 'discovered' Buddhism with Sogyal Rinpoche's Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. She first took refuge with Penor Rinpoche in 1997, and has been a devoted member of Dharma Refuge and the Dharmata Foundation for over 10 years. She is profoundly grateful to Anam Thubten Rinpoche, Sue Kochan, and Lama John Makransky for their guidance, support and inspiration over the years.
The work of John Makransky and Paul Condon (Sustainable Compassion Training, SCT) and that of John Welwood (The Psychology of Awakening) have had a profound effect on her life as well as her practice of clinical psychology. Since retiring from the University of Rochester, Deborah has maintained a small psychotherapy practice but also deepened her involvement in Dharma Refuge as an umzed (chant leader) and SCT-informed meditation guide. She also saves as much time as possible for traveling, playing in her rock'n'roll band, and taking long walks with beloved friends and family. |
Bob encountered Buddhism for the first time when he read Alan Watts’ “The Way of Zen” during a break from college. The book spoke about something he sensed was profoundly true but so generally unrecognized – hidden in plain sight. That tantalizing “something” became the “hook”.
He left graduate school several years later to practice at the Rochester Zen Center, followed by study with Toni Packer at the Springwater Center. He spent several years in the Gurdjieff Work, a very different spiritual path in form than Buddhism, but the same in essence. Feeling the need to return to Buddhism, in 1996 he became a student of the dzogchen master, Lama Tharchin, who he felt was his heart teacher. After Lama T’s passing, Bob joined Dharma Refuge and took teachings from Anam Thubten (in addition to a few other teachers); this latest chapter has been a rich and maturing experience. Bob’s work in the “outer” world has included therapeutic body- and energy-work in a practice that he shared with his wife. Now retired, his work at Dharma Refuge and another nonprofit -- and his roles as husband, dad to two adult daughters, grandfather, and manager of life — take most of his time. |
Dave was initially inspired to the path of compassionate heart through the life and writings of Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk and peace activist. Dave encountered his writings in 1985 and began Zen training on his own through those books. After seeking a Zen Roshi for a while he came across Tibetan Buddhism and found his teacher Lama Tharchin Rinpoche in 1992. Lama Tharchin became his root teacher for 21 years until he passed away in 2013. During that time, Dave met a young monk Anam Thubten Rinpoche and invited him to come to Rochester, and studies with him to this day.
Dave also has a background in shamanic awareness. He studied with Cecile Carson for four years and then began teaching workshops in shamanic awareness for creativity, drawing students from many of the arts including theater, writers, and visual artists. He no longer teaches these workshops but still uses shamanic techniques in his own work and healing. In addition to being a husband, dad, printmaker, and writer, Dave worked and managed in the software industry for 40 years and retired in 2023. |