Upasaka Culadasa and Nancy Yates
Cynthia Lester
Autumn Wiley
Tucker Peck. Tucker is almost finished with his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Arizona. For the last seven years he has been involved in scientific research on the effects of mindfulness meditation, first at Brown University and since 2008 here in Tucson. Tucker has been practicing psychotherapy since 2005, incorporating meditation-based interventions into group and individual therapy, most recently at the Marana Health Center north of Tucson. After receiving Upasaka Culadasa’s permission to teach meditation, Tucker started his own Sangha on Google Hangout, a group video chat forum. E-Sangha now has members in all four US time zones.
When not working or meditating, Tucker likes hiking and doing long drives. He’s been to all but 2 US states and all but 2 Canadian provinces. Be careful asking about these trips, though, as it may take a lot of mindfulness to get through the length of these stories.
Shelly Hubman. I took the Upasika vows with Upasaka Culadasa to renew my intention to stop fitting the dharma into my life and make dharma study and practice both the foundation of, and the framework for, my life. I wanted to remember to use Dharma teachings as the standard against which I measure my thoughts, speech, and actions. I began studying Buddhism in 1993 because I was attracted to the idea of taking responsibility for myself and my actions instead of relying on the external Catholic God I had grown up with. After taking a few classes on Buddhism and on meditation at Boston Adult Education, I joined Kurukulla Center and studied the Lam Rim and other Gelgpa teachings. When I moved to Chicago in 1998, I practiced vipassana meditation with a Goenka-affiliated group and then focused on studying the Annapatisati sutta in the book Mindfulness with Breathing with Santikaro of Liberation Park. I moved to Tucson in 2008 and began studying with the extremely learned and realized master Culadasa with whom I continue to study.
Lyn Pass. Practicing and sharing the Dharma is my greatest joy.
Jessica Seacrest. After a four year stint in the Air Force, Jessica earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She is currently a regional accounting manager for a civil engineering firm. In 2008, having never meditated, but seeking to quiet her mind, she attended a week long silent meditation retreat with Shinzen Young. Soon after, she met Upasaka Culadasa. She realized the Buddhadhamma was something that she had always been looking for; actually, it seemed the Buddhadhamma found her. She eventually took refuge and committed formally to live by the precepts – something that seemed a natural part of her spiritual progression. Jessica is fascinated with the developing theory of the correlation between quantum mechanics and consciousness. She is slightly obsessed with knitting.
Jordan Hill
George Schneider
Barbara Larson. I took the Precepts in the Spring of 2012. I’ve had a longstanding interest in spirituality, since my childhood in a devout Catholic household. As a teenager I did what many of us do, which was to reject the religion of my parents. In fact, I rejected religion altogether, seeking instead to understand the human search for meaning as an aspect of our psychology.
I studied the ideas of Carl Jung, joined the Unitarians, quit the Unitarians, and came across the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. His books struck a chord in me and I took up a mindfulness meditation practice in the summer of 2009. For two years I practiced without really having contact with either a teacher or a sangha. That way was ultimately unsatisfying and I began searching in Tucson for some support for my practice.
Through the Tucson Community Meditation Center, I met Upasaka Culadasa and attended a 10-day meditation retreat at Cochise Stronghold in July 2011. That retreat was a culmination of sorts; establishing a relationship with the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha seemed the most natural thing in the world. I was “ripe” for Buddhism, and knew that further dedication to the practice was what I wanted to do. Taking the Precepts and being a member of the greater Sangha is a great privilege.
Since I began my meditation practice four years ago, a calm, joyful energy has come into my life, which I hope to share with those around me. The journey is ongoing, and I seek to embrace each new opportunity with happiness and enthusiasm.
Sara Krusenstjerna
Blake Barton. Blake has been practicing and studying meditation seriously for approximately 10 years. He has been studying with Upasika Culadasa for about 7 years. He has attended numerous meditation retreats, and he has an interest in helping people find more happiness in their lives.
