Pema Chodron really brought me to the Dharma and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Noah Levine have been huge influences.
Unfortunately – I have yet to find a teacher I can interact with personally.
Afraid to take that first step – I live in Phoenix Az and I live very close to the local Shambhala center…

There’s more than this, but…:
James Ishmael Ford of Boundless Way Zen. I took the precepts with him, served as officer of his wonderful sangha for a time, and know that practicing with him put a love of the Dharma in my bones.
Josh Bartok of Wisdom Publications and also a dharma teacher in Boundless Way Zen. I worked with Josh, and he became my friend and dharma-friend instantly. He is wise, inventive, and he seems to me to truly understand and articulate the dharma in a way that very few can.
Larry Rosenberg of Cambridge Insight Meditation Center. This guy is something — I’d like to think that I’d be a lot like him, personality-wise, when I’m his age. He’s just my kind of guy. So when he delivers a dharma-talk, or is just sitting and talking to me, it makes what he’s saying hit in a differently direct way. He’s always “on,” but not in an “entertainy” way. In a good way.
Robert Aitken. I certainly never met him but his books are all perfect reads. And sure, they made me “think,” but they also really affected me in what seems to be a lasting way.
Bhante Gunaratana. It was after I read Bhante G’s book “Mindfulness in Plain English” that I discovered its publisher was blocks away from where I lived. I determined that I HAD to work there. I did, and it was way better that I’d imagined.
And lastly, this is kinda lame, but I’d hafta say you, Ethan. The more I hear or read your teachings, the more I value what you’re saying and doing for the Dharma. That’s kind of a suck-up sounding thing to write here, but it’s not untrue, so hey.
Like I said, there’s more. But this seems self-indulgent enough!

oh, and Thanissaro Bhikkhu for sure. Monk, writer, grand example of how to teach as true to the letter of the Dharma as might even be possible, and still innovate and reach people of all kinds.

I’ve learned the most from Gil Fronsdal and Ethan Nichtern through their podcasts. I’ve also read a lot of Thich Nhat Hanh. I haven’t “officially” declared myself a Buddhist (yet). I was raised in the Christian tradition and I don’t know any Buddhists and the closest meditation center is pretty far away (I live in Southwest, OH). Plus, my family would freak if I stopped going to church on Sunday and attended the meditation center instead.
I don’t see Buddhism as much as a religion as I do a philosophy. So, I really don’t plan to “convert”. It’d be really nice to have a sangha. But, that might have to wait until my next life.

My own teacher is Steven Tainer, who was designated the Dharma heir of Tathang Tulku, a Nyingma lama who still teaches. He turned down the honor, however, and has been teaching on his own, outside of a Tibetan lineage, for many years, in Berkeley. His teachings are a combination of Vajrayana, Chan/Zen, and some Taoism and even Confucianism, but the central teachings are Chan and some Vajrayana.
I’m quite fond of the Shambhala teachings and teachers as they are quite in accord with the approach we take in our school, particularly the Vajrayana/Dzogchen view. Another favorite of mine is Shunryu Suzuki who was one of Trungpa’s favorites as well.

Typo correction: Tarthang Tulku, not Tathang.

Personally, I study with Reggie Ray, a longtime student of Chogyam Trungpa. I found Reggie and his work at a pivotal point in my life, that is, during a time of intense struggle with lost love and alcohol addiction. What I appreciate about Reggie’s approach is his use of a universal, amost scientific, language; his scholarly foundation; and his intense focus on bodywork. Through my work with Reggie, I, like many in the West, discovered that I was an incredibly heady person, meaning, I lived most of my life literally in my head. I lacked a healthy body awareness; I lacked a vital balance between mind and body. Reading Reggie’s excellent texts, listening to his dharma talks, attending his retreats – including dathun last winter in Colorado – and engaging in his sangha – these forms of study have revealed the teachings of the Buddha to me, and in that way, Reggie and his teacher Trungpa – and Trungpa’s teachers and his teachers’ teachers – have shown me the view and saved me from a much more treacherous path.

read a lot of dharma books. tried different practices (Zen, Tibetan, etc.) but i eventually discovered that my personality is more compatible with vipassana style of meditation, as taught by Shinzen Young. he’s my kind of kick-ass dharma teacher
http://www.c4chaos.com/2009/01/shinzen-young-is-my-kind-of-kick-ass-dharma-teacher/
~C

I fell in love with Buddhism after I read just the part of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche, on Tonglen. I tried it and it turned everything inside out-I fell in love with Bodhicitta, Wisdom and Compassion.
I practice with a sangha in Cambridge, MA “Open Awareness Sanga”, and also with Lama John Makransky and his “Foundation for Active Compassion”, and with Lama Willa Miller and her “Natural Dharma Fellowship”. Both teach from the Dzogchen or Mahamudra “view” and the practices they teach are incredibly helpful. Both are into socially engaged Buddhism, compassion in action, and the application of practice in life and community. Its my interest in this socially engaged aspect that leads me to this blog site BTW-the ID project and One city. This socially engaged practice is where the wisdom of compassion manifests, IMHO. Happy to share info on my teachers with you.

do i meditate? beginning with zazen and walking meditation, upon arising. but i answer guardedly as am aware “yes” also means (a) i don’t meditate, as well, at times, and (b) that sets up discriminative mind.
I.E., i try to integrate into my daily life rather than give myself a gold star when i can count four breaths with something like samadhi and not samsaric craving and mind-wandering etc.
and (c) i also hold ethics (conscious conduct) and wisdom (view) as concommitant with meditation. nothing separate.
and that’s meditation, not medication. nothing goes away or is “solved” or ultimately resolved (but all). it (hopefully) doesn’t remove me from others so i can be “alone.” rather it puts me in the center of my life, sweet life with all its natural perplexity and uncertainty as well as innate capacity for clarity, goodness, happiness, etc.
thich nhat hanh is was and always will be my root teacher. i continue to appreciate the manner as well as manner of his ongoing teaching. i’m humbled to have been recently invited to ordain in his inner sangha.
of his rainbow of virtues, i note how i feel empowered by his own grounding in interfaith (as when he was studying at columbia u) to explore in my own practice both interfaith and intrafaith; by the latter, i’m referring to what joseph goldstein now calls “one dharma”: vipassana and zen and pureland and vajrayana all being one taste (the taste of freedom).
i’m also currently studying (dogen and koans) with dairyu michael wenger; not meditation, per se. but sangha includes meditation on others as self.
(only korea, to my knowledge, has a formal path of text study as meditative “practice,” — buddhist lectio divina — altho’ i’m still researching that.)
* * *
when i began studying, krishnamurti and alan watts were the first teachers available to me, via books (early 1960s). an uncle had mimeos of talks (he’d been at ojia) which my dad had on bookshelf; and watt’s way of zen was a 35-cent pocketbook. back then, more buddhas filled glass cases of museums than living buddhas sitting on cushions, teaching, f2f.
i first joined in silent meditation at a quaker retreat, during middle school years. always recommend newcomers to the path to give that a try, if it’s available nearby, as an opportunity to just sit, in silence, with others.
i’ve been blessed by meditation teachers, beginning with my parents; and the family cat. paul reps first taught me eastern meditation, on the sunset strip, in l.a., and that simple influence continues today. katagiri roshi first introduced me to zazen (shikantaza). i was fortunate to see the twinkle in shunryu suzuki roshi’s eyes. have also more enjoyed the teachings of rev. iwohara at venice buddhist hongwanji, and dzogchen of lama wangdor.
w/ gratitude for being born human and having an opportunity to hear the dharma, study understand and realize
palms joined
_/|\_

Yes! I actively practice meditation. However, I am very new to Buddhist teaching as well to the practice of conscious meditation whether it is sitting, walking, eating or otherwise. I kinda liken myself to being in the proverbial diaper wearing stage in the practice; I am a sponge and can loosely associate broad concepts but have not yet developed any fine motor skills to speak of.
Being that I am so very new I have only had the opportunity to study under a few teachers. In order of occurrence I have read from the following teachers – both through their books as well as their online writings, viewing web videos and, listening to DVDs – Thich Nhat Hanh, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Ethan Nichtern and, Sakyong Mipham.
In all my newness, it is far too challenging for me to select one that stands out from the others as each of them has equally held the title of “favourite” as I have delved into their teachings. I can say this however, in each case the message is delivered with compassion, commitment and humour. Please note, that this is a very simplistic summary of my experience but it is those qualities that keeps bringing me back to the practice.
Peace out,
H

Pema Chodron, though I’ve only read her.
Sharon Salzberg and Sylvia Boorstein for their intense devotion to loving kindness. I have met both and aspire to be like them.
Joko Beck and Ezra Baydu, for clarity. Read only at this point.
Bernie Glassman and the other teachers of Zen Peacemakers for their example of socially engaged Buddhism and their tenets: Not knowing, bearing witness, and loving action. Just walking into the Maezumi Institute makes me aspire to live my practice more fully.
And you, Ethan. Read and listen only at this point, but I hope to meet you.
The biggest barrier is time, which includes distance from teachers and how long it takes to get to them. and which somewhat incorporates money, since the thing that takes up the biggest part of my time is earning money. If I had infinite time, I’d do the Zen Peacemakers ministry program in a heartbeat. But as it is, even getting away for a weekend is hard.

I highly recommend Tsem Tulku Rinpoche. His knowledge and application of the Dharma is phenomenal. He knows the minds of East and West because he has experienced first-hand the culture of America and the hardcore monastic life of the Gaden tradition. He blends the two until there are no boundaries. His integration of instruction and allegory is seamless perfection. His organization Kechara House is amazing in the amount of work and dedication they exert to do the Dharma work and to maintain the lineage set forth by Lama Tsongkhapa.
http://www.tsemtulku.com
Also he has an extensive collection of Dharma teachings on YouTube. Be prepared to sit and watch for hours because his style is so lucid and the clarity of the teachings comes through like the sun breaking through the clouds.
http://www.kechara.com

Heather, that’s putting me in ridiculous company, but I’ll keep doing my best.
@Mitsu – glad to hear from you. Hope life is good.
@ Brian – I don’t relate to it as a religion either, more a psychology, science, and ethic system. I don’t think I could teach if I thought it was religious, personally.
@rgms – Great list (except for Ethan Nichtern – way overrated)
@ Paul – I really like Indestructible Truth by Reggie Ray.
@Tam – Really like that book too.

The cats I’ve met and known through my life have taught me a lot about meditation. They are always focused on one thing, and acutely aware of their environment.
Among my human meditation teachers: David Nichtern (the only one I’ve studied with in person)… readings by many of the well-known Buddhist meditation authors…
I must especially acknowledge Rodger Kamenetz for his book, The Jew in the Lotus, for my definitive introduction to Buddhism while retaining my Jewish heritage back in 1999.
A Shambhala center opened up in my neck of the woods recently. I look forward to visiting it to find out if my time has come to actively study with a new human teacher.

Yup, I sit 20-30 minutes a day.
My all-time favorite is Gil Fronsdal, though I would say I look to him primarily for teaching in sila.
For samadhi, Daniel Ingram. The guy gets down to serious practice.
For panna, Bhikkhu Bodhi.His scholarship and dedication to the orthodox teachings impress me greatly.
Other teachers of mention: Bhante G., Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, Mahasi Sayadaw, Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Viradhammo, and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Unfortunately, I live pretty much too far away to sit with someone in person on a regular basis.

Gotsa give a shout to my homedog Gil Fronsdal.
I often think our connection we have with teachers is more emotional bond than practical instruction, looking to them as mothers and fathers rather than educators or facilitators.
Anyway, I can honestly say that I didn’t really know what the words “concentration” or “compassion” really meant before I met Gil. Great man.

The teachers who I connect with are those whose insight and genius in teaching the dharma have inspired me to genuine laughter, ie. laughter not based on harm or the loss of one for the gain of another.
I understand that people can connect with a teacher for a variety of reasons. However, for me, laughter is the condition that contains the potential for other beneficial emotions and states– eg. clarity, empathy, sadness-joy, equanimity, and so on.. So, when I connect with a teacher through laughter, I feel a sense of health about myself and them.
Here are some teachers who I have met in person and by whom I have felt genuinely inspired to laugh, for one reason or another.. or for no reason at all– Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, and so on..
The recorded talks of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche have also inspired me to genuine laughter.. One example comes to mind where Rinpoche gives a particularly interesting presentation on hell. (As described in the book ‘Transcending Madness’)
In addition, there are many other folks who do not hold formal teaching responsibilities, with whom I have enjoyed this genuine laughter.
In appreciation of the inconceivable causes and conditions that came together in order to meet these beings in person or through their work, and have a good laugh.
Ian

I love Pema Chodron and Chogyam Trungpa – my tradition.
But I sample the whole spectrum, including Shinzen Young (hat tip to ~C4Chaos), Daniel Ingram, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Lama Surya Das, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Roshi Joan Halifax, and many others. Depends on my mood.
Oh yeah, Gary Snyder, Dogen, Li Po, Tu Fu, Jane Hirshfield, Ikkyu, Ryokan — all great Buddhist teachers in poetry.
Peace!

I am digging Ajahn Amaro at the moment. He provides the right balance of faith and wisdom as the tips of the wings, along with mindfulness as the body of the bird.
Of course, I do admit to being attached his sexy British accent and wit–just a bit…

I am a meditator. In addition to my daily practice, I attend a weekly sitting group, but have heavily supplemented those sessions with listening to podcasts. My favorite teachers in my virtual sangha:
Ken McLeod – for his systematic, logical approach to presenting and breaking down incredibly difficult concepts. appealing to the academic in me. he’s posted mostly retreats/workshops. and presumes more than an elementary level of meditation and mindfulness.
Thich Nhat Hanh – for his simple and poetic translations of dense texts, e.g., the heart sutra. also, this guy is pure. I saw him give a public talk once. didn’t hear much of what he said, but my heart chakra was going crazy for an hour.
Gil Fronsdal/IMC – for his very clear sitting instructions. the podcasts on beginning and intermediate meditation are fantastic. the others are incredibly helpful in identifying the flavors of the automatic inner editor (5 hindrances) and ways to stop it (5 faculties).
Ethan Nichtern/IDP – for his thoughtful, engaging, often funny 21st century applications and interpretations of Buddhist teachings.
I saw a video of Pema Chodron once. enjoyed the talk, but have no other insight.

Suzuki Roshi; has been, and truly always will be, my main teacher. I have been blessed to have fine teachers; Maureen Stuart Freedgood, Roshi; Pat Hawk, Roshi; Robert Aitken, Roshi; Katagiri Roshi; Chino Roshi; Yasutani Roshi; Pema Chodron, Roshi; many more. They all have something unique to offer, and I believe we should seek out truth wherever we find it.

Its really cool to see all the teachers people have listed here. I sometimes feel badly that I haven’t been able to connect with a teacher in person so it is encouraging to read some of these comments and find that I’m not alone. I started learning about the dharma through podcasts in my last two years of college at Ohio State and did not really have the ability to find a sangha in Columbus. I live in Wichita now and let’s just say that Buddhism isn’t all that “big” in Kansas. I have found a Zen sitting group that has been helpful as a sangha but our teacher is in Atlanta and only comes to Kansas yearly so I’ve only met him twice for Dokusan.
That being said. I also have to give mad props to Gil Fronsdal. It was his audio dharma that introduced me to Buddhist practice about 4 years ago now.
I did make it to Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s talk in Kansas City. He is truely an amazing and kind person and I feel honored to have at least met him.
I, too, enjoy Suzuki Roshi. “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” is definitely a classic.
Lately, thanks to the ID project and Buddhist Geeks I’ve been digging Daniel Ingram. I like his down to earth “hardcore” take on things.

Big props to Ethan Nichtern and all the people at the ID Project. They have made contemplative practice so accessible. Much love from Woodstock.

@ Amy Dara: Yes David Nichtern is a great teacher.
@ Jamie: I really liked Daniel Ingram’s book.
@ Brian Naas and others: yes Gil Fronsdale seems to have helped many folks. BTW how are you Brian? Glad you checked in on the blog.
@ Ian: Yes, transmitting genuine humor is an amazing experience.
@ Everyone thanks for listing all the wonderful teachers. Keep them coming!

@ Ethan Nichtern. Yo: E-dog. Doing well, summer fun. Hopefully can walk The Boddhisattva Path with you come fall!

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is my main teacher, heart and soul. I agree with everything Ethan said about him and his teachings. He is a living example of discipline, prajna, loving kindness and astounding generosity. Shambhala also practices a social/societal view that focuses on integrating buddhist principles into daily, secular life as well as individual meditation practice.
Lama Tharchin Rinpoche is sweet nectar personified. His gentle retreat center, Pema Osel Ling, in the Santa Cruz mountains gives “refuge” new meaning. His organization is called Vajrayana Foudation and is a very welcoming, sweet, traditionally Tibetan scene. Did I mention sweet?
Jigme Rinpoche, the son of His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham’s brother-in-law, is a dynamic and very hip young tulku who is definitely worth checking out. He’s based in Paris, but teaches in North America with some frequency.

Lama Surya Das is the man! I have taken two workshops with him in the Chicagoland area and he is an amazing teacher. He is warm, funny and genuine and he is the perfect mix of east meets west since he used to be a shy Jewish kid from Brooklyn NY.

“If you meditate or study Buddhism, you eventually have to find a meditation teacher”
Why? Can one not just sit? Can you tell my practice is Zen?
That said, I took initial instruction from Roshi Khojlede at the Rochester Zen Center, and from the center’s head of zendo. This was about 3-1/2 months ago, and my sessions are, in one sense, rather pathetic. But they simply are what they are. I mostly am not concerned about “results”; when I find myself thinking that way, I catch myself and let those thoughts go.
Those thoughts will return, but I will again let them go. There’s a reason it’s called practice.

Younge Khachab Rinpoche is my root Lama. Our group in Chicago is working now to bring him here Nov. 20-22 for a Yamantaka empowerment. He is not so well known, but an incredibly learned and accomplished teacher of Dzogchen and Tantra.
My first retreat was with Tsoknyi Rinpoche and he is awesome as are Mingyur Rinpoche and the other sons of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (whose books As It Is 1 & 2 are wonderful).
Also have listened to Chogyal Namkhai Norbu’s webcasts which are really great. Though it can be hard to stay awake at 3 am.
I also really like the Buddhist Geeks podcasts and Daniel Ingram’s Dharma Overground discussion board.

Favorite teachers/authors, etc.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Pema Chondron
Thich Nhat Hanh
Loden Jinpa aka Clarke Scott
Also many thanks to the Harvard professor whom wrote a book about lowering your blood pressure without medicine- Forgot both his name and of book (sorry)
The above list the top 3 unfortunately never met- Loden Jinpa has a website and he is a very attentive person- he doesn’t like to think of himself as a teacher but I believe he is working on it!

John Baker, Edited Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (and of course studied for years with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche . His absolute love and encyclopedic knowledge of the Dharma teachings run deep and resonate for a long time after instruction.

Your dad, David Nichtern, is my favorite because of how excited he gets about his students’ questions. My relationship with my dog, Seymour, is also an amazing teacher.

if folks are looking….
Here’s a good website that lists Dharma Centers:
Zen Centers Guide
http://www.dharmanet.org/infowebZen.htm
+++
and a zen teacher database search link:
http://americanzenteachers.org/AZTAlist.php

Some of my favorite teachers:
Chogyam Trungpa is so smart and surprising.
I also love Jack Kornfield because he’s deceptively incisive and so literary.
Daniel Ingram, of course.
Gil Fronsdale is wonderful.
I took the refuge vow with Eric Spiegel, he is so great to hear talk.
Tenzin Palmo is fascinating and inpsiring
As is Robina Courtin.
I got down with Suzuki Roshi’s Beginner’s Mind this year and finally wasn’t so frustrated with Zen.
All the teachers are my favorites.
And finally there’s nothing like being friends with your dharma teacher for extra plus teachings, so Ethan, you get the biggest props.

I like Tara Brach

My favorite meditation teacher is the sea- the waves and the ripples, like breath, the tides– breath over time, time, life, death.

Tara Brach is my absolute fave. Also am a fan of Gil Fronsdale. Both translate the dharma in relatable terms and with gentle prose and witty humor. Free podcasts from both are available.

P.S. i second Daniel Ingram’s mention on this thread. he’s not technically my teacher but his book, “Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha” and the online forum DharmaOverground which he started, influenced my practice and attitude towards practice in a lot of helpful ways.
there are dharma, and there are kick ass dharma. MCTB is the best kick ass dharma i’ve encountered. if you can look past Ingram’s irreverence, then this will be a big help for you and your practice.
~C

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