Archives: Authors
Jeanne Kumagai
Jeanne Kumagai was an educator for thirty-seven years. She’s been active in the Orange County Buddhist Church since the age of four.
Sheryl Petty
For almost thirty years, Sheryl Petty, EdD, has practiced in the Vajrayana Buddhist and indigenous African-based traditions.
Victress Hitchcock
Victress Hitchcock grew up in London, Paris, and Madrid as the daughter of a diplomat and earned her diploma from the London Film School in 1972. She spent over four decades creating award‑winning documentaries and educational films—most notably Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet (2008)—and has covered diverse subjects from Tibetan Buddhism to addiction and Native American life. After being ordained as a Buddhist teacher by Anam Thubten in 2013, she transitioned to writing poetry, creative non‑fiction, and in 2024 published her memoir A Tree With My Name On It. For more information visit victresshitchcock.com.
Ayya Marajina Bhikkhuni
Ayya Marajina Bhikkhuni received pabbajja (2010) and upasampada (2012) at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage, California, with Venerable Tathaloka Maha Theri as pavattini. She has practiced meditation for over 15 years, now seeing the Dhamma as the highest blessing. Dedicated to practicing and teaching the Satipatthana and Brahmaviharas, she shares the transformative power of the Dhamma in Spanish and English. A Cuban-American, Ayya is working to establish the first Theravada temple in Cuba. She leads a Sunday morning meditation and Dhamma talk livestream in Spanish. Her first book "Pa’ alante es pa’ lla" is currently being edited. Residing at Bhava Nirodha Nilaya in Florida, she also cares for her mother.
Arne Schelling
Arne Schelling has been a Dharma teacher and translator for nearly two decades, serving various sanghas across all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Originally trained and having worked as a physician for 20 years, he is also an archivist, videographer, and pianist. Arne is currently enrolled in a 10-year teacher training program under Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s Milinda Project. He works full time with the Khyentse Vision Project, 84000, Mipham Project, Longchen Shedra, Nithartha Institute, and other Buddhist publishing initiatives. Arne is also responsible for Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's center in Berlin.
Punya Sagara
Punya Sagara is a dedicated practitioner of Charya Nritya, a sacred Buddhist dance tradition. For her, Charya is not merely a performance art but a form of meditation in action—an essential expression of her spiritual path.
James C. Hopkins
James C. Hopkins lives in Kathmandu, Nepal and is the director of Himalayan Writers Workshop, an organization that creates writing journeys in Nepal and Bhutan for writers from around the world. He is the author of seven books of poetry, including a new collection of poems titled Ex-Violinist in Kathmandu, which will be published this year by Ikuta Press, Japan.
Benjamin Brose
BENJAMIN BROSE is Professor of Buddhist and Chinese Studies and chair of the department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. He is interested in the cultural history of Buddhism and has written about the development of Chan (Zen), pilgrimage, translation, deity cults, and transcultural Buddhist exchange in East Asia. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including <em>Embodying Xuanzang: The Postmortem Travels of a Buddhist Pilgrim.<em/>
Mark Amaratunga
Mark Amaratunga is a scientist and meditation practitioner who has roots in Sri Lanka. With twenty years of experience exploring the intersection of Buddhist wisdom and Western psychology, he focuses on how ancient teachings illuminate modern cognitive phenomena and offer practical paths to greater awareness in daily life.
Mark Van Buren
Mark Van Buren is a Buddhist author, meditation instructor, and mindful living trainer. He is the author of Your Life is Meditation and A Fool’s Guide to Actual Happiness. He lives in New Jersey. He can be found online at www.buymeacoffee.com/meditatewithmark
Rick Hanson
Rick Hanson is a psychologist and the author of <i>Neurodharma: New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness</i>.
Miriam Tarcov
An artist living in Arizona, Miriam Tarcov is the author of Suddenly Without Warning: A Mother’s Journey Through Grief.
Nhi Yến Đỗ Trần
Nhi Yến Đỗ Trần is the author of Budding <em>Lotus in the West: Buddhism from an Immigrant’s Feminist Perspective</em> and a cofounder of Cherry Blossom Sangha in Seattle.
Roshi Linda Myoki Ryugo Lehrhaupt
Roshi Linda Myoki Ryugo Lehrhaupt, PhD, is the guiding teacher of Zen-Herz (Heart) Sangha, a community based in Germany with members from several European countries.
Minyak Kunzang Sonam
Minyak Kunzang Sonam, a.k.a. Tupten Chökyi Drakpa (1823–1905), hailed from eastern Tibet and was a prominent student of the celebrated Patrul Rinpoche (1808–87) and a great scholar in his own right. He was a truly nonsectarian figure, drawing on the wisdom of all the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. A translation of his commentary on Tokme Zangpo’s Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas was published as Uniting Wisdom and Compassion.
Douglas Duckworth
Douglas Duckworth is a professor of religion at Temple University in Philadelphia. He received his PhD in religious studies (Indo-Tibetan Buddhism) from the University of Virginia in 2005, and he previously taught at Kathmandu University. He is the author of Mipam on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition (SUNY 2008), Jamgon Mipam: His Life and Teachings (Shambhala 2011), and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature (Oxford 2019). He has translated Kunzang Sonam’s overview of the ninth chapter of Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva, entitled The Profound Reality of Interdependence (Oxford 2019), and Botrul’s Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies: Illuminating Emptiness in a Twentieth-Century Tibetan Buddhist Classic (SUNY 2011). He is a coauthor of Dignaga’s Investigation of the Percept (Oxford 2016) and Knowing Illusion (2 vols., Oxford 2021). In addition to publishing numerous scholarly articles, Duckworth has coedited (with A. Velez and E. Harris) Buddhist Responses to Religious Diversity: Theravada and Tibetan Perspectives (Equinox 2020) and (with Jonathan Gold) Readings of Shantideva’s Guide to Bodhisattva Practice (Columbia 2019).
Lion’s Roar
Lion’s Roar is an independent non-profit foundation whose mission is to communicate Buddhist wisdom and practices in order to benefit people’s lives and our society, and to support the development of Buddhism in the modern world.
Tsunma Kunsang Palmo
Tsunma Kunsang Palmo, originally from England, spent over a decade as an art teacher in international schools before being deeply inspired by Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings during a trip to Nepal, prompting her to stay in Asia and immerse herself in dharma. She further found inspiration under Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo in Himachal Pradesh, leading her to complete a three-year retreat at Sherabling Monastery with Mingyur Rinpoche. Kunsang now serves as a meditation and dharma teacher for Tergar’s Joy of Living and Vajrayana Online courses, Tergar retreats, and the Tergar Institute in Osel Ling Monastery, Kathmandu. In 2021, she taught in Antigua and Trinidad for Bodhicharya and now divides her time between Kathmandu, India, and the Caribbean, sharing her teachings and experiences.
James Thornton
James Thornton is a Zen Buddhist priest and the president of ClientEarth, an environmental law charity. His most recent book is <em>Nature, My Teacher</em>.