Archives: Authors
Tashi Choedup
Tashi Choedup [They/She] is a Transfeminine Buddhist monastic and a social justice activist. They work towards integrating contemplative practices with social justice work. They are currently working with Queer-Trans Wellness & Support Center in Hyderabad, India which a friend and they co-founded.
Rachel Boughton
Rachel Boughton is a Zen teacher and Jungian Analyst. She founded and has taught at Flower Mountain Zen (<a href="http://www.flowermountainzen.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.flowermountainzen.org</a>) since January 2020. Her interests include rediscovering the work of women in the Chan and Zen traditions.
Amie Barrodale
Amie Barrodale’s debut novel Trip (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), begins with the sudden death of the protagonist. She tries to send a message to her son from beyond, but the mystics she hopes will help are distracted.
Deborah McGlauflin
Deborah McGlauflin has been a Vajrayana practitioner since 1993. She focuses on Tara practice, phowa, and studying classical Tibetan language. Before retiring at the end of 2024, she was was on the philanthropy team of Hospice of the Chesapeake for the last 11 years of her career, serving as the team’s AI lead for the last 5 years. She is married, has ten grandchildren, and is the primary caregiver for her 94-year-old mother. She writes poetry and shares wisdom with young professionals as CoffeeBreakMentor on The Leap platform.
Sharon Lukert
Sharon Lukert is a retired Buddhist chaplain and the author of <em>Until My Memory Fails Me: Mindfulness Practices for Cultivating Resilience and Self-Compassion in the Face of Cognitive Decline.</em>
Lyle Weinstein
Lyle Weinstein is the author of The <i>Alzheimer’s Family Manual</i> and a coauthor of <i>The Montessori Alzheimer’s Project</i>. His work with caregivers was originally inspired by father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
Originally from Hollywood, Sadhviji is a Vedic monk who has lived in the Himalayas for almost 30 years where she leads a variety of humanitarian projects. A Stanford grad with a psychology PhD, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by President Biden and is speaker at global forums including TED and the United Nations. She’s the author of <em>Hollywood to the Himalayas</em> and <em>Come Home to Yourself.</em>
Diane Esguerra
strong>Diane Esguerra</strong> is a psychotherapist. Her book <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Night-Into-Light-Mothers-Transformation/dp/1785633910/ref=sr_1_1?crid=J9UT2MFXLHMQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GCkhdQeG4Z5WN_j2yNBCjoKVeftpHhDUf-AYxrT1L2uaavoP-dTtAKgZQhu2bf0ux_sj_Th6zVmy-ElY2okdPQ.2VmKztWYPsBzrysLimXVmf2s9K8uTtjxieqf73dkqro&dib_tag=se&keywords=Diane+Esguerra&qid=1754041232&sprefix=diane+esguerra%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Night into Light: A Mother’s Journey of Grief and Transformation </a></em>was published by Eye Books in 2024.
Daniel Ahearn
Daniel Ahearn is a Los Angeles–based psychotherapist specializing in attachment repair through Integrative Attachment Therapy (IAT). He’s also the father of two boys, Wyeth and Lev.
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