We’ve been practicing with Thich Nhat Hanh since 1991. He officiated our marriage at Plum Village monastery and offered us teacher transmission in 2001. In addition to our individual teaching and leadership work, we co-facilitate retreats and co-authored the book Love’s Garden: A Guide to Mindful Relationships. We live in New Mexico and enjoy spending time with our dog, Charlie, and watching the night sky.
Larry
I completed my PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism, focusing my research on meditation and neuroscience. I am an ordained Christian minister and lived and served in an ecumenical religious community that offered education, spiritual practices, and social development projects in over fifty countries. I think of myself as a global citizen, and I feel as comfortable in a Fortune 500 company as I do in an ancient sacred space. My dharma name is “True Great Sound,” and I like to share my voice through poetry.
Peggy
Growing up, I was a “lake girl” in a small town in Wisconsin. Now I serve on the faculty at Atlantic University in the Master of Arts in Mindful Leadership program. I co-authored Making Friends with Time and am currently completing a book for parents and teachers on how to support children in crafting a culture of mindfulness. I love to play with art and music, and I practice to grow my heart as wide as the earth. I am inspired every day by my mom, my friends on the path, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Greta Thunberg.
What is your practice tradition?
L: Thich Nhat Hanh.
P: A braided way-Christian roots, Buddhist and yoga practices.
Favorite meditation practice?
L: Noble silence.
P: Loving-kindness meditation.
What dharma books do you recommend?
L: Opening the Heart of the Cosmos by Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhism After Patriarchy by Rita Gross, and Empty Cloud, translated by Charles Luk.
P: Old Path White Clouds and Call Me by My True Names, both by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Your favorite virtue?
L: Wisdom.
P: Kindness.
Your chief characteristic?
L: Stability.
P: Kindness.
Your principal poison?
L: Impatience.
P: It’s either ignorance or forgetfulness, but I forget.
Your idea of happiness?
L: Freedom from ideas.
P: Forgetting myself in the best way.
Your favorite musician or group?
L: This month, it’s Michael Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Samantha Rise, and Israel Ka’ano’ Kamakawiwo’ole
P: This month, it’s Pritpal Singh Khalsa, John Coltrar and Samantha Rise.
What’s for dinner?
L: Sushi, soul food, Thai, or Chinese.
P: Pho, dal and rice, miso soup, curry anything.
A motto that represents you?
L: “The only way forward is Deep.”
P: “This is it.”
Guilty pleasure?
L: Golf.
P: Potato chips and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
