Although we all have eclectic spiritual training, our practice of insight and metta meditation originates from the Theravada Buddhist lineages of Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand as transmitted over the past 30 years to teachers in the West. We are deeply grateful to these Asian and Western teachers and to the teachings.
Senior Dharma Teachers
Adrianne Ross
Adrianne, a retired family physician, has been involved in meditation and healing since 1976. She has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1984. Her spiritual journey has also included contemplative inquiry practices (Enlightenment Intensives and Diamond Approach) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
Trained by Jack Kornfield, Adrianne is also influenced by both Thai and Burmese streams of the Theravadan tradition as well as Tibetan (Dzogchen) practice. She teaches classes and retreats in Canada and the US, and leads sitting groups and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programs in Vancouver. She is passionate about being awake in all areas of life and living the dharma as fully as possible.
Joanne Broatch
With Jack Kornfield as her guiding teacher, Joanne has been practising Buddhist meditation in the Theravadan tradition since 1980, and teaching since 1994. Her spiritual journey has included inner work with humanistic psychologists of the 60s-70s, Diamond Heart, Process Painting, Spiritism, and etheric healing in Brazil. She is particularly interested in the importance of faith and lovingkindness in physical, emotional and spiritual healing.
Retired from work as a business writing consultant, writer and editor, Joanne has focused on supporting the growth of sangha in Western Canada, especially in smaller communities in the west. Now semi-retired as a dharma teacher, she teaches retreats, groups and classes primarily in British Columbia and Western Canada.
Community Dharma Leaders
Judy Witheford
Judy began her spiritual training in the late 1970’s in the Rinzai Zen Buddhist tradition with Joshu Sasaki Roshi. From 2000 to the present, she has spent over two years in extended Vipassana retreats in Myanmar under the guidance of Sayadaw U Indaka at Chanmyay Myiang Meditation Centre, Sayadaw U Sasana at Panditarama and most recently Sayadaw U Tejaniya at Shwe Oo Min Meditation Centre. In 2008, she and Sayadaw U Indaka organized a free medical clinic to serve 1900 families in two Myanmar villages.
Judy teaches beginners’ Vipassana Meditation courses and leads an ongoing meditation group at Britannia Community Centre. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program.
Margot Sangster
Margot has studied at meditation centers and monasteries in the USA, Thailand, Nepal, England, and Canada. She lived/volunteered at Spirit Rock and Wat Kow Tahm Meditation Center in Thailand. Margot completed the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Program, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship BASE Program (Buddhist Alliance for Social Engagement), and the Zen Hospice Training. She has been teaching meditation to people from all walks of life since 1998.
Margot holds a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology.Her professional experience is diversified, and includes social services, non-formal education, and international development. Margot enjoys swimming, cycling, hiking, and dancing in her spare time.
Karen Lawrie
Karen has been practicing meditation for over 20 years, with experience in both the Vipassana and the Zen traditions. She is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leader program sponsored by Spirit Rock and leads a sitting group as well as Days of Mindfulness. She is actively involved in supporting dharma practice in any way she can.
