Teachers


 

Aaron de Long is a lifelong Shambhalian, and an active vajrayana practitioner. He lives near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on a farm with his wife and son.  He has co-taught courses in the past on the heart sutra and the four reminders, among others. His current dharma focus is spontaneous presence.

 

 


Alexalexanderdevaronander deVaron  began teaching in Shambhala in 1986. From 1991-1996 he lived at Karmê Chöling retreat center, working in the practice and study department. In 2010, he was appointed a Shastri (senior teacher) in Shambhala. As a householder, and full-time music teacher, he’s especially keen on how to bring the teachings into every moment of our lives. He teaches Buddhism, Shambhala Training, Shambhala Art, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the interplay of Buddhism and Western psychology. He has also developed courses on singing, chanting, and vocal exploration as contemplative practice. He brings a light touch to his classes, encouraging curiosity and dialogue. Alexander’s primary teachers have been Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. He’s also grateful for the abundance of profound teachings he’s received from the many western students in these traditions.

 


alisondriscoll

Alison Driscoll has been a Shambhala meditation instructor and teacher since the mid-90s. She is also a graduate of the Penn Program for Mindfulness (PPM) and completed the PPM Teacher Training. Alison is a longtime student of Her Eminence Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She retired as an Ayurvedic practitioner and meditation director at Empowered Yoga in Wilmington, DE several years ago. She serves on the elder council of The Wisdom Seat, is married and the mother of a grown son, and a longtime hospice volunteer.

 


Elaine Yuen is an educator, chaplain and researcher. She has been a student and teacher in the Shambhala community since the early 1970’s, and has been a Philadelphian since 1980. Between 2012 and 2020 she was a professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where she taught courses on pastoral caregiving (chaplaincy), contemplative education and Buddhist studies. Elaine is deeply interested in how we shape our social interactions with caring and authentic presence. She continues to explore the interfaces between Buddhism, meditation, creativity, and contemplative caregiving. Her website on Contemplative Chaplaincy can be found at elaineyuen.com.

 


 

James Avery has been active at the Philadelphia Shambhala Center since 2010. He has served on the Center’s governance council and has co-taught a variety of classes on meditation and Buddhism there. He teaches Political Science at Stockton University; his research has examined racial differences in political trust, the policy implications of biases in voter turnout, the influence of the media on public opinion, and the sources of increasing economic inequality in the U.S. He enjoys travel and shooting pool.

 


Jean Plough started meditation in Shambhala in 1974. She is a visual artist, usually doing colorful abstract work. She taught at various public schools in Philadelphia for 34 years. She also taught online for University of Phoenix. Jean belongs to Muse Gallery in Old City, and manages a small gallery at Settlement Music School, Germantown. She enjoys hiking, visiting her sisters, and taking care of her dog and cat. Her teacher is Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

 

 


 

Joseph Stinson began his study of Buddhism in 1983 after his brother Jim game him Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s books Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and The Myth of Freedom. Those texts sparked a three-decade practice of meditation and study. Since 1993, he has served our local Shambhala community in several ways as a Dorje Kasung, a fundraiser, and meditation instructor. He and his wife and son are also long-time supporters of the annual Family Camp at Karme Choling in Vermont. For 20 years, he has taught academic English courses at Camden County College, and has published a wide range of articles about issues connected to Jewish immigration to Philadelphia, educational technology, and entrepreneurship.

 


juderobison

Jude Robison has been a student in the Shambhala tradition since 1980. In addition to her activity as a meditation instructor and teacher, she serves on the Central Governance Circle of the Shambhala Center. She was a co-director of Karmê Chöling Meditation Center in Vermont from 1991-1996 and received an MFA in Book Arts from the University of the Arts in 2003. In addition to traditional dharma, she enjoys exploring the dharma of making books, dancing and walking in the woods.

 


Marilia Marien has been practicing meditation for over 20 years. She has been studying and practicing within the Shambhala community since 2008 where she is a teacher and meditation instructor.  Marilia’s passion for helping others learn and apply meditation and mindfulness to their everyday lives developed out of her personal interest and experiences with meditation and other contemplative practices.  Marilia is a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).  She specializes in training and coaching mental health and allied healthcare professionals who want to learn mindfulness to enhance their well-being and/or integrate it into their professional work.

 


michaelcarrollMichael Carroll is the author of Awake at Work (2004), The Mindful Leader (2007) and Fearless at Work (2012), has been studying in the Kagyu-Nyingma and Shambhala Lineages since 1976 and is an authorized teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

 

 


Parlan McGaw has been a student of the Shambhala teachings since 1988 and began teaching in 1993. An actor, Parlan developed and teaches workshops incorporating principles and practices from the Shambhala tradition to help actors cultivate spontaneity, self-awareness, and emotional authenticity in their work. He and his wife, Madeline, moved to the Philadelphia area in early 2022 and are very happy to be here.