Stephen Snyder      Stephen began practicing Zen Buddhism in 1976 at the age of 19, and has had a daily meditation practice from that time on. He practiced for 20 years with with several Western Zen masters.  He participated in more than 50 retreats, receiving several ordinations and the Zen dharma name Hoe’ Doetsu (“Peak Wisdom, Mutual Joy”).  His primary practices over the years have been the Zen practices of Koans and Shikantaza, the Tibetan Dzogchen Rigpa practice, and the Theravadan Jhanas.        In 1983, Stephen began law school in order to assist Buddhist Centers as a lawyer in  preserving the vessel of the dharma.  He went on to work as a practicing lawyer, also serving as an advisor to a number of Buddhist and spiritual teachers.       Stephen attended the two-month retreat with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw in 2005. He attained the eight jhanas (as well as other practices) in the span of the retreat, becoming the first American male to complete this attainment. Stephen now works as a spiritual mentor, professional coach, and lawyer.  You can reach him at enohoe@yahoo.com, or 415-453-4470.

Tina Rasmussen      Tina learned to meditate in 1976, at the age of 13. She has meditated daily since 1993. When she was 28, she started doing silent solo retreats every year. During that time, her career as an organizational development consultant and coach took off, and in 1995 she completed her Ph.D. At the age of 30, her first business book was published by McGraw-Hill. Her second book was published in 2006.      Tina attended her first month-long Buddhist meditation retreat in 1996. In 2000, she became drawn to the idea of having an “urban cave experience”--doing an extended solo retreat at home, rather than traveling to a foreign country to practice at a monastery. In 2003, she began a year-long solo retreat in her condo near San Francisco, spending 8 to 12 hours every day for over a year engaged in spiritual practice. Her practices included the Jhanas, Vipassana, the Bramaviharas, Tibetan Dzogchen Rigpa, Qi Gong, and Yoga. In 2004, the solo retreat ended and she began integrating the pristine awareness that had developed with the realities of everyday life.      In 2005, Tina attended the 2-month jhana retreat with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, who ordained her as the Theravada Buddhist nun "Ayya Pesala." During the retreat, Tina became the first American and the first Western woman to complete the eight jhanas (as well as other practices) in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw. She now works as a spiritual mentor, professional coach, and OD consultant.  You can reach her at RasmussenT@aol.com, or 415-457-4580.