Dharma Teacher Weekend 2025

Weekend Schedule

LEGEND
🌱 Rooting = Individual Teacher-focused
🌿 Growing = Sangha/Community-focused
🌸 Thriving = School/Future-focused

Friday Evening, October 17th

Greet participants, check them in, and show them to their rooms.

6:30pm - 7:15pm: Special chanting, regular chanting, short sitting period

7:30pm: Check-in and casual hangout

Saturday, October 18th

5:00am: Wake up

5:15am - 7:30am: Bow to Zen Masters, 108 Bows, Chanting & Sitting with kong-an interviews
Location: Main Dharma Room

7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast
Location: Dining Room

7:30am - 8:30am: Gift Shop Open

8:30am - 9:20am: Icebreaker Activity, led by Edahn Small, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

🌿 9:30am - 11:15am: Ethics Workshop, led by Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes) 
Location: Main Dharma Room

11:30am - 12:30pm: Concurrent Breakouts
🌱 Breakout #1: When Mental Health Issues present in Zen practice - Tools for the Dharma Teacher, led by George Fernandez, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

🌸 Breakout #2: Zen & AI, led by Raimondas Lencevicius, SDT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Lunch
Location: Dining Room

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Gift Shop Open

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Refuge Recovery Meeting, led by Don Boudreau, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

🌿 1:45pm - 2:45pm: Starting, Nourishing, and Growing a Sangha, led by Zen Master Bon Haeng (Mark Houghton) & Gary Kahn, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

3:00pm - 3:45pm: Concurrent Breakouts
🌱 Breakout #1: Teacher Training Workshop: Buddhism & Addiction led by Don Boudreau, DT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room

🌱 Breakout #2: You’re a Dharma Teacher, Now What? led by Kwan Haeng Sunim JDPS
Location: Main Dharma Room

🌸 4:00pm - 5:00pm: “Rooting, Growing, Thriving” Workshop & Breakouts to Discuss the Future of Our School, led by Edahn Small, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

5:00pm - 6:15pm: Dinner
Location: Dining Room

5:00pm - 5:30pm: Yoga, led by Jacqueline Vischer, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

5:00pm - 6:00pm: Gift Shop Open

6:30pm - 7:15pm: Chanting: Special Chanting, Evening Bell Chant, Heart Sutra, Great Dharani
Location: Main Dharma Room

7:30pm - 9:30pm: Socializing

7:30pm - 8:30pm: Art Experience with Willy Garver, SDT & Paul Bloom, SDT
Location: Main Dharma Room

8:30pm - 9:30pm: Sound Bath, led by Lisa Odom-Villella, DTiT & Danielle Alpher, DTiT
Location: Main Dharma Room

Sunday, October 19th

5:00am: Wake up

5:15am - 7:30am: Bow to Zen Masters, 108 Bows, Chanting & Sitting with kong-an interviews
Location: Main Dharma Room

7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast
Location: Dining Room

7:30am - 8:30am: Gift Shop Open

8:30am - 9:20am: Concurrent Breakouts
🌱 Breakout #1: Dealing with Emotions in Practice, led by Nancy Hathaway, SDT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room (or Zoom, TBD)

🌿 Breakout #2: Growing Together: Tips & Tricks for Marketing & Sangha Engagement, led by Eva Kaniasty
Location: Main Dharma Room

9:30am - 10:15am: Concurrent Breakouts
🌱 Breakout #1: Giving Dharma Talks, led by James Hudspeth, DTiT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room

🌸 Breakout #2: Psychotherapy and Zen: Parallels, Differences, and Integration (for Therapist Dharma Teachers, but open to anyone), led by George Fernandez, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

🌸 10:30am - 11:30am: “Nature and Dharma” Keynote, led by guest speaker Lama Liz Monson from Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH
Location: Main Dharma Room

11:45am - 12:45pm: Closing Circle Talk
Location: Main Dharma Room

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Gift Shop Open

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunch & Goodbyes
Location: Dining Room

Workshop List & Bios

🌿 Ethics Workshop

Saturday, October 18th at 9:30am - 11:15am
Led by: Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes)
Location: Main Dharma Room
Foundations of ethics in teaching.

About Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes)
Since 1992, Empty Gate Zen Center has been led by Guiding Teacher Jeff Kitzes (Zen Master Bon Soeng). Jeff began practicing Zen in 1975, and began practicing with Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1979. In December of 1992, Jeff received inka, authorization to teach kong-ans (koans). In 2001, he received dharma transmission from Zen Master Seung Sahn and was given the name Bon Soeng which means “Original Nature.” Jeff is also a licensed psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in the integration of Zen Buddhism and Western Psychotherapy.

🌱 Breakout: When Mental Health Issues Present in Zen Practice - Tools for the Dharma Teacher

Saturday, October 18th at 11:30am - 12:30pm
Led by: George Fernandez
Location: Main Dharma Room
Exploring varying viewpoints on mental health. Tips and tools for responding to students who present with possible mental health issues. How to identify symptoms, how to respond, and when to refer. Common mental health conditions will be discussed, and tips for dealing with each will be shared. The goal is to equip the Dharma Teacher with some mental health basics in order to increase a sense of ease in dealing with mental health issues.

About George Fernandez, DT
George Fernandez, LCSW, has worked in the mental health field since 2004, and his career has included work in substance use disorder treatment, acute psychiatry, residential care for PTSD, and a walk-in crisis clinic. For the past three years, he has managed all outpatient mental health services for a large clinic in Broward County, FL, where he manages a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers. George is also a Dharma teacher who began practicing Zen in a Japanese school in 2007 and joined the Kwan Um School of Zen in 2010 through the South Florida Zen Group.

🌸 Breakout: Zen & AI

Saturday, October 18th at 11:30am - 12:30pm
Led by: Raimondas Lencevicius, SDT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room
Reflection on AI in our lives, practice, and teaching. Explore compassionate engagement with AI and with the world through AI.

About Raimondas Lencevicius, SDT
Raimondas Lencevicius is a Senior Dharma Teacher. He shares his life, practice, and work with his wife, a cat, and a host of artificial entities.

Refuge Recovery

Saturday, October 18th at 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Led by: Don Boudreau
Location: Main Dharma Room

About Don Boudreau, DT
Don Boudreau is a native Bostonian who got involved in the computer industry in the 60s. He started his own consulting business and was able to retire in the 1990’s. He and his wife, Carol, began an around the world sailboat cruise in 1992. Don’s recovery from alcohol and drug addiction started in 1985 and has been continuous to this day. Don is involved in 12 Step Recovery as well as Buddhist inspired recovery programs. He has been a Dharma Teacher since 2014.

🌿 Starting, Nourishing, and Growing a Sangha

Saturday, October 18th at 1:45pm - 2:45pm
Led by: Zen Master Bon Haeng (Mark Houghton) & Gary Kahn, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room
This session will provide an opportunity for sharing lessons-learned and providing a forum for discussion of challenges related to developing and sustaining a Sangha. Participants will be able to contribute, as well as ask questions of the presenters and each other.

About Zen Master Bon Haeng (Mark Houghton)
Mark Houghton (Zen Master Bon Haeng) became a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn's in 1976. He received permission to teach from Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1990 and transmission in April 2000. He is retired from working as an executive in a family-run company. He lived for many years at Cambridge Zen Center first as Abbot and then as Guiding teacher. He taught an accredited course at Boston University for 18 years and spent several years doing out reach in Bridgewater, MA and Shirley, MA correctional facilities. He went on to found and guide the Open Meadow Zen Group in Lexington, MA.

About Gary Kahn, DT
Gary Kahn began practicing at the Cambridge Zen Center, and then joined the Open Meadow Sangha in Lexington, MA. He now lives in Colorado and is part of the online Sangha. Gary took 5 Precepts in 2004 and became a Dharma Teacher in 2021. He began teaching classes to his local community in 2023 and subsequently founded the Ken-Caryl Zen Meditation Club in 2024. Since then, the Sangha has grown to 30 practitioners.

🌱 Breakout: Teacher Training Workshop – Buddhism & Addiction

Saturday, October 18th at 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Led by: Don Boudreau, DT (See “Refuge Recovery” for bio)
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room
This session, led by a teacher with long experience in 12 step programs and Refuge Recovery, will cover how to guide someone who may be affected by addiction in themself or a loved one. Red and yellow flags to watch for, when to refer someone to peer led groups or professional help, and how Zen practice connects with recovery themes like craving, aversion, and letting go. Designed for both new and experienced teachers.

🌱 Breakout: You’re a Dharma Teacher, Now What?

Saturday, October 18th at 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Led by: Kwan Haeng Sunim JDPS
Location: Main Dharma Room
This is not a lecture, but a shared conversation. Together we’ll reflect on your experiences, the needs of your particular Zen Center or community, and the many ways you can contribute. Whether it’s offering a teaching, leading a sitting group, starting a chanting practice, or creating another kind of supportive space, we’ll explore how you might bring your skills and heart to your community’s teaching program.

About Kwan Haeng Sunim JDPS
Kwan Haeng Sunim met Zen Master Seung Sahn at the Cambridge Zen Center in 1986 and was ordained as a novice monk in 1999 at Chik Che Sa, South Korea. In 2003 he received Bhikku precepts at Tong Do Sa and went on to serve as Housemaster, Media Director, and Head Monk at Hwa Gye Sa and Mu Sang Sa in Korea. He received inka in December 2020 and is currently Abbot and Co-Guiding Teacher at Providence Zen Center.

🌸Thriving Workshop & Breakouts

Saturday, October 18th at 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Led by: Edahn Small, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room
What challenges do we face? What solutions have been proposed? What’s one thing we can do or own coming out of the DTW? We’ll have breakout groups dedicated to different topics. Each group will have a facilitator who will report back to the large group at the end.

About Edahn Small, DT
Edahn Small is a dharma teacher, therapist, and designer living in Los Angeles. He’s obsessed with AI and runs marketing for the Dharma Zen Center.

Yoga

Saturday, October 18th at 5:00pm - 5:30pm
Led by: Jacqueline Vischer, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room
About Jacqueline Vischer, DT
Jacqueline is a retired university professor. Her qualifications are in Psychology and Architecture. She joined the Montreal Zen Centre in 2000 practicing with Albert Low in a Japanese Zen tradition. She has also done Vipassana retreats. She subsequently joined the Kwan Um School of Zen, and is a member of Open Meadow Zen in Lexington, MA. She has trained in modern dance, was a certified aerobics instructor, and moved to yoga about twenty years ago. She is a certified (200 hour) yoga teacher and continues to practice yoga as well as Pilates. She travels a lot and has trouble staying in one place for long.

Art Experience

Saturday, October 18th at 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Led by: Willy Garver, SDT & Paul Bloom, SDT
Location: Main Dharma Room
The rhythms of art practice and Zen practice are very similar: in order to create a work of art one must step into the moment and reflect the intended image or concept being created in a specific media, without distracting chatter from other thoughts or concerns. Willy and Paul will give a brief presentation of this understanding to attendees and then set aside time for each participant to work on a small art project – writing or visual – as chosen by of each of the participants. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to work with musical art in the limited context of this event.

About Willy Garver, SDT
Willy has studied art all over the world, from her native Netherlands to Australia to the United States.

About Paul Bloom, SDT - Abbot of New Haven Zen Center
Paul has been a practicing member of the KUSZ for over 35 years, practicing with Dae Soen Sah Nim on and off for about 15 years. He is currently a Senior Dharma Teacher and Abbot of the New Haven Zen Center – a position he has held for several years. Paul's professional background is as an interior designer and furniture designer, a career which he is pleased to have had the opportunity to pursue.

Sound Bath Live Performance

Saturday, October 19th at 8:30pm - 9:30pm
Led by: Lisa Odom-Villella, DTiT & Danielle Alpher, DTiT
Location: Main Dharma Room
This session will consist of a sound bath with crystal sound bowls and other sound healing modalities to encourage deep relaxation.

About Danielle Alpher, DTiT
Danielle serves as the Director of the Providence Zen Center, the founding and head temple of the Kwan Um School of Zen in the Americas, where she leads staff and volunteers in coordinating the center’s operations, development, and outreach. She is also Development Director for Kwan Um Zen Online and Secretary of the KUSZa Development Committee, working to strengthen the sangha through innovation, openness, and together action as we carry Zen Master Seung Sahn’s teaching into the future. Danielle’s heart is in building connections and creating spaces where practice, clarity, and compassion can flourish for all who appear. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two dogs, and together they can often be found traveling in their motorhome, visiting Zen centers, national parks, and the beautiful landscapes across the United States.

About Lisa Odom-Villella, DTIT
Lisa has been working in K-12 education in RI for the past 23 years as a middle and high school math teacher, elementary principal, assistant superintendent, and now Deputy Commissioner for the Rhode Island Department of Education. She is also a 500 hr Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher. She is married, has one adult son, and lives in RI. She’s been practicing at PZC since Mother’s Day 2019. She took her 5 precepts in May 2021 and 10 precepts/DTIT in December 2023. She is the Curriculum Coordinator and Lead Dharma teacher for the PZC Dharma School.

🌱 Breakout: Dealing with Emotions in Practice

Sunday, October 19th at 8:30am - 9:20am
Led by: Nancy Hathaway, M.Ed.; SDT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room

As human beings we have emotions. As Zen students and Dharma Teachers, how do we relate to emotions in our Zen practice and how do we help other Zen students who come to us when their emotions are overwhelming? In this session we will address these questions of emotions within ourselves and how to help others with their emotions.

About Nancy Hathaway, M.Ed.; SDT
Nancy Hathaway, M.Ed., Licensed (clinical) Pastoral Counselor, Clinical Psychotherapist, Senior Dharma Teacher has been practicing meditation for over 50 years beginning in the Himalayas in a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. She lived at PZC for 5 1/2 years and CZC and now has the Wednesday meditation group - Tea House Zen on the coast of Maine, in-person and on Zoom. Published author. Her two adult sons were born at home at PZC.

🌿 Breakout: Growing Together: Tips & Tricks for Marketing & Sangha Engagement

Sunday, October 19th at 8:30am - 9:20am
Led by: Eva Kaniasty
Location: Main Dharma Room

How can we grow in a sustainable way while staying true to the dharma? This interactive session explores practical and creative ways to advertise authentically, foster sangha engagement, and strengthen ties and coordination across the American and global sanghas. Drawing on our common lessons learned and community design principles from the Together by Design collective, we’ll cover strategies to invite connection, encourage volunteerism and giving, and build resilient, vibrant local sanghas. Attendees will leave with a community-building toolkit and a potential framework for future collaboration.

About Eva Kaniasty
Eva began seriously practicing Zen in 2023 and took five precepts in 2024. Her primary responsibilities at Providence Zen Center include managing marketing initiatives and assisting the Director with program development and sangha engagement. Originally from Poland, she spent most of her adult life in Boston before relocating to Rhode Island in 2023. Professionally, Eva is a user experience consultant, helping make technologies more accessible and intuitive. She also serves as program chair and faculty in Brandeis University’s User-Centered Design program. Outside of work and practice, she enjoys hiking and mushroom hunting with her dog, as well as gardening, travel, photography, and creative writing.

🌱 Giving Dharma Talks

Sunday, October 19th at 9:30am - 10:15am
Led by: James Hudspeth, DTiT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room

Dharma Talks: giving a strong Dharma Talk is an important skill for any Dharma Teacher - and can be quite intimidating! This workshop will discuss practical tips for Dharma Talks, covering finding a good topic; structuring your Talk; preparing appropriately, particularly for those who dislike public speaking; and going through the Dharma Talk and questions. There will be time for additional tips and tricks from the audience.

About James Hudspeth, DTiT
James is a physician with a professional focus on underserved populations and medical education. He has been practicing with the Kwan Um School since 2013, took 5 precepts in 2018 and became a DTIT in 2024. He lives in Cambridge with his partner Sarah and practices with the Cambridge Zen Center.

🌸 Psychotherapy and Zen: Parallels, Differences, and Integration (for Therapist Dharma Teachers, but open to anyone)

Sunday, October 19th at 9:30am - 10:15am
Led by: George Fernandez, DT (See “When Mental Health Issues Present in Zen Practice - Tools for the Dharma Teacher” for bio)
Location: Main Dharma Room

Exploring how psychotherapy and Zen intersect, diverge, and can be skillfully integrated. Core orientation of psychotherapy vs Zen. Strengthen "self" vs see through "self." Use of language/logic vs silence/paradox. How each views suffering and freedom from suffering. Using mindfulness and presence in practice. Can the two roles be merged as one?

🌸 Guest Speaker Keynote: Nature and Dharma

Sunday, October 19th at 10:30am - 11:30am
Led by Guest Speaker: Lama Liz Monson from Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH
Location: Main Dharma Room
Lama Liz Monson of Natural Dharma Fellowship will explore the relationship between nature and Dharma, offering teachings from her tradition and perspective.

About Lama Liz Monson, PhD, Managing Teacher, Spiritual Co-Director
Elizabeth Monson, PhD, is the Spiritual Co-Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Managing Teacher at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. Authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after more than 30 years of study and practice in both the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions, Liz earned her doctorate from Harvard University in 2015 and served as a Visiting Lecturer in the Study of Religion. She is the author of More Than a Madman: The Divine Words of Drukpa Kunley (2014) and Tales of a Mad Yogi: The Life and Wild Wisdom of Drukpa Kunley (2021), with a forthcoming book on Buddhist Tantra due from Shambhala Publications in 2025. Her writings have appeared in Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, and leading academic journals. Liz teaches throughout New England and online, offering meditation retreats and curricula that help people reconnect with the natural world, respond to social and spiritual issues, and recognize the natural state in everyday life. Drawing on the guidance of teachers such as Anam Thupten, Mingyur Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche, as well as wisdom from indigenous traditions, she explores the integration of Buddhist practice with plant medicines and psychedelics, focusing her teaching on compassion, kindness, open awareness, and the discovery of freedom in daily living.

https://naturaldharma.org/members/lama-elizabeth-monson/