Abhaya Darpana

Abhaya committed to the path of Dharma in 2010, subsequently ordained in May 2020 as a Dharmacharya (Buddhist Lay Minister) in the Embracing Simplicity Contemplative Order under Venerable Pannavati and the late Venerable Pannadipa.

In Dec 2023 he completed Upāsaka training under the mentorship of Ajahn Sona via the Secluded Study Training Program for Dedicated Lay Buddhist Practitioners Around the World offered by Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery (Sītavana), a Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition.

His primary practices of Samādhi, Satipaṭṭhāna (4 Establishings of Mindfulness) in the style offered by Bhikkhu Anālayo, Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness with Breathing), and the Brahma Vihāras (Divine Abidings) spring from an affinity for the approaches offered in Early Buddhism. He also has an appreciation for the later traditions, having undertaken Mahāmudrā, Dzogchen, and Zen retreats including formally receiving the 5 Mindfulness Trainings from Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2013 when he was given the Dharma name Healing Courage of the Heart.

Having worked over 30 years in the hospital critical care setting, he brings his intimacy with the illness, death, and dying processes to bear in Dharma sharing. He is also passionate about Dharma as a central support for dealing with addictions of all kinds.

Abhaya's spiritual journey includes being raised Catholic and attending elementary parochial school with Nuns as teachers, then diving deeply into Pentecostal Protestantism, followed by a departure from spirituality, with later membership in Unitarian Universalist churches. He committed to the path of Dharma in 2010, subsequently spending several months of cumulative time in silent meditation retreats and thousands of hours in personal practice and study.

He has two lovely grown daughters, and an amazing canine companion named Bodhi who has served as a therapy dog in hospitals, nursing homes & addiction treatment facilities through the University of Tennessee's Human Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT) program.

Abhaya is an affiliated teacher with Lotus Light Contemplative Community Center in Knoxville, TN and serves on their Board of Directors.

Available for personal consultations or group sessions