Teachers in the Awakened Heart Sangha
Lama Shenpen's introduction
Although there is no cut and dried definition of teacher in the Buddhist tradition (see my book Guru Principle) within a sangha mandala it is important to give students (especially new-comers) some sense of whom to turn to as qualified and/or appointed teachers.
Below are the profiles of the Lamas and senior teachers within the Awakened Heart Sangha who have been encouraged to play key teaching roles by myself, its founding Lama. There is no clear-cut definition of ‘Lama’ that means other senior teachers could not equally play some of the roles of Lama as outlined in Guru Principle. However, the sangha as a whole needs clear leadership and I see the Lamas I have named as being qualified and able to lead the sangha community in my place whenever that is needed.
In terms of the Shrimalagana – the group responsible for the proper functioning of the sangha – it appoints its own Dharma Director and I hope they will always appoint a Lama for the role. This depends both on there being an Awakened Heart Sangha Lama prepared to play the role as well as that Lama being able to command the respect of their colleagues so that they want to appoint them.
Senior teachers are called such because of the length of their service as teachers within the Sangha or because they have long experience as teachers within other sanghas before being invited to be a teacher in the Sangha. It is the Awakened Heart Sangha Lamas who decide whether a person qualifies as a senior teacher or not. Each Lama, senior teacher or supporting teacher has their own skill set and favoured teaching styles and roles, which are to some extent indicated by the profiles below.
Supporting teachers might be teachers in training or teachers who prefer to play supporting roles rather than taking on full and sole responsibility for running a course or teaching situation.
Whether a senior teacher of supporting teacher, all teachers in the Sangha see teaching as a Dharma practice in its own right. Trying to convey Dharma to others is an excellent way to deepen one’s own understanding of the Dharma. That is why training in ‘teaching as practice’ is such a strong element in the Sangha's ethos. Of course it is a wonderful way to benefit others and serve the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
When playing any of the roles of teacher of Dharma there is always a danger that we let our egos get in the way. We worry that we might make a mistake or appear stupid and so on. That is why so much emphasis is put on Awakened Heart Sangha teachers not trying to appear to know more than they do. This means one of the most important qualities we look for in Sangha teachers at any level is that they are able to admit to mistakes or ignorance or to not be able to answer certain questions. Sharing with students the level of one’s own understanding at any point is a gift to the students – giving them confidence to enquire further and not to feel stupid for not knowing the answers themselves. The ethos of the Awakened Heart Sangha is to explore one’s own experience with openness and honesty and examine Dharma teachings in the light of one’s own experience, bearing in mind how different words have different effects on different people.
The ethos of the Sangha around teachers and teaching is to listen to receive wisdom. This applies to both teachers and students. Teachers and students alike need to be able to accept feed-back from students and colleagues. Training in how to give and receive both positive and negative feedback is of the essence here. This is an on-going learning process but essential in terms of authorisation of teachers.
The Awakened Heart Sangha does not have a formal process of authorising teachers because there is no cut and dried distinction between Lamas, senior teachers and supporting teachers. It depends on what role is being played at any given time and who is available to play it. It is dangerous for people in more senior positions to think of themselves as a cut above others and yet they do have important roles to play that require the trust and respect of their colleagues. We need a hierarchical structure clear enough to function as an authorising process that is also loose and flexible enough to adapt and respond to the needs of different situations as they arise. Not too tight and rigid and not too loose and chaotic.
The profiles of the Sangha's Lamas, senior teachers and supporting teachers presented below gives everyone a sense of who they are, their teaching experience and activity and how to make a connection with them. Some of them run local groups, or on-line groups going through various aspects of the Living the Awakened Heart programme. Some of them teach at major AHS teaching events and will increasingly take on some of the other central teaching roles within the sangha.
Brief overview by Lama Tara
Within the evolving spectrum of ‘teachers’ in the Awakened Heart Sangha there are 3 categories:
- Lamas Authorised by Lama Shenpen to mentor and teach within the Sangha and publicly according to their interest and ability. The lamas also hold the vision of the sangha and are looked to by the Shrimalagana to guide the sangha’s future direction. They have the authority to oversee the authorisation of future teachers and lamas.
- Senior Teachers. Teachers who are authorised to mentor and teach within the Sangha and publicly. They are invited to be lead teachers on Sangha events and work closely with the lamas to train and support newer teachers
- Supporting Teachers. Teachers who are invited by the lamas and senior teachers to be in a supporting role on events, co-teaching alongside senior teachers as part of their ongoing training and development. This category also includes teachers who thrive best in a supporting role within a team approach.
The spectrum continues with all those within the Awakened Heart Ssangha who are trained mentors. This category includes those offering one to one and group mentoring on the Discovering the Heart of Buddhism course, up to the senior mentors offering further mentoring in Trusting the Heart of Buddhism, taking vows and training people entering groups such as the Mahanayagana, Mahamudra and Sadhana groups. It also includes mentors who are local group leaders.
The boundaries between these categories are fluid and continually evolving over time. It is not a static picture but gives a sense of the structure and dynamic of those taking on teaching roles within the Sangha.
Lamas
Lama Shenpen Hookham
Lama Shenpen is the founder and principal teacher of the Awakened Heart Sangha, and lives at the Hermitage of the Awakened Heart in North Wales.
She has trained for almost 50 years in the Mahamudra & Dzogchen traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Shenpen has spent 12 years in retreat and for the past 30 years has been a student of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.
Lama Scott Dashon Smith
Dashon joined the Awakened Heart Sangha in 2002.
He lived and worked at the Hermitage for 8 years. He has completed 3 years of solitary retreat and accepted an invitation from the Shrimalagana to step into the role of Dharma Director of the Sangha.
He is active as a Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and Trusting the Heart of Buddhism mentor as well as leading the Insight into Emptiness area of the Living the Awakened Heart training.
His background is in acting and creative education. He has an interest in studying the early Buddhist sources and Pali language as well as the Mahayana Sutras.
Lama Anne Tara Dew
Tara began her training aged 20 within the Theravada community, joined the Awakened Heart Sangha in 2002 and has lived at the Hermitage since 2003.
She serves in various capacities with the community including currently as Deputy Dharma Director supporting Lama Dashon. Tara has been a member of the Shrimalagana, an inner circle of responsibility within AHS, since its beginnings.
She offers group mentoring for Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and Trusting the Heart of Buddhism and oversees the training for those taking Refuge and Bodhisattva vows and for the sadhana group. She is an active mentor within the wider Living the Awakened Heart curriculum and leads in the area of love and compassion.
In addition Tara is a Mindfulness (MBSR) teacher and founded Gwynedd Mindfulness in North Wales. Her background is in medicine.
Contact Tara : [email protected]ku.gro.sha@arat
Lama Agnes Pollner
Lama Agnes met the Dharma in the mid-90ties through Triratna and then through her German teacher in the Tibetan tradition, Sylvia Wetzel. In 2000 she met Rigdzin Shikpo and became his student, being guided by him through the Dzogchen training “The Lion’s Roar“. She became a student of Lama Shenpen in 2003 and has been following her ever since. She was first authorized to teach by her German teacher in 2012. Lama Shenpen subsequently also gave her permission to teach and in 2018 in accordance with Lama Shenpen’s wishes
Lama Agnes established the Sangha “Herz der Dinge“as a Sister-Sangha to the AHS.
Lama Agnes has undertaken regular solitary retreats and translated many of Lama Shenpen’s teachings into German. She is part of the Shrimalagana and was made Lama by Lama Shenpen in 2022 together with Lama Dashon and Lama Tara.
Her professional background is dramatic art and voice. Embodiment and vocal expression therefore play an important role in her personal practice as well as in her teaching. She is also engaged in researching and bringing to attention the female lineage of the buddhist tradition. In line with that her book „Die Weibliche Seite des Buddha“ (The Female Side of Buddha) was published in 2008.
Senior teachers
Katie Morrow
Katie first met Lama Shenpen in 1988. She has been giving Dharma talks for over thirty years and since 2005 within the Awakened Heart Sangha.
She also supports online study groups, including Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and Awakening Dialogue. Katie took the lead on Daily Life and Dying area of the Living the Awakened Heart training in 2022.
Her background includes studying within the Shambhala tradition (since 1977) with Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and teaching secular Mindfulness (MBSR).
Five Cram
Five has been practising Buddhism since 1982 and was one of the early students of Lama Shenpen Hookham in 2000. Five has taught retreats at the Hermitage and elsewhere, both online and in person since 2006. He has been a member of the Shrimalagana, an inner circle of responsibility within AHS, since its beginnings.
He offers one to one and group mentoring through Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, Trusting the Heart of Buddhism and wider Living the Awakened Heart trainings. Along with Ziji he holds occasional teaching days in Monmouth.
Five’s background is in the Tibetan Buddhist Gelug and Nyingma traditions, also in
the Burmese Theravada. He is a member of the Buddhist Teachers in Europe and
has represented the AHS at a world conference in America. He has a website
at www.piecesoffive.uk and has published "START HERE- The Path to Awakening".
Contact Five: [email protected][email protected]
Pati Bielak-Smith
Pati began practising in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in 2004 in her motherland, Poland, and became an Awakened Heart Sangha student in 2005. In addition to the ongoing training with Lama Shenpen which included several years of residency at the Hermitage, she studied in Pullahari Monastery, Nepal, where she received teachings from Drubpon Khenpo. She has been a member of the Shrimalagana, an inner circle of responsibility within AHS, since its beginnings.
She is actively involved in training AHS mentors, offering individual and group mentoring for Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and wider Living the Awakened Heart training and Awakening Dialogue.
Pati is a professional counsellor and communication trainer (Nonviolent Communication Certified Trainer and author of Dementia Together: How to Communicate to Connect). She holds a Master's Degree in Philosophy (Intersubjectivity and Christian mysticism dissertation) and her background is in art (founder of Eventual Theatre).
Ian Sherab Mackenzie
Sherab originally trained in a Western Buddhist community for nearly twenty years, before becoming a student of Lama Shenpen in 2006. He has been actively involved in training Awakened Heart Sangha mentors as well as in developing the Sangha as an organization and community.
For ten years he led the AHS local group in Brighton along with mentoring individual students and groups in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and Trusting the Heart of Buddhism. He is now semi retired, but still teaches some local and national retreats and events.
Sherab has over thirty years of experience as a coach, facilitator and trainer and is an accredited Supervisor with the Coaching Supervision Academy.
Contact Sherab: [email protected]ten.esuohahddubder@yajrod-barehs
Supporting teachers
Yonten
Jonathan Shaw
Jonathan met Lama Shenpen as a young man in 1998 and supported her in starting the Awakened Heart Sangha. Since that time the focus of his life has been the practice of Buddhism and developing the Sangha. His main activity in the Sangha has been administration and organisation; his passion is community, ethos and relationship.
Since 2019 Jonathan has been actively exploring, training in and offering psychotherapeutic disciplines such as Internal Family Systems, seeking to understand how they can enhance Buddhist practice.
Contact Jonathan: [email protected]ku.gro.sha@nahtanoj
Kathy Ziji Cram
Ziji has trained in Buddhism since the early 1980s, in the Tibetan and Burmese Theravada traditions. She has been a member of the Awakened Heart Sangha since 2007. She is active as an individual and group mentor for Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, Trusting the Heart of Buddhism and wider Living the Awakened Heart training, as well as a member of the Mahayanagana mentoring group. Together with Five she runs teachings in Monmouth.
Contact Ziji: [email protected][email protected]
Sally Rinchen Khandro Sando
Rinchen Khandro's search for "something more" gained focus through her study and practice of yoga. She found her path and her teacher when she found Lama Shenpen and the Awakened Heart Sangha in 2006. She has attended several events at the Hermitage in Wales over the years and currently mentors Sangha students as they study Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and facilitates small study groups.
Rinchen Khandro is retired (although she still teaches yoga and is studying sound healing), married and has two daughters and two grandchildren who live in Colorado and Texas. She lives in Indiana in the US. She loves to travel and explore new places.
Contact Rinchen Khandro: [email protected]moc.liamg@001yrnehssecnirp
Sheila Namka Roche
Namka first practised Dharma with the Theravadan Thai Forest Sangha in 1987 and she joined the Awakened Heart Sangha in 2013. She is a mentor for Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and Trusting the Heart of Buddhism students, and wider Living the Awakened Heart trainees. She also runs and teaches the Awakened Heart Sangha local group in Brighton, and heads up the
Sangha's Diversity and Inclusion group.
Namka is a trained Mindfulness Teacher (MBSR) and Mental Health Peer Support Worker, committed to making the Dharma more accessible to everyone, whatever our background, identity or circumstances.
Contact Namka: [email protected][email protected]