Santi

Until recently, I was a monk (bhikkhu) in the Thai forest tradition, a meditation-centered branch of Theravada Buddhism. I lived for eight years as a monastic, and six as a fully-ordained monk in monasteries, as a wanderer, and in traditional and Western lay-Buddhist communities. Prior to ordination, I lived a varied adult life of writing, teaching, and plenty of miscellaneous jobs; travel and settling down; relationships, marriage, and singleness; fatherhood. All of these experiences continue to inform my developing spiritual practice and understanding, which integrates early Buddhist approaches with an engaged commitment to naturalism and humanistic values.

Now based in Western Massachusetts, I teach meditation; offer talks, conversation, and counsel/coaching; and write on the intersections of Buddhism, modernity, personal life, renunciation, the conscious use of technology, and other spiritual and practice-related themes. My recent writings appear in Tricycle magazine (here), on my website, and elsewhere.

Santi means “peace.” It was given to me as a monastic name—an encouragement to myself and others to value and foster peace.