Lama Elizabeth Monson, PhD

Lama Elizabeth Monson, PhD, is the Spiritual Co-Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Managing Teacher at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. Liz was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after over 35 years of studying, practicing, and teaching Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages. In 2015, Liz completed a PhD at Harvard University in Religious Studies and was a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Divinity School in 2015-16.

Liz is the author of two books:

More Than a Madman: The Divine Words of Drukpa Kunley (2014)

Tales of a Mad Yogi: The Life and Wild Wisdom of Drukpa Kunley (2021)

She is currently working on a book on Buddhist Tantra for publication with Shambhala Publications (forthcoming 2027). Her articles have appeared in Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and other periodicals. At present, Liz writes, guides meditation retreats, leads pilgrimages to Bhutan, and develops curricula for people interested in reconnecting with the natural world and in responding to contemporary social and spiritual issues as a path for liberation. She is engaged in an ongoing exploration of the potential of combining Buddhist meditation and indigenous plant medicines and psychedelics as portals for accessing and resting in the natural state.