Adyashanti

Adyashanti (Sanskrit word meaning, "primordial peace"), is an American spiritual teacher from the San Francisco Bay Area who gives regular satsangs in the United States and also teaches abroad. He is the author of several books, CDs and DVDs and is the founder of Open Gate Sangha, Inc. a nonprofit organization that supports, and makes available, his teachings. Adyashanti was listed in the Watkins' Mind Body Spirit magazine as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People in 2012.

Spiritual background

Born Steven Gray in 1962, Adyashanti studied Zen for 14 years under the guidance of his Zen teacher Arvis Joen Justi. Justi was a student of Taizan Maezumi Roshi of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Gray (Adyashanti) was regularly sent by Arvis to Zen sesshins, where he also studied under Jakusho Kwong Roshi of the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. At age 25 he began experiencing a series of transformative spiritual awakenings (see Bodhi). In 1996, around eight years later, he was invited to teach by Arvis Joen Justi. However, because Justi never underwent the traditional Zen ceremony of Dharma transmission—though still instructed to teach by Maezumi—Adyashanti is not an official Dharma heir of any particular Zen tradition. Rather, he is Arvis Justi's successor in a lay lineage originally authorized by Taizan Maezumi. (Note: These are all Gray's claims. Arvis Justi was never authorized to teach in any way by Maezumi Roshi and Gray was never accepted as a disciple by Kwong Roshi. These facts can be confirmed by contacting Kwong Roshi and ZCLA.)

Open Gate Sangha

Sangha is a term used in several Sanskrit–derived languages of India to refer to a spiritual "assembly" or community, traditionally a monastic one, but its usage varies. Adyashanti founded Open Gate Sangha, Inc. in 1996 when he began teaching. This Sangha refers to both the organization itself and his student community as a whole. The Organization runs on a small staff, as well as many volunteers, and helps coordinate Adya's (as he is called by his students) teaching and travel schedule. It also produces audio, visual and written material for publication.

Bibliography

• The Impact of Awakening, Los Gatos, CA: Open Gate Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-59179-291-6
• My Secret Is Silence, Los Gatos, CA: Open Gate Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-9717036-1-2
• Emptiness Dancing. ISBN 1-59179-459-5
• True Meditation, Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2006. ISBN 1-59179-467-6
• The End of Your World . ISBN 1-59179-963-5
• Falling Into Grace, Sounds True. ISBN 1-60407-087-3

Further reading

• Ardagh, Arjuna (2005). The Translucent Revolution: How People Just Like You Are Waking Up and Changing the World. New World Library. pp. 102–105. ISBN 9781577314684.
• Lumiere, Lynn Marie; Lumiere-Wins, John (2003). The Awakening West: Conversations with Today's New Western Spiritual Leaders. Fair Wind. pp. 190–208. ISBN 9781592330102.
• Saunders, Luc; Safransky, Sy (December 2007). "Who Hears This Sound? Adyashanti On Waking Up From The Dream Of "Me"". The Sun (384). Retrieved December 7, 2011.
• Starr, Bernard (2007). Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to Be Truly Free. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 201ff. ISBN 9780742558397.

External links

• Official website