Thursday Night Sangha

Tuere Sala has been a co-guiding teacher for Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS) since 2015. She became an active member and volunteer at SIMS in 2001. In 2009, she was invited to be a Local Dharma Leader and often supported SIMS in unconventional ways such as answering the many letters SIMS receives from practitioners in prison; offering beginning classes at Angeline Women’s shelter and Jubilee House, a women’s transitional house; and facilitating workshops using nonviolent communication (NVC) to support a mindfulness practice. In 2010 she began offering Dhamma talks and daylongs on various subjects. She is a committed participant of the SIMS sangha.

Tuere recently joined the Spirit Rock Retreat Center governance team, where she serves as a member of the Guiding Teacher Council and Board of Directors. She regularly teaches at Spirit Rock, Cloud Mountain, Insight Meditation Society (IMS) and various urban sanghas throughout the country. She offers teachings in traditional Vipassana/Concentration practices, Insight Dialogue-a relational based practice, and Nine Bodies Insight-an awareness practice.

Tuere is a retired prosecuting attorney who began her Vipassana meditation over 30 years ago. She believes that urban meditation is the foundation for today’s practitioner’s path to liberation. She is inspired by bringing the Dharma to nontraditional places and is a strong advocate for practitioners living with high stress, past trauma and difficulties sitting still. Her teachings reflect an approach to Dharma that is both easy to follow and understand – making it accessible to everyone.

Tuere has completed extensive trainings including: the 2 Year Spirit Rock/IMS Community Dharma Leader Program; a 1 Year Focusing for Complex Trauma Course which incorporates mindfulness principles with somatic listening, a 1 Year Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training Course (MMFT) which incorporates mindfulness principles within the high stress work environments of first responders and a 4 year Teacher Training Program offered through Insight Meditation Society (IMS). She has sat countless days of silent meditation retreats (including residential, non-residential and day-longs) and has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice.

Allison a bit of a mutt when it comes to the path. Pema Chödrön was her first teacher via her books and talks. She was her lifeline to the dhamma and to accepting that which she didn’t control. A few years later, she was looking for this thing she'd heard of called, “bodhisattva training,” when she found Mangala Shri Bhuti, which turned out to be the sangha founded by Pema’s current teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. That course deepened her understanding of what it means to turn towards suffering and opened her study of Buddhism more broadly.

Around the same time, Tara Brach, teacher in our Vipassana tradition, found her way into the mix through her books and podcasts. Her teachings on radical acceptance and compassion helped Allison soften around her desire to be “good,” to be better, in order to be okay. (Something she is still relinquishing.) Through Tara, Allison found Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzburg and eventually Jack and Tara’s two-year teacher training in mindfulness. She loves offering practices that help others anchor into their direct experience, learn how to watch their thoughts and emotions rise and fall, take in the good of positive states like loving kindness and joy, expand their capacity for compassion, and give a taste of equanimity.

All of these learnings and experiences inform what she brings to reflections on Thursday nights. But there’s something more, too: her ongoing yearning to be free. Practicing with her sangha, studying under her teacher keeps her alive to all I have yet to learn. She is humbled by Tuere’s insistence that we don’t do the dhamma; it does us. For someone used to striving, that’s a tough message to receive, and it’s the most liberating message she can imagine. So when she offers reflections, she is bringing notes from the field. Allison is an anthropologist of her own practice, hoping she has some insights that might be meaningful to others. She offers reflections in order to hear back what sangha members are discovering when they observe their own lives of practice. Our conversation inspires her to stay on the path and she is so grateful for this sangha.

Austin is a dedicated practitioner in the Insight Meditation tradition, grounded in the Thai Forest lineage and guided by his teacher, Tuere Sala. While his primary path follows this tradition, his practice is also gently informed by Mahayana teachings—especially the Heart Sutra and the Bodhisattva path—which offer inspiration alongside his core commitments. Chanting the Recollection of the Triple Jewel and the Heart Sutra are meaningful parts of his daily practice, grounding him in both devotion and insight.

Austin's practice explores the terrain of emotional states, innate wisdom, and worthiness, and sees the body in its wholeness as a gateway to absolute freedom. He believes that difficult emotions and painful thoughts aren’t obstacles, but can become powerful openings—when met with presence, curiosity, and compassion.

His path is rooted in the belief that the teachings are not just ideas to study but truths to be lived, embodied, and felt. He finds joy in encouraging others—whether new or experienced—to trust their own path and deepen into practice in a way that feels honest and nourishing. Austin lives in Redmond, Washington, and is a social entrepreneur in the data and AI industry. 

Cheryl has been living in Seattle since 1981, currently in Magnolia with her wife Kathie. In 2016 after a difficult period of change, Cheryl committed to a meditation practice and began diligently learning and practicing the dhamma. Practicing the dhamma and volunteering in this sangha and Clear Mountain in Seattle has brought Cheryl more joy than she has ever experienced in her life. She's kind of a dhamma nerd and enjoys sharing her practice with others and talking about the dhamma.

Deb has been a Dhamma practitioner since 2012. She has found that the Dhamma has changed her in big and subtle ways. She is less reactive in difficult circumstances; she focuses more on being kind; she more readily sees how we are all connected and interdependent. The Dhamma is helping her to prepare for her own death and for the death of her loved ones. 

Gary has been exploring meditation for many years, drawing from a range of Theravada traditions including Mahasi, U Ba Khin/Goenka, and Thai Forest, as well as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He has been grateful to learn from teachers such as Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Bhante Vimalaramsi, and Luang Por Ganha, and to spend extended periods practicing in Myanmar and Thailand. He is joining from Sydney, Australia, and is especially appreciate how Tuere shares her experiences and connects long-preserved Buddhist teachings to modern daily life.

Outside of practice, his work in business sustainability and strategy has taken him to Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He works with governments and businesses to improve services for a wide range of communities. He finds that his meditation, professional, cultural, and life experiences continue to inform and enrich one another. 

Sangha has been an important part of his path, and he values being involved with and supporting the community. Gary is happy to share reflections from his own practice and ongoing study of the suttas.

Ghisly Garcia has a deep love for dharma practice that has grown steadily and all at once since her first retreat in 2013. She practices primarily in the Theravada tradition through the support of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS) sangha, where she is a volunteer and Dharma Leader trainee, as well as retreat centers like Cloud Mountain, Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and Insight Retreat Center. She is a trained mindfulness educator through Inward Bound Mindfulness Education and the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. Ghisly is passionate about making ancient mindfulness practices accessible to BIPOC youth. 

Heather has lived in Seattle for over 30 years and has been practicing vipassana meditation since about 2008, when she took the beginning vipassana meditation class with Rodney Smith at Seattle Insight. She has been on a learning path ever since, making "progress" little by little, breath by breath, with so much still to learn. It has been a journey of transformation for her. She’s a graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification program (class of 2025), and is still finding her way forward from that. She’s very grateful to be a part of this sangha and cohort - deep bows to you all for your generosity and practice.

Malia Fullerton is a new-ish practitioner, having found the dhamma through an Introduction to Meditation class in 2019. She lives in Lynnwood, WA with her wife River and kitties Puca and Kukui (and, every so often, her adult son Zach). When not in sangha she teaches bioethics at the University of Washington.

Marilyn Littlejohn’s spiritual journey has included an exploration of a variety of spiritual traditions. She has a Master of Divinity and served as a United Methodist minister for a few years. She also has dabbled in Sufism and Shambhala Buddhism. Her quest for her spiritual home ended, however, when she connected with Seattle Insight through the Thursday night sit and discussion gathering facilitated by Tuere Sala in January 2018. Here she was introduced to the Four Noble Truths and began to realize how the reality of suffering in life (hers and others) motivated her quest.  

During the last seven years, Marilyn has continued to study the dharma, participated in several residential retreats, and established a regular meditation practice. She also participates regularly in the Thursday night gathering.  

Marilyn recently retired as a human services professional, doing public policy and program management to help the poor and vulnerable among us. In retirement, she works very parttime. Most of the time she's just with her family and friends or hanging out at home reading or working on various projects. For more information about her see her website embracechange.consulting

Nana Gyesie, PhD is an ICF  certified leadership, life and spiritual coach, and a RYT 200 certified Kemetic Yoga teacher under Master Yirser Ra Hotep and part of the Community Dharma Leader program at Spirit Rock. He was precepted by Bhante Buddharakkita. The dharma is a tool for his ongoing liberation, particularly focusing on metta, anapanasati.  Nana practices at the Seattle Insights Meditation Center, under the tutelage of Tuere Sala and Tim Geil. He is originally a native of Ghana, and is a proud father of three indigo children, and practices street photography in his spare time, inspired by Gordon Parks; and loves listening to loud reggae music on beautiful Seattle summer days.

For the past 40 years, Nina Laboy has gained wisdom through working in collaboration with others on issues of human justice. Nina continues to explore spiritual evolution through her practice in Buddhist Mindful Meditation in the way of Thich Nhat Hanh and S.N. Goenka among other Buddhist Masters. Nina joined SIMS in 1998. In 2003, Nina became an original member of the Seattle People of Color and Allies Sangha and now sits and studies with elders of its Crone Sangha.

Nina’s life work is dedicated to her (r)evolution as a human.

Her work and volunteer life experiences include an eclectic variety of skills, education and adventure.

Nina began as a middle school teacher of ESL, Drama, and Creative Writing in the South Bronx, after earning a BA in English and Drama from Fordham University. Completing studies at the New York University Non Profit Institute, she entered the world of youth development; managing a consortium of alternative youth services in New York City.

After moving west in 1996, Nina became the Director of Summer Youth Employment and Education for the City of Seattle. She moved on as a director of programs for American Friends Service Committee, international Quaker organization. Her work focused on humanitarian aid, social justice, undoing racism, gender rights and peace building.

Another important aspect of Nina‘s life is her activism and performance resume. Nina joined former Young Lord’s in the founding of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights and has led campaigns exposing police brutality and racial bias crimes. She’s a founding member of The South Bronx Clean Air and organized in holding polluters and regulators accountable. Nina is an accomplished singer of Nueva Cancion, Latin Jazz and the American songbook. She is grandma to eight, great grandmother of 5, mother of 4; all precious Ones. Nina is of Taino, African, and Spanish heritage.

Nina has just completed the 2-year Dedicated Practitioner Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Society and is currently earning her credentials as a Mindful Meditation Teacher under the tutelage of Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach and other notable teachers.

Patrick Long has been practicing the dharma and a member of Seattle Insight for over 20 years. He has volunteered in many capacities over the years including managing the SIMS website and mailing list back in the early 2000s. He is a founding member of SIMS Death and Dying Support group. Patrick plans to begin the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit Rock in 2026.

Patrick is originally from Chicago and lived in California and New York before falling in love with Seattle. He has a background as an electrical engineer, environmental activist, attorney and software developer. He practiced as a public defender in Seattle and as a software developer during the early development of interactive websites. He also spent 15 years as a stay-at-home parent while volunteering for many community organizations.

Patrick is a long-time volunteer with End of Life Washington, the organization that supports terminally ill Washington residents who want to use medical aid in dying under the Washington Death With Dignity Act.

“Coming to the dharma changed my life and gives me joy with every new day. I’m continually amazed how my simple daily practice helps me be kinder and do less harm in the world. Being on the path is my life’s work and it grows richer and richer as I continue to practice. May our practice be of benefit to all beings.”

Shawn (she/her) brings a deep commitment to Dharma practice, rooted in over two decades of meditation—including the past decade as an Insight practitioner. She is currently in the Community Dharma Leader (CDL7) program at Spirit Rock. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Shawn is a former dentist, high school biology teacher, and university professor in science education. She weaves scientific inquiry with contemplative curiosity to support personal and collective transformation. Shawn is dedicated to creating Dharma spaces grounded in mindfulness, self-inquiry, and embodied presence. Her practice is shaped by lived experience, curiosity, a love of learning, and the guidance of Dharma teachings that continue to reveal our capacity for clarity, connection, and transformation.

As a certified Life Balance Strategist, Shawn supports individuals and teams through life’s changes using protocols and assessments developed by Phillip Moffitt to navigate uncertainty with clarity, compassion, and inner steadiness.

Stephanie Antoine has been a meditation practitioner for over thirty-five years. She was drawn to the dharma by her struggles with loss, pain and inattentiveness that later turned out to be ADHD.

She practices in the Insight tradition, influenced by many great teachers in the Thai Forest tradition, and is inspired, grounded and supported by Tuere Sala, Phillip Moffitt and Dana DePalma.

She is happy to offer insights as a practitioner in support of the well-being of this wonderful community of practitioners and wishes for anyone who hears her speak to take what they need and leave the rest.

Steven was first introduced to Vipassana meditation in 2008 via a radio program on prison Vipassana instruction by the late teacher S.N. Goenka. He credits his practice and the Seattle Insight’s Death and Dying Support Group Project with “saving his life” through the difficult terminal illness of his late wife. Several Goenka retreats and Seattle Insight’s introductory classes later, Steven has made the Seattle Insight community his home. Along the way he received Rodney Smith’s blessing to train with Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts to facilitate the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction curriculum as a way to open the door to others to Vipassana meditation, and he has worked to establish a Vipassana program run by students at Bastyr University with guiding teacher Tuere Sala, as well as continuing to pursue several research projects on the physiology of meditation and focused attention. Steven feels privileged to serve as board secretary and at-large member representing introverts and shy singles.

With deep roots in Kansas, and a deep affinity with the Emerald City, Steven maintains close ties with both, continuing to teach neuroscience at Bastyr University and helping out during planting and harvest seasons on the family farm back home. He has three grown children, likes to kayak to work and work in the garden, and acknowledges that some cats and dogs seem to have taken up residence in his house. 

Takaaki is grateful to be able to explore the questions: ‘who am I and why am I here?’ through the Buddha’s teachings and art. It is a true joy and honor to be of service to Seattle Insight.