Cori Barker
Cori is your friendly neighborhood Buddhist Guide!
He’s on his 8th year as a metta-tator through TWIM exclusively. Enthusiastically devout to the practice, he makes it a habit to do a 10-day in-person retreat at Dhamma Sukha every year (6 thus far! Oh the pandemic). Plus as a self-employed mobile massage therapist in Denver, Colorado, USA he finds there is a lot of crossover between TWIM and his favprote technique, Craniosacral Therapy: both really dig into the deep question, “What do you need?”
Being a practical Buddhist, if it can’t be taken on a walk, applied at work or enhanced playing board games then it isn’t dhamma. Thus, he wholeheartedly agrees with Bhante Vimalaramsi: you gotta smile a lot. 😀
For him, the practice is one of mental development through direct experience. While having never been very spiritual or religious, but finally finding space and freedom in the practice of massage therapy after a short career as an engineer, the curiosity as to what all the hubbub was about eventually grabbed ahold. He sat down one day…
With an English translation of the sutas, fortuitously arranged in chronological order! His mind relaxed, unexpecting and curious he read through the story of Siddhartha and his tribulations. Upon the reading of the full awakening of the then-new Buddha and his recitation of Dependent Origination forward and backward, Cori’s mind did a curious thing: it took everything about him and, while still accessible, put it aside…And for a whole week, he was utterly happy.
Ah, but all good things come to an end and eventually his old depressed personality wrapped itself around him again. But he at least knew what to look for! And in short enough order he found Doug Kraft and soon after Bhante V.!
And now, he smiles every day. And plays games avoiding stepping on ants. And is happy doing the dishes. Maybe someday he’ll learn how to fly… Who knew that the path leading to happiness was the practice of happiness itself?
When you are not on retreat come find him on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@abuddhistguide
Free online TWIM meetings and affordable online and IRL (if you live in Denver) meditation guidance sessions (though, you could just send him an email as well. 😛 abuddhistguide@gmail.com) visit his business: https://reworksmassage.com/TWIM
- DOUG KRAFT, Psychotherapist, Buddhist and Meditation Teacher, Minister (retired)
- INSTRUCTION: Zoom retreats, Counseling, Therapy, Public Speaking
- LOCATION: Sacramento, California
- CONTACT: http://www.easingawake.com
VIDEOS
Doug’s events are ideal for beginners or advanced meditators who wish to deepen their practice. His workshops and classes is oriented to people who have practiced Vipassana, Zen, Raja Yoga, and similar wisdom traditions. Doug emphasizes the natural development of jhanas or sublime state of awakening in meditation along with the practice of loving-kindness as a path of insight.
BOOKS
Doug Kraft began meditation training in 1975 and is just as enthusiastic about meditating today as he was then. He is a senior student of Bhante Vimalaramsi. He has also studied with other Theravada teachers including John Travis, Ajahn Tong, Larry Rosenberg, Corrado Pensa, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Christopher Titum, Joanna Macy, and Andy Olendski to name a few. Doug has also trained with Korean Zen Master, Sahn Seung, Tibetan Mingur Rinpoche, and Siddha Yoga guru Muktananda, and (back in the day) Ram Dass, Pir Vilat Khan, Salvador Rouchet, Emmanuel, and Jean Houston.
Behind it all, Doug loves delving into human nature and teaching meditation. He conducts meditation classes and daylong retreats in the greater Sacramento area. Doug is also a counselor, therapist, and retired Unitarian Universalist Minister who lives with his wife, son, and two cats.