Lineage & Training

Standing on the shoulders of those who walked before

A contemplative lineage is not merely a list of credentials. It is a living transmission — a chain of understanding passed from teacher to student across generations, each link shaped by direct experience, rigorous study, and genuine practice.

Christopher has practiced meditation for forty years. His formation spans multiple traditions, both ancient and contemporary, and has been shaped by teachers of remarkable depth and distinction. What follows is an honest account of that formation — offered in the spirit of transparency, and in deep gratitude to those who have given so generously of their wisdom.

Primary Teachers

These are the teachers whose influence has most profoundly shaped Christopher's own understanding — and therefore his teaching.

Ken McLeod Christopher's primary teacher. Ken McLeod is one of the most rigorous and distinctive voices in Western Buddhism, with deep formal training in the Tibetan traditions of Dzogchen and Mahamudra. His emphasis on direct experience, precision of attention, and the dissolution of conceptual elaboration has been foundational to Christopher's contemplative formation.

Ven. Bhikkhu Analayo One of the foremost scholar-practitioners of early Buddhism in the world, Bhikkhu Analayo brings extraordinary depth to the study and practice of Anapanasati, Satipatthana, and comparative early Buddhist studies. His influence has deepened Christopher's grounding in the Theravada tradition and in the precision of early Buddhist meditation methodology.

Stephen Batchelor Author, scholar, and co-founder of Bodhi College, Stephen Batchelor is one of the most intellectually rigorous and philosophically serious voices in contemporary Western dharma. His approach to secular Buddhism — rooted in the earliest teachings of the Buddha and free from metaphysical overlay — has profoundly influenced Christopher's non-sectarian orientation.

Christina Feldman Co-founder of Bodhi College and one of the most respected senior teachers in the Western Insight meditation tradition, Christina Feldman brings rare depth, clarity, and compassion to the teaching of mindfulness and Buddhist psychology. Her influence is felt throughout Christopher's approach to both formal practice and the pedagogy of transmission.

Oren Jay Sofer A dharma teacher and leading practitioner of Nonviolent Communication, Oren Jay Sofer has pioneered the integration of mindfulness practice with the NVC framework of empathic presence and needs-based communication. His influence is particularly evident in Christopher's therapeutic and relational work.

Rick Hanson, PhD Neuropsychologist, author, and teacher, Rick Hanson has done more than perhaps any other contemporary thinker to bridge the gap between contemplative practice and the neuroscience of wellbeing. His work on positive neuroplasticity — the deliberate cultivation of positive mental states to reshape the brain — provides essential scientific grounding for Christopher's emphasis on resilience and positive affect practices.

Joseph Goldstein One of the founding fathers of Insight meditation in the West and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, Joseph Goldstein has been instrumental in bringing the Theravada teachings of Vipassana and mindfulness to Western practitioners. His influence on Christopher's understanding of the Theravada tradition runs deep.

The Traditions

Christopher's contemplative formation spans the following traditions:

From the Mahayana Buddhist traditions — Dzogchen and Mahamudra (Tibetan), Zen (Japanese and Korean).

From the Theravada Buddhist traditions — Vipassana, Anapanasati, early Buddhist studies, and Buddhist Psychology.

From the Hindu traditions — Vedanta.

From the contemporary secular traditions — Secular Buddhism, Insight, and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

A Note on Non-Sectarianism

Although Christopher's training is rooted in specific traditions and lineages, his teaching is offered from a non-sectarian orientation. No religion is taught in his programs. People from any faith, belief system, or tradition — or none — are genuinely welcome.

The wisdom that has been transmitted through these lineages belongs, ultimately, to no one. It is the inheritance of all who are willing to look honestly at the nature of their own experience.

May all beings benefit.