Christopher's Buddhist journey began with a lifelong search for a spiritual home that could embrace both doubt and authenticity. After leaving Christianity behind, he found that home in the Bright Dawn Way of Oneness, a contemporary expression of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Today, as the founding sensei of the Salt Lake Buddhist Fellowship, he teaches that awakening is not reserved for monasteries or meditation halls—it unfolds in family life, work, community, and the ordinary moments we often overlook. Rather than striving for perfection, Christopher emphasizes showing up with honesty, compassion, and humility. His approach to the Dharma welcomes people from every background, encouraging them to discover that Buddhism is less about adopting new beliefs and more about transforming how we relate to ourselves and others. His story is one of leaving certainty behind to discover a practice grounded in presence, relationship, and the understanding that every moment offers an opportunity to awaken.

Raised in a household where Vipassana meditation was part of everyday life, Kim's relationship with Buddhism evolved from childhood familiarity into a deeply personal path of transformation. Through meditation retreats, community, and years of dedicated practice, she discovered profound self-acceptance and resilience that would later support her through bipolar disorder, heartbreak, and life's inevitable uncertainties. Kim reflects on the importance of teachers, Sangha, mindfulness, and compassion, while sharing how Buddhist practice has shaped her relationships, creativity, environmental awareness, and understanding of death. Her story is a testament to the power of beginning again, revealing that the true fruit of practice is not perfection, but the confidence to meet every moment with presence, courage, and an open heart.

Cynthia's path to Vajrayana Buddhism began through profound personal suffering, including addiction, depression, and a lifelong search for healing. As a psychotherapist and energy healer, she discovered in Tibetan Buddhism a path that united psychological healing with deep spiritual transformation. Through meditation, devotion, and compassionate action, Cynthia shares how Buddhist practice helped her move from surviving to truly living, offering an honest and inspiring perspective on healing trauma, cultivating resilience, and awakening the heart.

I was first introduced to Buddhism during a course in college on world religions. I was raised Lutheran but was so confused and questioning of it my entire childhood.

Retired Lawyer from Portland, OR. In the fall of 2004, a friend asked me to attend with him and I did. The first time I went, I knew I would return. Not sure I would call that experience knowing this was the path for me; what I knew at that point was that being able to stop talking, to be away from being an “expert”.

My first exposure to dharma was during my undergraduate studies majoring in Philosophy/Asian Studies. However, this didn’t translate to a personal practice until a few years later when I lost two friends to suicide in a six-month period. The bereavement related to their deaths was so overwhelming that it forced me to seek out additional community and support.

I was more connected to the teacher than the teaching at first. I had a vision of a teacher, in the way you generate a visualization of a deity during some Vajrayana practices, while the lines of “Crying to the Guru from afar” started playing in my head. I had only ever read the text once, so was quite surprised to learn that I had memorized it.

January 2004. I participated in my first 10 day Vipassana retreat as taught by SN Goenka. It was a profound experience for me. I re-lived deep-seated memories and the emotions that came with them and started the process of shedding old traumas, dramas, and attachments to suffering.