About Jack

I've had this magnetic interest in meditation since my 20s. I wanted to know how my mind worked and how my experience came together. Initially, I didn't know what meditation was; I only knew that there was a silent knowing that I had to do it. So, for years, I popped in and out of different spiritual communities, searching until … well, Buddhism.

My very first attempt at meditation was with a Zen Buddhist group. After a day at the office in Melbourne, Australia, I went on a lengthy public transport adventure to get to a local Zen centre. There, I entered an old house and was greeted by a priest. The priest brought the group together and told us that his mother had died that day, and then we were instructed to turn around to face the wall for meditation. That was 45 minutes of back pain and confusion. What on earth was I supposed to be doing?

Not long after that time, I began attending Vipassana retreats, as taught by SN Goenka. I remember feeling confused again, but this time by the course format, specifically gender segregation. Me being queer in both gender and sexuality, I couldn't see that I belonged. There didn't seem to be many queer people meditating or a community for them. I continued to follow my passion for meditation, feeling a little lonely. Later that year, I took classes from B. Alan Wallace on the four foundations of mindfulness. After that, I felt very inspired. I was really onto something! What's up, Mahayana! More exploration of this tradition followed through years of courses, classes and retreats in Australia with Lama Choedak Rinpoche.

During one retreat, I remember being fascinated by a picture of the nine stages of meditation. You know, the one with the elephant, the fire, flying yogis and rainbows? Wild, right? I took it to my teacher and asked how to get here - pointing to the bodhisattva returning triumphantly on a peaceful elephant, rainbows streaming from their heart and sword of wisdom held high. How do I do that? 

At the beginning of 2019, I began studying and practising from the book The Mind Illuminated. Here was my love of the nine stages of mind training written in a very Western way - something I could relate to clearly. Wow. Mind. Blown.

Around this time, now we're talking 2018, I moved to SIBA Meditation Centre in Gippsland, Australia, and there I lived, practised and volunteered for around two years. During this time, I completed Lama Choedak Rinpoche's 'Training the Trainer' course, which enabled me to teach interested students about Rinpoche's eight-week, calm abiding course. I taught meditation to visitors at the centre on weekends. At this time, I also studied years one to four of the International Buddhist Academy's 'The Complete Path' with both His Holiness Ratna Vajra Rinpoche and Lama Choedak Rinpoche. This was an incredible introduction to foundational texts of the Sakya lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. What a vibrant few years.

Between 2021 and 2023, my formal 'on-cushion' practice stopped when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Yay, chronic illness! Well, not really 'yay'. But it has indeed blessed my life in unexpected ways. The physical pain I experienced was, at times, much more than I could be with. This made meditation practice very challenging. I learned so much about my body, heart and mind in these years. From this, I became passionate about integrating supportive practices with meditation, like movement practices, talk therapy (TRTP and IFS), somatic therapy, sunlight therapy, and quantum biology. I realised that I loved whatever modality genuinely helped a person, no matter what had helped me.

Since 2023, I've been able to meditate with consistency again. I find joy in being with my body and heart, just as it is. My focus is to continue to deepen my practice while becoming a better teacher, supporting others in their own experiences.

I've recently completed a bunch of studies and will bang on about those here. This is so that you have a clearer picture of my recent training. In 2023, I became accredited in Mental Health First Aid. I then completed some study in Motivational Interviewing with Tucker Peck. In 2024, I completed the Mindfulness Mentor Training Program at Cloud Sangha. Our teachers were, to name a few, Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Shelton, David Cabrera, and La Sarmiento. Real cool! In 2023, I began studying Shinzen Young's Unified Mindfulness system. Learning this system has been transformative for my personal practice. It's brought life back into my practice. There's a sense of playfulness to it that I love, and I'm excited to share it with students. I'll continue studying Shinzen's system and learning to coach students in this style. 

So, let's go on a collaborative exploration into the transformative power of meditation and the insights offered by Buddhism. As we travel through the complexities of life, let's consider how cultivating concentration, clarity, and equanimity might meet with your aspirations and values. Your experiences and victories are key to our conversation. I'm interested in hearing more about what motivates you on this journey. What aspects of meditation and Buddhist teachings resonate with you, and how do you imagine incorporating them into your life?