Guiding Teachers
A Guiding Teacher is one of the leaders of the organization. They have multiple years of practice, retreats, and teaching experience, have received transmission from senior Buddhist teacher(s), and are able to offer transmission to others.
Pascal (he, him) is a TNI Guiding Teacher. He has been immersed in the dharma since 1997. He leads retreats in Europe and North America, often at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. A co-founder of TNI, he enjoys sharing the Buddha's teachings with all curious people. (more info and schedule)
Listen to one of Pascal's talks: Self-worth, Selfing, Forgiveness, Wisdom & Compassion
Watch one of Pascal's videos: But Now it Can Be Otherwise
Roxanne Dault teaches meditation in Canada, USA and in France. She has been dedicated to this path for almost two decades, sitting on long retreats both in Asia and in the West. A Guiding Teacher at True North Insight, Roxanne teaches in a variety of environments including in a graduate program at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), in corporate settings and in incarcerated and other marginalized populations. Her teachings take root mainly from the lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw. She is trained in Somatic Experiencing®, a body-mind approach aimed at relieving the symptoms of trauma and stress. She speaks French, English and is learning her ancestors’ language, Anishinaabemowin. Learn more at roxannedault.ca.
Bonnie Duran
Bonnie Duran met the Dharma in 1982 when she sat a month at Kopan Monastery in Nepal and learned Vipassana in Bodh Gaya India. Since then, she has taken teachings from many western teachers including Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and Guy and Sally Armstrong as well as Thai, Burmese, and Tibetan Monastic teachers.. Bonnie is a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS)/Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) retreat teacher-training program. She is now a core-teacher of the IMS Teacher Training Program, the SRMC Dedicated Practitioners Program and is on the SRMC Guiding Teachers Council. Bonnie teaches long and short retreats at IMS, Spirit Rock and in other communities, and is also involved in Native American spiritual practices and traditions. Bonnie was introduced to the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition through her partner and is now happily studying and practicing in that tradition as well. Dr. Duran is a Professor in the Schools of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington and is also faculty at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. Her academic work is primarily with Tribal, Urban Indian and International Indigenous communities.
Jean Esther, MSW
Beginning her formal training in meditation in 1975, Jean has trained in the Buddhist Theravadan tradition with renowned senior lay teachers as well as Burmese and Western Monastics since 1982. Over a number of years, Jean has engaged in intensive teacher training in both Vipassana practice and non-dual awareness. Her teaching is also informed by over 40 years of practice as a psychotherapist, focusing on the healing of trauma through an embodied somatic approach. She trained for over 20 years in Jungian psychology with Jungian analyst Marion Woodman. Respecting all of life through a social justice understanding informs her life and her teaching. Jean teaches at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, USA, Insight Meditation Community of Western MA, USA as well as various other locations across the US and Canada. Jean has served on the Guiding Teachers Council of True North Insight since 2015.
Muriel Ahmarani Jaouich
Muriel (she, her) is engaged in a Buddhist practice since 2006. Muriel has attended over thirty silent meditation retreats including a 6 week long retreat. She has completed seven years of Buddhist studies as well as a MBSR training with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Muriel is a first generation Lebanese-Armenian-Canadian, having come from a family directly affected by the Armenian Genocide. At True North Insight, Muriel is under the mentorship of Pascal Auclair & Daryl Lynn Ross. She teaches in hospitals, schools, corporations and other urban settings, helping meditation practitioners integrate mindfulness into daily life. In another life, Muriel has worked at Cisco Systems & VeriSign back in the height of Silicon Valley as well as at UNICEF. She now shares her passion for the Dharma by working for True North Insight. Muriel has a warm and gentle presence. She is also presently pursuing a Master's in Fine Arts (MFA) at Concordia university in painting.
Dawn (she, her) has been practicing and studying Insight Meditation since 2005, and has graduated from the first teacher development group of True North Insight, and Spirit Rock's Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training, Dedicated Practitioners' Program, and 4-year Retreat Teacher Training. She is known to teach with a playful, dynamic, and heartfelt approach, and leads daylongs, retreats, yearlong programs, and mindfulness workshops in Canada and the US for Spirit Rock, True North Insight, and for teens with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. Dawn is also the author of “Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners”. For more information, visit dawnmauricio.com.
Daryl (she, her) is a founder of TNI and a guiding teacher. She has deeply engaged in contemplative practices for over 40 years with teachers and mentors from several Buddhist traditions, and practiced Christian spirituality as well. She served for 22 years as University Chaplain at Concordia University in Montreal. Co-founder of TNI and President of the Board, Daryl teaches local groups and intensive courses, mentors and counsels in personal meetings and offers a wide range of retreats. She lives and transmits the Buddhist teachings from the heart with a sensitivity to the unique path of each person.
Listen to one of Daryl's talks: Development of Meditative Awareness
Watch one of Daryl's videos: What is Calling Us Forward