Venerable Bhante Buddharakkhita is the founder and Abbot of the Uganda Buddhist Center in Uganda. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk by the late Most Venerable U Silananda in 2002 at the Tathagata Meditation Center in San Jose, California. He then spent eight years under the guidance of Bhante Henepola Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society, West Virginia. He is a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, holds an Honorary Doctorate in Buddhist Studies from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU) in Thailand, and is a long-time member of Global Buddhist Relief’s advisory council in New Jersey.

He has been teaching mindfulness meditation in Africa, the U.S., and worldwide since 2005, and he is a much-loved teacher in many countries. His book, Planting Dhamma Seeds: The Emergence of Buddhism in Africa, tells the story of his religious and spiritual work in the continent of his birth.

Leslie Booker brings her heart and wisdom to the intersection of dharma, embodied wisdom, and social justice. She shares her expertise nationally as a guest lecturer at conferences, universities, and dharma centers, on expanding our vision around culturally responsive teaching, and changing the paradigm of self and community care. She is a co-author of Best Practices for Yoga in a Criminal Justice Setting and a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Mindful Yoga and Meditation Training (2012), Community Dharma Leaders’ Training (2017), and four-year Retreat Teacher Training (2020).