Kate Davies - Assisting Teacher

For as long as I can remember, I have been curious about life and about how human beings relate to the Earth. After completing a doctorate in biochemistry at Oxford, UK, I spent 30 years working on environmental issues and social change for government and social service agencies, nonprofits and universities in Canada and the US. In 2016, I retired early from teaching at Antioch University so I could focus on the study and practice of Buddhism.

I have had a daily meditation practice for more than twenty years. For the first five years, I studied and practiced in the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, emphasizing the nature of mind teachings. Subsequently, I was drawn to the Thai Forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism and especially to the teachings of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Buddhadasa.

I have participated in the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader 6 training, the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and the Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training. I am on the Board of the Saranaloka Foundation, which supports Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta.

My current work and practice include leading online and in-person insight meditation groups, and serving as a mentor in two international online mindfulness meditation programs - the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and the Power of Awareness, both led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. I have also written two award-winning books – “The Rise of the US Environmental Health Movement” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) and “Intrinsic Hope: Living Courageously in Troubled Times” (New Society Publ., 2018).

I live on Tscha-kole-chy, also known as Whidbey Island, in Washington State with my husband, George.