About

Michael Schwammberger (Chan Phap Son – True Dharma Mountain)

Michael was born in the UK but grew up in the beautiful island of Ibiza, Spain. In 1996 he arrived in Plum Village inspired by Thay’s book Peace is Every Step after having practiced insight meditation for 4 years at Gaia House meditation center, in the UK. He stayed on in Plum Village, being deeply moved by Thich Nhat Hanh and the sense of community, and ended up ordaining as a novice monk in February 1997, receiving his full ordination and the 14 mindfulness trainings in 1998. In January 2003 he received the lamp transmission. He lived in Plum Village, France and the monasteries in the United States (Deer Park and Maple Forest, now Blue Cliff) and travelled extensively with Thay in his teaching tours. Michael took a sabbatical in 2011 and returned to lay life in 2012 and teaches as a lay teacher offering retreats in Europe and Israel.

Marc Jantzi have been practicing meditation for over 20 years. He lived in Buddhist monasteries with Thich Nhah Hanh for over 5 years and learned directly from him. He has been to 100 Dharma talks given by Thich Nhah Hanh and has a deep understand of what it means to practice in your work and with your family. He is an acupuncturist and a small business owner with 2 acupuncture and massage businesses. He has a wife and a young daughter.

David Viafora spends half his life on the road offering retreats, romancing Sanghas, and teaching other humans how to regain contact with the miracle of life. The year’s other half, he’s at home with best friends and steadily building an up-and-coming world class retreat center known as MorningSun, an adolescent community of all-star practitioners growing at hormonal speed. David spent about four years going for full enlightenment in Plum Village Monastery, but after slipping off the robe, he found blue jeans and long hair a more stylish path to happiness. Since 24 years old, he’s started half a dozen local mindfulness communities, several which are still thriving today, and mentors young adult mindfulness facilitators across the US.

Joe Reilly (he, him) is a singer, songwriter, social worker, and Dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Joe was ordained into the Order of Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community in 2011, receiving the Dharma name True Ocean of Grace. In 2021 Joe received transmission of the Lamp at the Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California, becoming an ordained Dharma teacher.

Joe was raised Catholic and currently studies and practices progressive Catholicism, Native American spirituality, and engaged Buddhism. Joe has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 2004 and is often found singing and writing songs on spiritual retreats. He currently lives in Waawiyatanong/Detroit, where he co-leads the Building Beloved Community Sangha. He is of Cherokee, Choctaw, Italian, and Irish descent and identifies as Native American.