Gil Fronsdal
Encyclopedia
Gil Fronsdal is a Buddhist who has practiced Soto Zen and Vipassana
since 1975, and is currently a Buddhist teacher who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area
. Gil was trained as a Vipassana teacher by Jack Kornfield
and is part of the Vipassana teachers' collective at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center
in 1982 and was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985. In 1995 he received Dharma transmission
from Mel Weitsman
, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center
.
He is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) of Redwood City, California
. He is one of the best-known American Buddhists. He has a PhD in Buddhist Studies
from Stanford University
. His many dharma
talks available online contain basic information on meditation and Buddhism, as well as subtle concepts of Buddhism explained at the level of the lay person.
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
since 1975, and is currently a Buddhist teacher who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Gil was trained as a Vipassana teacher by Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield is a teacher in the vipassana movement of American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, including as a student of the Thai monk Ajahn Chah...
and is part of the Vipassana teachers' collective at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center
San Francisco Zen Center , is a network of affiliated Sōtō Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising the City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. The sangha was incorporated by Shunryu...
in 1982 and was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985. In 1995 he received Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...
from Mel Weitsman
Mel Weitsman
Sojun Mel Weitsman , born Mel Weitsman, is the founder, abbot and guiding teacher of Berkeley Zen Center located in Berkeley, California. Weitsman is a Soto Zen roshi practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, having received Dharma transmission in 1984 from Suzuki's son Hoitsu...
, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center
Berkeley Zen Center
Berkeley Zen Center , temple name , is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist practice center located in Berkeley, California led by Sojun Mel Weitsman. An informal affiliate to the San Francisco Zen Center , BZC was originally founded in 1967 by Weitsman and Shunryu Suzuki as a satellite group for the SFZC...
.
He is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) of Redwood City, California
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
. He is one of the best-known American Buddhists. He has a PhD in Buddhist Studies
Buddhist Studies
Buddhist studies, also known as Buddhology , is the academic study of Buddhism. The term applies especially to the modern academic field, which is a subset of Religious Studies, and is distinct from Buddhist philosophy or Buddhist theology...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His many dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
talks available online contain basic information on meditation and Buddhism, as well as subtle concepts of Buddhism explained at the level of the lay person.
Publications
- Fronsdal, Gil (2010). "A Monastery Within: Tales from the Buddhist Path," Tranquil Books. ISBN 0984509216.
- Fronsdal, Gil, and Jack KornfieldJack KornfieldJack Kornfield is a teacher in the vipassana movement of American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, including as a student of the Thai monk Ajahn Chah...
(foreword) (2005). The DhammapadaDhammapadaThe Dhammapada is a versified Buddhist scripture traditionally ascribed to the Buddha himself. It is one of the best-known texts from the Theravada canon....
: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations, Boston: Shambhala. ISBN 1-59030-211-7. - Fronsdal, Gil (2002) "Virtues without Rules", in C.S. Prebish & Martin Baumann (2002), "Westward Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Asia", University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles, CA.
- Fronsdal, Gil (2001) "The Issue at Hand", Essays on Buddhist Mindfulness Practice. Available online at http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/the-issue-at-hand/
- Fronsdal, Gil (1998). "Insight Meditation in the United States: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", in C.S. Prebish & K.K. Tanaka (1998), The Faces of Buddhism in America, University of California Press. Also available on-line at: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/articles/InsightintheUS.html.
- Fronsdal, Egil (1998) "The dawn of the bodhisattva path: Studies in a religious ideal of ancient Indian Buddhists with particular emphasis on the earliest extant Perfection of Wisdom Sutra", Ph.D. Thesis, Stanford University, CA. Abstract available online at http://eng.buddhapia.com/_Service/_ContentView/THESIS_CONTENT.ASP?pk=0000025438&clss_cd=0002204804&top_menu_cd=0000000287
- Spirit Rock Teaching Collective; Gil Fronsdal with Nancy Van House (eds.) (1996). Voices from Spirit Rock: Talks on Mindfulness Practice, Rancho Cordova, CA: Clear & Present Graphics.
- Kornfield, Jack with Gil Fronsdal (eds.) (1996). Teachings of the Buddha, Boston: Shambhala. ISBN 1-57062-124-1.