Meet the People Behind Our Dharma Training Program

As more students enter the Dharma Training Program, we decided to check in with two longer-term participants to see how the program was working for them. 

Monika Rose

Monika Rose, who joined the Dharma Training Program last fall, was already familiar with teachings such as the Four Noble Truths, from having studied Yoga, Hinduism and the Vedic tradition. What surprised her in the program was the depth and richness of the teachings when Lama Döndrup unpacked the wisdom behind those four simple sentences. 

Lama Döndrup comes from this deep place—her knowledge base is phenomenal—and lays out this buffet of all the nuances and invites us to take what works for us,” Monika said. “It’s pretty incredible.”

Monika had been working with Lama Palden through the COVID years and felt ready to go deeper into a more committed practice. “The female lineage at Sukhasiddhi was important to me, and the connection to teachers of the lineage with the transmission coming through to me,” she said. 

The format of six-week modules with Sunday morning teachings works well for her schedule as a creative marketing consultant and mother. “I look forward to Sunday teachings with a group of like- minded people who are interested in experiencing less suffering, helping others and committing to a path,” she said. “I’m so thankful I can participate even though I’m not in the Bay Area.” The downside to not being in person is that it’s harder to develop relationships.   

“Lama Döndrup’s deep, rich perspective connects the dots from the teachings to everyday life,’’ said Monika. “I’m not going to be a lama. My path is set. But I have a choice on how I show up on my path every day.  Lama Döndrup and Susan Shannon give us tools on how to work with the dharma in those everyday choices.”  

Alex Graham

For Alex Graham’s work, “Practice is essential,” he says.  He is an associate psychotherapist working in private practice as well as spending days out on the streets of San Francisco among the city’s unhoused folks. 

 “I don’t know how people can do this work without having a practice,” he says. “It allows me to stay grounded when working with people in psychosis…And holding a larger perspective of life and feeling growth on this path helps me hold some of the tragedy of these situations in a larger container. “ 

Alex has been in the Dharma Training Program since January 2022.  One of the aspects that appealed to him about the program was the opportunity to tap into this system of practice passed down through generations: “the whole tradition of lineage” as he puts it.  

“There are tons of different tools to explore with,” he said. “And with one-on-one meetings with Lama Döndrup, I can speak about what these practices are feeling like for me, effects they’re having on me.  It’s so valuable to have somebody with experience listen to what you’re going through. I’ll describe a particular challenge in my life and she’ll say try this practice and let me know how it goes.  It’s so supportive.” 

Having a practice group has been a wonderfully welcoming experience for Alex.  He attended the June retreat in 2022 in person and got to meet many of his DTP colleagues. Then he returned to the online meetings with a deeper connection to all those faces in boxes. “It’s like joining a big family,” he says. 

“I’ve felt an incredible level of support with hearing where people are at with their practice, what kind of struggles and challenges they’re going through,” says Alex.  “Also hearing the questions other people ask.  Somebody asks something that I’m not sure how to articulate and hits the nail on the head of what I needed to hear.  I really benefit.”

“I appreciate how down to earth the community is.  How Lama Döndrup expresses the teachings in a way that’s in touch with the world and the busy lives most of us have and the struggles we have as householders.” 

“In DTP I’ve found how powerful these practices are.  I feel them impacting me in a deep way…It’s hard to even know the depth and ways these are influencing me,” Alex said. “I can feel a deep resonance that keeps drawing me forward to into this community, this lineage, this tradition and I’m excited to see where it goes.”