What does it mean to be somebody practicing at this time, at this moment? How can we each uproot the ignorance of who we are that accompanies each of us on our own specific journey? The Buddha speaks to the impact of greed, hatred and ignorance; how these have such capacity for harm. Learning about who this somebody is—this identity, if you will—can really support us in this understanding. We bring our identities and our ways of being into the investigation, not in order to avoid them, overcome them, or accentuate them, but in order to be more present.
JD Doyle, MA
Residential Retreat Teacher
JD Doyle (they/them) served as Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, where they co-founded the Alphabet (LGBTQIA+) Saṅgha. They graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Retreat Teacher Training in 2020 and teach at saṅghas across the US and in Canada. JD began studying and practicing Buddhism in 1995, at Insight Meditation Society and at Spirit Rock, and continued with extensive retreat practice in Thailand and Burma in the Theravadan lineage. For over twenty-three years, they worked as a public school teacher. JD holds a BS in Environmental Studies from Cornell University, a bilingual multicultural teaching certificate from UC Santa Cruz, and a Masters in Language and Literacy and Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of our human saṅgha, transforming the impacts of racism on our communities, honoring all genders, and living in ways that affirm the sacredness of the Earth.
JD Doyle's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
February 1 - March 29, 2025 | Saturday - Saturday | 56 nights
2025 Insight Meditation 2-Month Retreat - Application
Applications Still Being Accepted. An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.
Dawn Scott
Vance Pryor
Tuere Sala
Brian Lesage
devon hase
JD Doyle
Tara Mulay
Tempel Smith
Devin Berry
Anushka Fernandopulle
Kristina Baré
Rasika Link
Retreat | On-Land
February 1 - March 1, 2025 | Saturday - Saturday | 28 nights
2025 February Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat - Application
Applications Still Being Accepted. An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.
Class Series | Online | Dharma Institute
March 13 - April 10, 2025 | Thursday - Thursday | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The Buddha's Profound Teaching of Dependent Origination
The teaching of Dependent Origination (Paticca-samuppāda: Pāli) is considered to be one of the most profound of the Buddha’s teachings. Understanding this concept is crucial to realizing how to alleviate human suffering—our own and that in the world around us. This course explores dependent origination from a variety of perspectives: the Pāli Canon, contemporary reflections, and its practical application to our everyday lives. Join us to transform your perspective on suffering and deepen your journey on the path of liberation.
JD Doyle
Retreat | On-Land
August 17 - August 21, 2025 | Sunday - Thursday | 4 nights
Five Spiritual Powers: Cultivating Resilience, Balance, and Love
Registration Opens - February 19. The Buddha’s teaching on the five spiritual powers (confidence, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom) offers a path to cultivate these capacities of the heart and transform habits that no longer serve us. Grounded in these teachings, together we will learn powerful and sustainable ways to restore our humanity and bring freedom to all beings. This retreat offers silent meditation, opportunities for movement meditation, Dharma talks, and time to be in nature and honor the natural rhythms of your own practice.
Upcoming Drop-Ins
Drop-in | Online
Wednesday, January 8 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Rainbow Saṅgha
Open to all self-identified LGBTQIA+.
Our Rainbow Saṅgha is a weekly gathering of self-identified practitioners within marginalized gender and sexuality groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming.
JD Doyle
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with JD Doyle through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.