December 2016 – Tara Brach

Last Updated on December 1, 2016 by Matthew Sockolov

Tara Brach

Tara Brach is simply one of our favorite teachers. Her books Radical Acceptance and True Refuge have touched us deeply, and we have read both multiple times. Tara is the founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. and serves as the guiding teacher to the community. Whether you listen to her meditations, attend one of her dharma talks, or read one of her books, Tara has a way of reaching people with authenticity and honesty.

Tara shares quite frequently about her own afflictions and struggles in life, and the power of the dharma in addressing these difficulties. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, writing her dissertation on how meditation practice can help in the healing of eating disorders. With decades of professional experience, personal practice, and teaching experience, Tara brings quite a bit to the table. Her years of study of both psychology and the dharma show in the way she teaches just as much as her own personal experience with the dharma.

We chose Tara Brach as our Person of the Month for December 2016 because of her work in bridging the gap between meditation and psychology. Specifically, Tara teaches quite a bit about trauma, addiction, and eating disorders. We are recovering drug addicts, have done extensive trauma work, and have dealt with eating disorders ourselves. Tara’s teachings have always touched us deeply. Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha speaks to the power of the dharma in addressing trauma. With her own personal stories and studies in psychology, Tara has a deep understanding of the workings of the mind and body.

Here are some resources we recommend if you are interested in investigating Tara’s teachings:

www.TaraBrach.com – Tara’s website
Dharma Talks – Talks on Tara’s site
Tara Brach Podcast – Tara’s podcast with talks and meditations
Insight Meditation Community of Washington – Meditation Center where Tara teaches