Our teachers have all been Buddhist monks or nuns at some point in their lives and have had trainings in Theravadin, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism. All teaching and communication is in English, and our teachers are from western countries and speak English as their native language.
Genla Michael Gregory (Chokyi Dhakpa)
Genla Chokyi Dhakpa (Michael Gregory)
Gen-la Chokyi Dhakpa is the founder of the Summit Dharma Center and has been actively practicing Buddhism for more than twenty years. During the last ten years Gen-la has taught almost daily to hundreds of students in Asia and America and more recently has expanded his teaching and friendship to students, both lay and ordained, in Europe, South America, and Africa, leading well over a hundred meditation retreats on almost every subject matter related to Dharma. He has led hundreds of students on meditative pilgrimmages through Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and throughout India, further connecting them with their studies and practice.Professionally, Gen-la worked as investment banker and as Chief Operating Officer for a mid-size Denver, Colorado real estate firm.
Gen-la was ordained as a monk for almost five years by H.E. Gylatsab Rinpoche at Rumtek monastery in Sikkim and has received the vast majority of empowerments of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages including the Dam Nga Dzod from H.E. Gyaltsab Rinpoche and the Rinchen Terdzod from H.H. Penor Rinpoche. He is also fluent in written Tibetan and is casually proficient in colloquial Tibetan language. Gen-la has received a degree in Buddhist Studies from the Naropa Buddhist University as well as from the University of Virginia. He has also undergone several ninety-day retreats in Thailand and Burma in the Theravadin tradition.
Gen-la has been personally instructed and guided in the practices and teachings of compassion, Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and Tantra.
Thomas Gutherie
Thomas has been studying and practicing Buddhism nearly a decade and was ordained as a monastic for more than three years between 2004 and 2008. He takes complicated teachings and delivers them in an accessible, straightforward and often light-hearted manner. He says his greatest gift may be helping to steer other practitioners away from the many "practice-potholes" he has visited on his path.As a student of Gen-La Chokyi Dhakpa, as well as numerous other Tibetan and Theravadin teachers, Thomas has participated in multiple 30-day group & solo meditation retreats as well as longer-term retreats of both 90 days and one year in duration. He has traveled on pilgrimage and for teachings to India, Tibet, Nepal, Burma and Thailand.
Thomas feels overwhelmingly blessed to have connected with our authentic lineage of Buddhism and aspires to uphold its teachings and practices. He feels a strong admiration for the rich heritage of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and has a deep respect and gratitude for the simplicity of the Theravadin system of teaching and practice.
As an American-born student, Thomas is studying the Tibetan and Thai languages to better help understand, translate, and deliver the Buddha's teachings to Western students. He currently lives in Thailand and works teaching English to Thai people and helping others to learn to do the same.
Sue Carr
Sue has been a committed student of the Dharma for several years and was ordained as a nun for two. She has completed multiple 30- and 90-day retreats and has taught the Summit County, Vail and Jail Outreach Dharma classes in Colorado, USA.Christian Strachan
Christian moved to Colorado and coincidentally began studying the Buddhadharma in the 90's and under Genla Chokyi Dhakpa at the Summit Dharma Center in 2002. His growing interest led him to become a monk in 2005 for a couple of years in the Tibetan tradition. Taking the robes facilitated him doing Buddhist pilgrimage, retreat, and study in India, Burma, and Thailand in all three Buddhist yanas. Christian enjoys relating Buddhist concepts to westerners in a way that is accessible and practical.
