Our teachers have all been Buddhist monks or nuns at some point in their lives and have had trainings in Theravadan, Mahayana, and Vajayana 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 also 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 and is currently practicing and teaching in three year retreat at the Bodhicharya Retreat Center on the Tibetan border just below Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, India. Gen-la's Root Spiritual Teacher is the beloved V.V. Ringu Tulku Rinpoche who has personally instructed and guided him in the practices and teachings of compassion, Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and tantra.
Thomas Gutherie
Thomas has been studying and practicing Buddhism for more than five years and was ordained as a monastic in 2004. As an American-born student he is currently studying Tibetan language to better help understand, translate and deliver the Buddha’s teachings to Western students. He takes complicated teachings and delivers them in an accessible, straightforward and often light-hearted manner. A student of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and Gen-La Chokyi Dhakpa, Thomas has participated in multiple 30- and 90-day group & solo meditation retreats and has traveled on pilgrimages and for teachings in India, Tibet and Nepal. Thomas feels overwhelmingly blessed to have connected with our authentic lineage of Buddhism and aspires to uphold its teachings and practices.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.
