Ruth Denison (September 29, 1922 – February 26, 2015) was the first

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

teacher in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

to lead an all-women's retreat for Buddhist meditation and instruction. Her center, Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center is located in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

, in

Joshua Tree, California Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2010 census. At approximately above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the Hig ...

. She was also a teacher at the

Insight Meditation Society The Insight Meditation Society (IMS) is a non-profit organization for study of Buddhism located in Barre, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1975, by Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein and is rooted in the Theravada tradition. I ...

Barre, Massachusetts Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census. History Originally called the Northwest District of Rutland, it was first settled by Europeans in 1720. The town was incorpora ...

. She sometimes taught at

Spirit Rock Meditation Center Spirit Rock Meditation Center, commonly called Spirit Rock, is a meditation center in Woodacre, California. It focuses on the teachings of the Buddha as presented in the vipassana, or Insight Meditation, tradition.Van Biema, David, "Buddhism in ...

Woodacre, California Woodacre is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 1,410 at the 2020 census. Geography The community is located at in the eastern half of the San Geronimo Valley ...

. Spending her youth and young adult years in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, she was a fervent Nazi, later imprisoned by the Russians. She immigrated to the

. In the 1960s and 1970s, she was part of the alternative and counterculture scene. She was one of four Westerners to receive permission to teach from Burmese master U Ba Khin, a layperson known for a particular method of awareness practice called

Vipassanā ''Samatha'' ( Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' ( Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of t ...

, in which the meditator closely observes bodily sensations. Denison died on February 26, 2015, after suffering a stroke. She was 92.Ruth Denison, Western Dharma Pioneer and Vipassana Innovator, Dies at 92
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Bibliography

* ''Dancing in the Dharma: The Life and Teachings of Ruth Denison'' by

Sandy Boucher Sandy Boucher is an American writer, Buddhist, and feminist. She lives in Oakland, California. Life and career Boucher received a master's degree from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Her degree was in the history and phe ...

(Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2005. hardcover, $25.95 ) * ''Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America'' by Lenore Friedman (Boston, MA: Shambhala, Revised and Updated Edition, 2000 )

References

External links

Dancing in the Dharma

Bowing to Life Deeply: An Interview with Ruth Denison

Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denison, Ruth 1922 births 2015 deaths American Buddhists American Theravada Buddhists German Theravada Buddhists German Buddhists Theravada Buddhist spiritual teachers Female Buddhist spiritual teachers People from Joshua Tree, California Students of U Ba Khin