Claire Stanley

Claire Stanley, Vermont Insight Meditation Center's first Guiding Teacher until she retired from that role in 2018 and a former Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, teaches meditation and reflective inquiry in the context of Buddhism at Vermont Insight and throughout New England. A long-time practitioner, Claire attended her first seven-day meditation retreat in 1986 at Insight Meditation Society. After fifteen years of practice, she received training through the Community Dharma Leader program in the teaching of meditation and scholarly inquiry. That three-year program took place at Spirit Rock Meditation Center with Jack Kornfield, and her mentor was Gil Fronsdal. Her main teachers have been Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Carol Wilson, the Venerable Sayadaw U Janaka, and the Venerable Tsoknyi Rinpoche.

In 2001 and 2002, Claire traveled extensively in Asia and ordained as a nun for three months in Burma. In 2004, Claire completed six months of intensive silent meditation practice at The Forest Refuge program of the Insight Meditation Society. She co-founded Vermont Insight Mediation Center in 2005. Claire is passionate about the development of kindness of heart and its role in all aspects of daily life through the investigation of non-harming and non-violence in thought, word, and action. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a specialization in reflectivity.