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

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

teacher in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...

, in

Joshua Tree, California Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 6,489 at the 2020 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 in

Barre, Massachusetts Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census. History Located on the ancestral homeland of the Nipmuc, the area was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and referred to as th ...

. She sometimes taught at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. She spent her childhood and young adult years in Germany, and was later imprisoned by the invading Russian troops. She eventually 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, 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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References

Bibliography

* ''Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America'' by Lenore Friedman (Boston, MA: Shambhala, Revised and Updated Edition, 2000 )

External links

Bowing to Life Deeply: An Interview with Ruth Denison

Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denison, Ruth 1922 births 2015 deaths American Theravada Buddhists German Theravada Buddhists Theravada Buddhist spiritual teachers Female Buddhist spiritual teachers People from Joshua Tree, California Students of U Ba Khin 20th-century American Buddhists 21st-century American Buddhists