Known as a warm, humorous, and very clear teacher, Rita M. Gross’ teaching involves a rare combination of academic and dharmic perspectives. She has extensive training and experience both as a professor of comparative studies in religion and as a Buddhist dharma teacher. Her Buddhist teaching is non-sectarian and she teaches for both Zen and Vipassana centers as well as Tibetan centers. She is one of six senior teachers (lopon) appointed by Her Eminence Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche to teach at Lotus Garden, Khandro Rinpoche’s Western center. In the Shambhala mandala, she is authorized to teach all levels of Shambhala Training.
Lopon Rita can teach on most topics pertaining to Buddhism for seminaries, universities, and Buddhist centers. She has specialized in topics pertaining to Buddhism and contemporary issues, including gender issues, ecology, and religious diversity. She also teaches about the implications of an accurate understanding of Buddhist history for Buddhist practitioners. In addition, she has focused on issues pertaining to theology of religious diversity and inter-religious exchange and can offer a variety of solo or co-taught workshops on this topic for seminaries and religious institutions.