My practice began in 1977 with Ruth Denison and the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley. I then moved on to a Zen Buddhist center in Southern Ca. before going off to live at Bodhinyanarama, a Theravada monastery, in New Zealand. I spent the next four years in Australia at the Brisbane Zen Centre, where I became a monk in the Kwan Um School of Zen. I eventually returned to the US and spent the next three years at Spirit Rock Meditation Centre as a volunteer and student of Sylvia Boorstein. It was there that I learned of Adyashanti, a former Zen monk, and adopted him as my primary teacher. The next move by way of Texas was to Tucson, where I became a student of Upasaka Culadasa and recently of Sensei Alfred Genkai Kaszniak.

Some time ago, the VA asked volunteers to share anything that helped them deal with their disability with Vets. I was particularly interested in Mindfulness as it was very beneficial in dealing with the effects of a past head injury. I volunteered to share what I learned with other vets and soon was leading classes on Mindfulness.

It was during this period at the VA that I began to develop a better understanding of how Mindfulness is used to “live in the present moment”. What emerged was a simple and straightforward view of that moment called the present and the connection between “living in it” and living an awakened life.

Steve Ross, MA, LMFT (CA) is a Tucson-based, California-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, specializing in stress management and anxiety reduction. Many years ago he took monastic vows in an Ashtanga Yoga organization and taught yoga and meditation internationally for 9 years. After a 30+ year hiatus from all spiritual practice, he returned to meditation, this time in the Buddhist tradition, and has been a dedicated practitioner of Early and Theravada Buddhism since 2015. Most recently, he was certified to teach mindfulness practices through the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP), taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Steve is available as a resource for anyone wanting to explore the Buddhist path to awakening. His personal goal is to joyfully practice, study, and share the Buddha's teachings, aligning his life with the Buddhadharma. 

Refuge Recovery is a Buddhist-oriented,

non-theistic recovery program that does

not ask anyone to believe anything, only to

trust the process and do the hard work of

recovery. In fact, no previous experience or

knowledge of Buddhism is required. Recov-

ery is possible, and this program provides

a systematic approach to treating and

recovering from all forms of addiction.