{"id":1719,"date":"2014-04-21T22:14:20","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T02:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/?page_id=1719"},"modified":"2026-02-10T08:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:01:13","slug":"our-teachers-officers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/our-teachers-officers\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Rev. G.R. Lewis – B.S., M.A.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
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Rev. Lewis M.A., is the founder and guiding Dharma Teacher of the Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut. With over 30 years of experience in Buddhism, he brings deep spiritual insight, compassionate action, and boundless enthusiasm to all of the Fellowship\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earning a B.S. in Business and an M.A. in Spanish from Central Connecticut State University, Rev. Lewis also pursued extensive international education, studying in Spain, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Quebec, Canada, and traveling to over 15 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guided by the Venerable Thich Tri Hong, he immersed himself in Theravada and Mahayana traditions, with a focus on Thi\u00e8n (Vietnamese Zen) and Pure Land Buddhism. After years of formal seminary study and practice, he received lamp transmission and was ordained into the Dharma Teacher Order in 2000 under his original dharma name Nguy\u1ec7n Tr\u00ed (Wisdom Vow) from the Venerable Hoang, a 43rd-generation master of the Thi\u00e8n L\u00e2m T\u1ebf (Linji\/Rinzai Zen) school. Through this ordination, Rev. Lewis became part of the 10th generation of the Lieu Qu\u00e1n lineage and the 44th generation of the Thi\u00e8n L\u00e2m T\u1ebf lineage of Vietnamese Zen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 2000s, he later deepened his practice through teachings and workshops with the renowned Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche of the Tibetan Karma Kagyu Tradition and completed the 3-year Northampton Shin Sangha’s Lay Teachers Program under the late Rev. (Dr.) Taitetsu Unno, North America\u2019s foremost Shin Buddhist teacher of the Nishi Honganji School. In recent years he has acquired an interest in qigong and studied various Daoyin practices of the Xiantianwujimen (Primordial Limiless Gate School) lineage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since his ordination, he has been a tireless community organizer, founding numerous innovative organizations and groups to promote Buddhist teachings in contemporary America. While some have sunset, others remain vibrantly active, such as the New England Institute for Buddhist Studies with its Sangha leadership program, the North American Shin Buddhist Association (NASBA), the Connecticut Buddhist Film Festival, the mindful environmental group Buddha Gaia, the Shin Buddhist Prison Ministry, the Stoa Buddhist Philosophy Group, and was one of the first in the United States to establish a 12 Step Buddhist Sangha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognized as Connecticut\u2019s leading Buddhist teacher and meditation instructor, Rev. Lewis is also one of the state\u2019s most influential Hispanic religious leaders. Additionally, after nearly 30 years in public education, he has retired from his roles as a World Language teacher and adjunct professor with the University of Connecticut\u2019s Early College Experience Program. Beyond his professional and spiritual undertakings, Rev. Lewis deeply cherishes his roles as a loving and devoted father and husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melissa Lewis – RN, B.S.N., CHPN<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
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Known for her compassionate and warm personality, Melissa brings into the Fellowship a depth of experience in Zen and end of life practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While studying at Boston University in the mid-1990s, she encountered Buddhism and meditation practice for the first time, and consequently dedicated herself to learning Zen and Body\/Mind practices while in residence with Founding Teacher, Patricia Shelton (Zenma), of the Clear Light Zen Meditation Center in Florida. There, she helped minister to the terminally ill\/dying and their families using these beautiful, dynamic practices including the Clear Light Meditation as described in the book, Ten Thousand Joys, Ten Thousand Sorrows<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in Florida, she studied nursing at Barry University and later became a certified holistic & hospice nurse. Among her many roles, she once served as our Director of our Buddhist Family Practice Group and Mindful Kids programs. Currently, she leads seasonal retreats, Emotional Mastery Body Mind workshops, Clear Light Meditation for Partners, and End of Life training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melissa has received formal transmission from her Teacher, Zenma, to become the present-day lineage holder of the Clear Light Society.\u00a0 She is honored to be part of our spiritual family’s journey in planting seeds of insight, joy, and compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Remembrance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tribute to Harry Simonsen<\/strong> (Kisen)
\"Kisen\"<\/figure><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Our beloved and wise Associate Dharma Teacher Kisen suddenly passed away on April 26, 2020 at the age of 71. As Kisen used to say, he was a long time \u201cbookstore Buddhist\u201d before joining the Fellowship in 2006. At his first Sunday morning gathering, the fellowship recited the Five Remembrances which captivated him with their frankness, honesty, and acknowledgment of reality-as-it-is. Eagerly enrolling in all the available Fellowship\u2019s courses, and enrolling in the Lay Ministerial track, he finally became an Associate Dharma Teacher in 2008. Kisen sought out the Dharma in everyday life and his quest was to develop a modern interpretation of the core Dharma, unconstrained by mythology and cultural influences. He was a retired software developer and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut. Also, Harry was a licensed Emergency Medical Technician, a certified NRA Pistol Instructor, and a Motorcycle Safety Instructor. He was great person, a wonderful teacher, and a good friend (kalyamitra) along the path. Namu Amida Butsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tribute to Patricia Shelton (Zenma)<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
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Our beloved meditation and end of life teacher, Patricia Shelton, passed away peacefully at the age of 91 years old in November of 2022. Originally from Maine and a meditation teacher since 1970, Ms. Shelton began her spiritual journey as a student of the famous Tibetan teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and engaged in intensive koan study and meditation practice with Zen Master Seung Sahn.  In her extensive career, she founded The Clear Light Society in 1977 and taught an accredited course in zen meditation at Boston University from 1985 to 2000. For many years she divided her time between Florida and New England as well as giving teachings in other locations by invitation.  She has been a great blessing for our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namu Amida Butsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Past Visiting Teachers
<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gordon Bermant, Phd.
\"Gordon<\/figure><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Gordon is a lecturer in Psychology and the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, he teaches a seminar in Buddhist psychology for graduate students at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, through the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He has spent way too much time in school, getting a Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University and a J.D. from George Mason University. Wherever his head is from time to time, his heart is in the truths of Shin Buddhism known in Japanese as Jodo Shinshu<\/em>. He became a student of Kenryu Tsuji (1914-2004) in 1986 and never looked back. He was greatly honored to be the President of the Buddhist Churches of America in 2006-2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Sean Ross (Ryozan)<\/strong>
\"Sean<\/figure><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Sean’s spiritual journey includes growing up a Mormon in Oregon and as part of that experience participated in a mission to Peru. After 30 years as an active Mormon, he radically changed spiritual directions and began a search to understand universal compassion that eventually lead him to Shin Buddhism. Currently, he also practices martial arts, plays classical guitar, gardens and studies the \u2018great books\u2019. Sean is an instructor in our Distance Learning Program and our Non-violent Communication workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gary E. Link
\"Gary<\/figure>(Tinh T\u00e1n)
<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Gary first became involved in Buddhism in 1999. He began studying Buddhism in 2000 under the Venerable Thich Tri Hoang of the of the Lieu Qu\u00e0n Lineage. In 2002, he devoted his time to Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. In 2005, Gary began studying both Japanese and Chinese forms of Pure Land Buddhism and from 2005 to the present he has devoted his practice to Jodo Shu Buddhism under his teacher Rev. Kosen Ishikawa. Currently Gary teaches Buddhism at Chuang Yen Monastery and the New England Institute for Buddhist Studies, as well as being a member and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lori Rugle, Ph.D. (Dojin)<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
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Lori is a clinical psychologist whose work has focused on the treatment of addictive disorders and is an internationally recognized teacher in the field of gambling addiction. She is particularly interested in the integration of spirituality and mindfulness into clinical practice. She has been a dedicated student of Buddhism for the past 20 years with a practice that largely focused on vipassana and metta meditation. She has been an active member of the Buddhist Faith Fellowship since she moved from Ohio in 2008. She is also one of the founding members of the 12- Step Buddhist Group. She is currently lives out of the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rev. G.R. Lewis – B.S., M.A. Rev. Lewis M.A., is the founder and guiding Dharma Teacher of the Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut. With over 30 years of experience in Buddhism, he brings deep spiritual insight, compassionate action, and boundless enthusiasm to all of the Fellowship\u2019s activities. Earning a B.S. in Business and an M.A.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1719","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","ctfw-no-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1719"}],"version-history":[{"count":120,"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15207,"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1719\/revisions\/15207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}