Dharma teachers
There are two Dharma teachers in the Bodhidharma Association, Aryatara and Vimalamitra, who were granted permission to teach by Taehye sunim at the end of the year 2014. They lead formal meditation and provide Dharma teachings during practice sessions.
Aryatara (Arja Sihvola)
As I was unaware of related groups in Finland, I became introduced to Buddhism (sometime in the late 1980s) through books. In 1998, I attended a retreat in Plum Village, a monastery and retreat center in southwestern France founded by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. I took the Five Mindfulness Trainings (i.e. five precents) and subsequently the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings as well as joining the Order of Interbeing. In addition to Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, I have received valuable teachings from nun Ani Sherab in events at Vänö Island, Sister Thieu Nghiem in retreats and events organized by the Valkoinen Lumme (“White Water Lily”) Association, and Taehye sunim in retreats held both in Finland and in the Musang Am temple in Italy. Numerous other people, sisters and brothers, who have provided me with the joy of sitting together in silence, have also been an important support in my training.
Vimalamitra (Mikko Koponen)
The Association maintained a low level of activities in the early 2000s, and when I started to run regular mediation sessions, this brought people also to the sphere of the Association, initiating a new wave of activity. The Association which experienced a wandering life in the past has now settled in the Sampo Center in Vetehisenkuja, Helsinki, with enhanced opportunities for group meditation and a higher number of motivated instructors. I teach basic meditation techniques to anyone interested in the hopes that the participants discover the Buddha Dharma and a wise way of life.
Meditation instructors
Pūrnamitra (Jarkko Jokinen), Bodhimitra (Lauri Korvenmaa), Sūryamitra (Johannes Cairns)