By Libby Henrickson
Founder
Mountain Stream Meditation Center is an insight meditation center located in Nevada City, California. It was founded by John M. Travis, a meditation teacher who has been studying Buddhism since 1969. The center belongs to the Theravada Buddhist tradition of insight meditation. According to the site, this is “a simple practice that helps to calm, collect and concentrate the mind. It allows us to see into our conditioning and to become more present in any given moment”. A virtual tour of the center is available here.
John Travis began his studies of Buddhism in the Tibetan Tradition, studying with the 16th Karmapa from the Kagyu lineage. The 16th Karmapa, Ranjung Rigpe Dorje, traveled in America and Europe from 1974 through 1981, spreading his teachings. He then studied with Lama Thubten Yeshe from the Mahayana tradition. Yeshe was born in Tibet and lived there until oppression by the Chinese government forced him to flee to India. Travis studied with him and Kalu Rinpoche from the Tibetan Tradition.
He became ordained as a Hindu monk at the Ashram of Bihar School of Yoga under Swami Satyananda. The Ashram of Bihar School of Yoga was established in 1962 by Satyananda in Munger, Bihar, India. It is in the Satyananda style and is still open today, although the website has been shut down. In 1970, Travis studied in the Vipassana tradition with Anagarika Munindra (1915-2003), a Bengali Buddhist Master, and S.N. Goenka, an Indian teacher of Vipassana meditation and spiritual leader who spoke at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and World Leaders in 2000. He studied under Baba Ram Das, a former Harvard psychologist, who let trailblazing studies in psychedelics along with Dr. Timothy Leary. He then studied under Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba, a Hindu guru who has taught, among others, Mark Zuckerburg.
In 1979 he was ordained under the Taungpulu Sayadaw of the forest monk tradition, who started the Taungpulu Kaba-Aye Monastery in Boulder Creek, California after moving to the United States from Burma. In 1986 he started teaching meditation in Nevada City, California. He took the senior teacher training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center alongside Jack Kornfield (a leader in mindfulness in the U.S.) from 1989-1993, where he received Dharma transmission in the Vipassana tradition. Dharma transmission is a ritual that marks the passing of the lineage from teacher to student. It is sometimes compared to a “spiritual bloodline”. He has also studied with the Dalai Lama and studied in Asia for a total of ten years.
In 1994, he co-founded Mountain Stream Meditation Center. He currently acts as their founding teacher, is a meditation counselor, and leads hakomi body-centered therapy (a form of psychotherapy that focuses on mindfulness and mind/body awareness) and alchemical hypnotherapy. His teachings focus on making insight meditation relatable and relevant to everyday life. He writes poetry, which is published on the Mountain Stream Meditation website, which focuses on the Dharma of vipassana meditation, especially the process of learning the Dharma.
Here is an example of his poetry:
Was it the concert given by the frogs?
the Dharma talk that was louder,
than the chatter of my own mind.
Until the wild roar stopped.
A silence descended through the hall.
Stillness untroubled by breath of that forgotten place.
Your own voice refused to move your delinquent thought words.
Adjusting without movement the quiet fury of the stillness, almost forgotten.
Like the great Hunter you track that breath, enlivened and focused.
Respectfully balancing a bedazzled heart and this well-crafted discernment.
You who came to this place longing for child’s eyes that had grown accustomed to loss.
This river of aliveness floating on the minds inward attention.
Frogs came alive again but this time breathing life.
Some great stillness untouched by the sounds.
Breath, body, mind/heart placed on the pin point in time.
Everything lined up for a fraction of a moment.
Your mind knowing this emptiness;
Heart knowing this fullness.
All bargaining over; you have arrived.
He has also written a book called Taking the One Seat. It is about using Buddha’s teachings to become more present and reduce suffering in life. He has posted audio files which correspond to each of the chapters in the book, which can be found here.
Tradition
Mountain Stream Meditation Center teaches Vipassana, or insight meditation, which comes from the Theravada branch of Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism claims its roots with the original teachings of the Buddha. “Thera” means elder, and “vada” means way, so Theravada is the “elder way”. Theravada is an orthodox form of Buddhism. The tradition claims that the Abhidharmas were taught to the Theras directly from Buddha himself.
The Mountain Stream Meditation Center website defines insight meditation as “a simple form of Buddhist practice that helps to calm, collect and concentrate the mind. This practice originated with the Buddha over 2,550 years ago, and begins with focusing the attention on the breath”. Meditation is understood by the center as as a method to become more present and to “see into our conditioning”. It is also seen as a practice which can coexist with other spiritual practices and religions. Mountain Stream Meditation Center does not ordain practitioners; rather, anyone can come practice meditation there anytime they like. The center adapts Vipassana to fit with western culture, teaching ways to incorporate meditation practices into everyday life in order to cultivate mindfulness.
Members / Demographic
Membership is open to anyone, without discrimination, although there is little diversity in the board of directors and the meditation teachers. The center primarily serves residents in the area. Nevada County, CA, where the center is located, is also not very diverse, with only 16% of the population (total population of 102,241) being people of color. Virtual members are also welcomed. The center’s leadership is composed of the board of directors, which includes John Travis, the founding teacher, and the resident guiding teacher, Adam Stonebreaker. There is also a teacher’s council, composed of accomplished American meditation teachers and wellness professionals, an ethics and reconciliation council, and an administrative staff.
Adam Stonebreaker was recently appointed the resident guiding teacher, to inherit the duties of John Travis. He has been studying Yoga and Meditation since 1999. According to the Mountain Stream website, “Adam’s approach is particularly influenced by the rich intersections between Buddhism and traditional Yoga practices, the Bodhisattva path, and engaging with the natural world”. He has studied under Tibetan and American buddhist teachers, and earned his master’s degree in mindfulness studies at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Practices
The center offers weekly meditations, Dharma talks, and retreats. Dharma talks are led by one of the meditation teachers or by a guest speaker, and there are usually a few of these per week. Retreats are offered in several lengths and happen every few months or on a yearly basis, depending on the length. Some retreats are held at nearby lodges or event locations, and some are held internationally. At the beginning of each retreat, participants recite the five precepts: no harm, no taking anything not given, being “wise and careful with speech”, refraining from sexual misconduct, and abstaining from intoxicants. The website describes retreats as “times of quiet to still the mind and to reflect on how the mind operates. This allows for the heart to open which deepens compassion”.
Additionally, anyone is welcome to come visit the center and make use of its meditation space and gardens. The center has a labyrinth which is used for walking meditations.
It also has a statue of Amitabha, a buddha, which came from Thailand.
In addition to spiritual events, the center hosts community building events such as potlucks, community work days, and committee meetings. The center also provides meals to the Hospitality House, a shelter for people who are homeless.
Funding
The center is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization that is funded by donations. There are major fundraising events each year. Attendees are recommended to donate what they can for the programs offered, including personal meetings with the meditation teachers and retreats. Scholarships, also funded by donations, are offered for retreats for people in need of them.
Citations:
https://www.spiritrock.org/teachers/jack-kornfield
https://data.census.gov/profile/Nevada_County,_California?g=050XX00US06057