Shantigar Foundation
in Western Massachusetts
Arts
Meditation
Nature
Jean-Claude van Itallie, Founder
1936 - 2021
Meditation & Dialogue
Leslie Booker – Friday, January 9, 2026 from 12:00 noon - 1:00 PM
Scott Tusa – Tuesday, February 24, 2026 from 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Susan Piver – Tuesday, March 10 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM
hosted by Marisa Viola
Free event. Donations gratefully accepted.
Meditation & Dialogue offers live, online talks with a range of Buddhist dharma teachers, hosted by Marisa Viola, a longtime meditation teacher and advisor to Shantigar. This series offers a space for questions and discovery—
How do these teachers work with the dharma in daily life?
How can these ancient teachings meet the considerable challenges of our time?
Each gathering will begin with a dharma talk and meditation. Marisa then will lead a group conversation to explore today’s evolving role of the Buddhist teachings. Whether you are new to meditation practice or long on the path, join us to hear fresh perspectives, engage in dialogue, and reflect on the many ways that the dharma continues to unfold in our world.
Leslie Booker is a heart-centered, spirit-driven activist and meditation teacher, committed to a culture of belonging through teaching and writing. She completed Spirit Rock’s four-year Retreat Teacher Training in 2020. Leslie has shared yoga practices and mindfulness with NYC’s most vulnerable populations for more than a decade. She has co-authored and contributed to several publications, including the trauma-informed anthology, Practicing Liberation and its accompanying workbook for folks working towards social justice. She is co-founder of the Yoga Service Council at Omega Institute and the Meditation Working Group of Occupy Wall Street. In 2020, Leslie was selected as a Sojourner Truth Leadership Fellow at Auburn Seminary and was voted by her peers as one of the 12 Powerful Women in the Mindfulness Movement. Leslie currently serves as a Guiding Teacher at New York Insight.
Susan Piver is a NY Times’ bestselling author of many books, including The Wisdom of a Broken Heart; Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation; The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships; and The Buddhist Enneagram: Nine Paths to Warriorship. Her latest book is Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra. Susan brings an international reputation as a skillful meditation teacher. She has given talks widely, including Procter & Gamble, Google Paris, Google London, and Harvard University. A student of Buddhism since 1993, Susan graduated from seminary in 2004. In 2014, she founded The Open Heart Project, the world’s largest online-only dharma center which offers meditation classes, virtual retreats, and community gatherings.
Scott Tusa is a Buddhist meditation teacher and practitioner who has spent the last 25 years exploring how to embody and live meaningfully through the Buddhist path. He has learned from a variety of Tibetan Buddhist masters and was ordained by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at age twenty-eight. He lived as a Buddhist monk for nine years, deepening his practice through study with his teachers and extended retreats. Since 2008, Scott has been teaching Buddhist meditation in person and online, helping modern meditators cultivate and develop more confidence in their practice.
Marisa Viola has been studying Buddhism since 2008. She has taken Refuge and Boddhisattva vows with Venerable Robina Courtin in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has studied with teachers in various Buddhist lineages, including Thích Nhất Hạnh. Marisa began teaching in 2013 after completing a year-long immersion program. She has served as a Senior Teacher at MNDFL and as a mentor in their Meditation Teacher Training Program. Marisa has taught in universities, corporations, dharma centers, and media organizations, among others. She teaches regularly at the Open Heart Project and offers a wide range of dharma study groups. Marisa currently is earning her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is an Advisory Board member of the Shantigar Foundation.