Emma Pittaway

Emma Pittaway teaches an open ‘natural awareness’ approach that emphasises meditation as a way of being in the world, integrated into our daily lives. Inspired by the Buddha and his followers, who lived and meditated in the forest, she draws on the natural world to support her practice. She is a committed lay practitioner, integrating family life, Dharma teaching, meditation practice and her work in community climate resilience.
Email: emma.wilddharma@gmail.com
Website: www.wilddharma.net
Emma first encountered the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) in 1999 and has practised with Vajrayana and Theravada teachers in India, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia and Australia. Her main training has been in the Burmese Mahasi and Shwe Oo Min lineages. Her primary teacher and mentor is Patrick Kearney and she practices and teaches in the style of Sayadaw U Tejaniya.
As well as teaching at Kuan Yin Meditation Centre Emma teaches several natural awareness meditation retreats per year and sometimes facilitates ‘yatras’ (wilderness walking retreats). She also offers one-on-one ‘deepening practice’ sessions via zoom.
'Doshin' Rachel Whiting

Doshin has been a Zen practitioner for over 20 years. She combined her practice with raising her two children and working as a Youth Worker and Family Support provider. Doshin’s training in Zen Buddhism has been under the close guidance of recently retired Kuan Yin Meditation Centre (KYMC) Zen Teacher Ellen Davison, and Subhana Barzaghi Roshi, a senior Sydney Zen Centre teacher and Founder of KYMC.
Phone: 0427 778 837
Email: mushinji@proton.me
Doshin completed an intensive solo three-month retreat in 2024 in order to deepen her practice and open to the alternative viewpoints this enables. She is dedicated to helping her community discover and express the ‘original brilliance’ of one’s true nature through simply ‘being’ in inner stillness. She feels passionate about sharing the gifts she enjoys and does so by extending the Buddha’s teachings through Zen’s direct pointing into “just this”. She supports koan exploration, and the use of Zen’s ancient ‘medicines’ to find ease amidst modern-day dis-ease.
Doshin has a project underway to build a rural ‘dojo’ (meditation hall) for longer periods of group meditation and mindfulness. She also trains and teaches Karate in Nimbin.
Mal Huxter

Jen Ireland

Jen has a strong commitment to the Dharma, both in her own studies and supporting others to deepen their understanding of the Dharma through retreats and being part of the Sangha.
Jen started studying the Dharma and attending retreats over 40 years ago, firstly with the Sydney Zen Group, Goenkaji and other teachers, but mainly sitting with Insight Meditation Teachers and in particular, a student of Christopher Titmuss. Jen has visited India four times, attending the International Dharma Gatherings in Sarnath. She has also studied the Dharma Facilitators Program and has a Graduate Diploma in Buddhist Psychotherapy and Counselling.
Jen is very involved with the Forest Meditation Centre at The Channon. She has lived on Dharmananda Community for 28 years.
In particular, Jen believes there is immeasurable benefit in applying the Dharma to everyday life.