Formed in 2009 as the Westchester Buddhist Center (WBC), but now the Westchester Meditation Center (WMC), our organization represents the teachings and meditation practices as transmitted by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, to friends and neighbors in Westchester County, New York.
In addition to dharma talks and meditation sessions, WMC offers in-depth, text-based courses, and periodically hosts visiting Buddhist teachers and other noteworthy speakers, movies and other celebratory events.
Today, WMC teachers include Jane Kolleeny, Derek Kolleeny, Gene Bobker, and Charles Olson. We emphasize an experiential Buddhism, one focused on ordinary, daily life. New and seasoned practitioners of all traditions are welcome!
Jane Kolleeny has been studying and practicing Buddhism since the early 1970s under the guidance of her teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. A native Coloradan, Jane moved to New York in 1990, where she taught classes at the New York Shambhala Center. She is the Retreats and Business Development Director at the Garrison Institute, producing over 100 retreats a year.
Charles Olson has been studying Buddhism all his life and with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1975. He has been practicing and studying with the Westchester Buddhist Center (now the Westchester Meditation Center) over the last ten years. Charles lives with his family in Manhattan, where he works for the City of New York helping to adapt to climate change.