Teaching and Practice
Billy has been a student of meditation and Buddhist practice for more than thirty years. He received meditation teacher certification through the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program under Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, and lay ordination in the Soto Zen tradition from the Zen Center of Denver, where he teaches classes and serves on the board.
Billy is a founding practice leader at Roaring Fork Zen, a Zen community in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley. His teaching emphasizes clarity over complexity, presence over performance, and the slow, patient work of genuine transformation.
Talks & Guided Meditations
Zen Talk - Choosing to Do No Harm
Zen Talk - Choosing to Do No Harm
Zen Talk - Choosing to Do No Harm
This talk on the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts was delivered at the Zen Center of Denver on November 24, 2024.
Zen Talk - What Has Changed?
Zen Talk - Choosing to Do No Harm
Zen Talk - Choosing to Do No Harm
This talk, delivered at the Zen Center of Denver on September 13, 2023, describes my experience entering and traversing the Zen path, the questions it has posed, and the comfort it has provided.
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation
Zen Talk - Choosing to Do No Harm
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation
This recording will guide you through an introductory meditation focused on the experience of breathing. Original background music was composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 1 of The Empty Path.
Mindfulness of Body Meditation
Mindfulness of Body Meditation
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation
This guided meditation supports your awareness of the body you inhabit, with both a brief body scan and a connection to sensations as they arise. Original background music was composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 2 of The Empty Path.
Greeting Empty Thoughts
Mindfulness of Body Meditation
Greeting Empty Thoughts
This guided meditation will support your examination of thoughts and emotions, their substance, and the degree to which you attach to them. Background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 3 of The Empty Path.
Transformational Breath
Mindfulness of Body Meditation
Greeting Empty Thoughts
This guided meditation practice is derived from Tonglen, where we practice transforming our thoughts and emotions with the rhythm and sensation of the breath. Background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 4 of The Empty Path.
Celebrating Your Senses
Softening Our Stories - Compassion Meditation
Softening Our Stories - Compassion Meditation
This "Five Senses Sitting" guided meditation invites you into a wholehearted, embodied experience of the present moment. Background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 5 of The Empty Path.
Softening Our Stories - Compassion Meditation
Softening Our Stories - Compassion Meditation
Softening Our Stories - Compassion Meditation
This guided meditation supports the awakening of compassion by training us to recognize the stories we tell about ourselves and others need not have power over us. Original background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 6 of The Empty Path.
Free Metta - Loving Kindness Meditation
Softening Our Stories - Compassion Meditation
Free Metta - Loving Kindness Meditation
This recording will guide you through an alternative version of the traditional loving kindness meditation, replacing "may I be this and that..." with recognition of our inherent wholeness. Original background music was composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 7 of The Empty Path.
Forgiveness Ceremony
Forgiveness Ceremony
Free Metta - Loving Kindness Meditation
This guided meditation serves as a ceremony for our mistakes, in which we investigate the event and harm we created fully, then offer ourselves forgiveness. Background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 8 of The Empty Path.
Vigil for Your Self
Forgiveness Ceremony
Practicing Your ARIA
This guided meditation escorts you through the process of emptying your ideas and attachments about yourself to discover something new and unblemished. Background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 9 of The Empty Path.
Practicing Your ARIA
Forgiveness Ceremony
Practicing Your ARIA
This guided meditation walks you through four steps of the ARIA response to difficulties, whether as they arise or in subsequent reflection: (1) acknowledge; (2) rest; (3) inquire; (4) advance. Background music composed and produced by Greg Fellman. This recording supplements the guided meditation in Chapter 10 of The Empty Path.
Mindfulness Articles
Why Meditate?
In this article, I provide a brief synopsis of the abundant evidence supporting the benefits of mindfulness meditation, including to mental health, cognition, and overall well-being.
What is Mindfulness Meditation?
In the second article in this series, I define mindfulness meditation and explore the different core facets of this ancient, life-affirming tradition.
How to Meditate
In the third article in this series, I provide a very brief introduction to core meditation technique, including instructions for both the body and mind.