Teacher Collective
Tammy Dyer
Guiding and Founding Teacher
Tammy was trained as a licensed clinical social worker and worked as a mental health counselor for 20 years. She began attending meditation retreats in 2002 and founded what is now Insight Meditation Fort Wayne (IMFW) in 2004. Along with the Board of Directors, she helped find and renovate the current building of Sangha House at 2332 Sandpoint Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, which was dedicated on June 3, 2018.
Tammy graduated from CDLP4 (Community Dharma Leadership Program), sponsored by Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Center in 2010. CDL is a training program for committed Dharma practitioners for leadership in their spiritual communities.
“I have sat retreats with Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzburg, Jack Kornfield, Gina Sharpe, Gil Fronsdal, and many others who are elders in the Insight tradition. My guiding teacher for the last eight years has been Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia to whom I offer deep gratitude for her support and guidance as I navigate the path of practice.”
“As guiding teacher at IMFW, I tend to focus primarily on the practical applications of the Buddha’s teachings. My talks tend to be in rhythm with my own practice and are a reflection of the constantly changing nature of that practice. What I most love about leading a Sangha is seeing students become dedicated to their own practice and liberation. As yogis begin to understand that personal freedom is possible and begin to light up within, it inspires me to deepen my own practice and path for liberation.”
Drew has been studying Buddhism since the early 1990’s and is a student of the Pali Canon. Although largely an autodidact, Drew has studied with many of the leading teachers in the Western Theravada Buddhist lineage at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA and elsewhere around the country. Drew has been a member of the group now known as Insight Meditation Fort Wayne since 2009 and as a senior student, assists the Guiding Teacher by offering talks rooted in his exploration and investigation of meditation and the Buddhist teachings found in the ancient scriptures. Drew has filled the role of Secretary for the Board since 2015 and has continued as such at Insight Meditation Fort Wayne following its official inception in 2018.
Drew chooses to serve on the Board of Directors for Insight Meditation Fort Wayne as a way of giving back to the Sangha which he holds dear while helping to promote its mission in which he believes strongly.
“My journey with Buddhism began in the Theravada tradition in the 1970’s with Ayya Khema and Phra Kantipalo in Australia. In the 1980’s, I studied with Katigiri Roshi in the Zen tradition and most recently with Garchen Rinpoche in the Vajrayana/Tibetan school of Buddhism. While I studied in these traditions sequentially over many years, I often present from all three in my teaching. I find IMFW open and welcoming to the schools and traditions of the Buddha’s wisdom and I endeavor to teach in a way that resonates and offers an approach to meet the predispositions of various people.”
“I have studied and practiced Buddhism for over 40 years. In my early 20’s, I discovered there were actual Buddhist communities in the United States. So, I made my way to the San Francisco Zen Center. Over the years, I have been interested in a variety of teachers and had the good fortune to study with and attend trainings and retreats given by teachers from Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan traditions. A few decades into this path, I still consider myself a beginner in many ways and my hope is to respectfully weave together various dharma traditions in a way that is accessible and helpful.”