Daniel Hessey discovered the dharma in 1973 through Trungpa Rinpoche's book Meditation in Action and moved to Tail of the Tiger (now Karme Choling) the following year. He has lived in Shambhala communities -- Karme Choling, Shambhala Mountain Center, and Marpa House ­- for the majority of his adult life. He served as co-director of what is now Shambhala Mountain Center from 1985 to 1992, and has served on its Board of Directors for the last five years. He has taught the Shambhala dharma extensively in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia. Before becoming an acharya, he served for two years as shastri for Shambhala Mountain Center and Fort Collins.

Dan is on the founding board of The Beanstalk Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting grassroots social entrepreneurs based in Denver, Colorado. Over the last ten years he has translated the Yijing (I Ching) from the Chinese into English under the direction of Eva Wong. In his spare time he plays jazz standards haltingly on his guitar. He is currently employed as a residential mortgage banker in Boulder Colorado, and the proud father of his daughter Emma, now attending high school.

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