The Community

Group of people gathered in a room for a photo, some sitting on a large red rug and others standing behind, with two windows and a lamp in the background.
Group of people sitting on the floor in a circle during a meditation or discussion session in a bright room with large windows, pink chairs along the perimeter, and a red patterned rug.

The Burlington Dharma Collective is a practice community centered on unceded Abenaki land known as Burlington, VT. We are focused on liberatory dharma practice in community, where the strength of our practice is amplified when we come together.

We are grounded in Buddhist teachings, particularly the traditions of Vajrayana as taught by Bhumisparsha and Lama Rod Owens, and are committed to honoring the roots of these practices.

We aspire to an expansive, non-dogmatic orientation that welcomes multiple ways of knowing, diverse cosmologies, and all orientations to liberation that are rooted in the intention for personal and collective freedom for all beings without exception. 

Group of eight people standing on grass in a park or field with trees in the background, smiling and posing for a photo.
Group of eleven people, mostly women, gathered in a room with wooden floor and red patterned rug, some sitting on chairs and some standing behind, all smiling for the camera.

The Team

Our Teachers

A meditation teacher sitting on an alter surrounded by trees

Zac

  • Teacher & Co-Founder (he/him)

    I’m a father, partner, university lecturer, beekeeper, and Dharma practitioner who’s traveling the path of awakening in the midst of modern life. I’ve been meditating and studying Dharma for 20 years, inspired by a vision of personal and collective liberation.

    From a young age, I’ve been deeply curious about the nature of mind, magic, dreams, and the mystery of consciousness. I began meditation practice at the age of 19 in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains, sitting under a Tulip Poplar, opening my senses and melting into the landscape. After experiencing life-threatening injuries in a car accident and entering into a period of difficulty and confusion, I threw myself into Insight meditation (aka vipassana), fell in love with the Dharma, and haven’t looked back. My practice is supported by an eclectic mix of teachings and techniques and, in recent years, I’ve been practicing Vajrayana (tantric) Buddhism with my primary teacher Lama Rod Owens and the Bhumisparsha Sangha.

    I’ve been teaching meditation, mindfulness, and Dharma in retreat centers, college classrooms, local sanghas, Zoom rooms, and under the open sky for 10 years. Currently, I’m teaching at Inward Bound Mindfulness, the Burlington Dharma Collective, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, and University of Vermont.

    I live in Winooski, Vermont with my partner, son, and tens of thousands of honeybees. You can learn more about me or contact me through my website: www.zacispalanda.com

Care Council

Supporting the community through care, coordination, and shared practice

  • Practice Coordination & Dana (he/him)

  • Creative & Design (she/her)

  • Community & Social Outreach (she/her)

    Hi! I’m Abi Mavericke Stowell, a psychotherapist, yoga and meditation teacher, Ecstatic Dance and Breathwork facilitator, and founder of Survive & Thrive Psychotherapy here in Burlington. I’ve been teaching mindfulness and embodied practices for over a decade, and I keep returning to the same truth: creating spaces where people and communities feel safe enough to explore themselves, ask questions, and connect with their truest nature. This path has saved my life in more ways than I can count, and it has filled me with deep gratitude and a heartfelt desire to help others discover the same freedom, clarity, and connection.

    Being on the Care Council for the Burlington Dharma Collective is both a privilege and a responsibility. I am inspired by the many ways diverse traditions—from the Vajrayana teachings of Bhumisparsha and Lama Rod Owens to other paths of wisdom—can support us in living fully and authentically. In the past, I have felt lonely on this spiritual path, so I am deeply grateful to have found a sangha to share it with—and I’m so happy you’re here!

  • Technology & Systems (he/him)

    Hello! I’m Mike Miller. I’m a data scientist, systems designer, and breathwork instructor, as well as a lifelong student and Dharma practitioner who’s grateful to be walking this path in community. I’ve been practicing meditation and Dharma for about five years, and currently support the Burlington Dharma Collective through technology and systems work, helping maintain the community’s digital infrastructure and online presence.

    In my professional life, I’ve spent more than a decade working with complex data systems and technology. Alongside that work, I’ve been teaching breathwork for the past two years, focusing on practices that support nervous system regulation, embodied awareness, and contemplative practice.

    My path to the Dharma grew out of recovery and a deep exploration of therapy and nervous system work that helped create the conditions for insight and integration. In the early stages of that process, I remember sitting quietly after a breathwork session and realizing how different it felt to inhabit my own body with curiosity instead of resistance. Experiences like that opened the door to contemplative practice and eventually to the Dharma.

    As an autistic practitioner, I’ve also spent time exploring how contemplative teachings, often structured with neurotypical learning styles in mind, can be adapted and experienced through different ways of understanding and practicing. I’m continually grateful for the teachers, practices, and community that have supported this path, and I feel honored to offer service to the collective as part of the Care Council.

    I’m grateful to have found a community walking this path together here in Burlington.

  • Process & Operations (she/her)

Community Guidelines

Our community is guided by shared agreements that support safety, care, and collective practice.

These guidelines are informed by the Bhumisparsha Vision and Values, as well as the work of Adrienne Maree Brown, East Bay Meditation Center, The Wilds, and the Gratitude Network. They reflect our intention to create a space where people can practice with respect, accountability, and mutual support.

If you’d like to read through the full guidelines, you can do so here.