People

Founder and Director

Tenzin Wangyal RinpocheFounder & Board President

The 3 Doors Founder is Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a Tibetan Bön Buddhist meditation master. Tenzin Rinpoche is an acclaimed author of multiple books as well as a highly respected teacher throughout the world. He is renowned for his depth of wisdom; his clear, engaging teaching style; and his ability to make the ancient Tibetan teachings highly accessible and relevant for modern living. His works have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Three of his books provide the source materials for The 3 Doors meditation programs: Awakening the Sacred Body; Tibetan Sound Healing; Awakening the Luminous Mind. Tenzin Rinpoche resides in California with his wife and son.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is also the founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, an organization with the mission to preserve Bön Buddhist wisdom in the world. Find his full bio and follow his worldwide activities here>

Kallon BasquinDirector and Board Vice President

Kallon Basquin did post graduate work at UCLA and received his PhD from Cambridge School of Psychology in developmental and clinical psychology, with post-doctoral work in Gestalt and Psychosynthesis. He is a therapist in private practice in Claremont California specializing in integral, contemplative, and cross-cultural psychology. Kallon’s purpose and imagination in life were strongly influenced by revelatory encounters with the forces of nature as a child while hunting for food in Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley. His vision was further shaped by encounters with people he came to realize were the embodiment of goodness, beauty, and truth: chance meetings with Thomas Merton at the Trappist monastery, walking with Dr. Martin Luther King throughout the South, studying with spiritual teachers from Tibet and India, and meetings with remarkable men and women in all strata of society while traveling the world. A sacred role in Kallon’s life is that of grandfather.

Our Teachers

Alejandro Chaoul Senior Teacher

Alejandro Chaoul has studied in the Tibetan tradition since 1989, and for over 20 years with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He holds a PhD in Tibetan religions from Rice University. Since 1995, he has been teaching meditation classes and workshops nationally and internationally under the auspices of Ligmincha Institute and is on the Board of Ligmincha Institute Texas. Since 1999 he has designed and taught mind-body interventions for the Integrative Medicine Program of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, where he holds a faculty position and conducts research on the effects of these practices in people with cancer. He is an associate faculty member at The University of Texas’ McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, where he teaches medical students in the areas of spirituality, complementary and integrative medicine, and end of life care. In addition to teaching in the Latin American Academy, Alejandro is a member of the research committee of The 3 Doors. Alejandro is the author of Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition (Snow Lion, 2009). He lives in Houston with his wife, son, and daughter.

Raven LeeSenior Teacher

Raven Lee is a Jungian based psychotherapist, meditation teacher, diplomate in energy psychology, and board certified fellow in clinical hypnotherapy. She is a senior student of Bön Buddhism, and teaches The 3 Doors Academy in Europe. She holds a Ph.D in Transpersonal Psychology from the International University for Professional Studies and a MSW in Clinical Social Work from the University of Southern California. The founder of Integrative Wisdom Path, Raven integrates Buddhist principles and shamanic healing practices with Western psychology and interpersonal neurobiology in her private practice in Pasadena, CA, where she specializes in mind/body healing and the treatment of trauma.

Gabriel RoccoSenior Teacher

Gabriel Rocco has studied and practiced under the guidance of Tenzin Wangyal for twenty years. Gabriel earned his Master of Arts in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University in 1982. His personal meditation practice benefits from intimate study with leading meditation masters, spiritual teachers, and healing professionals from a diversity of healing traditions. Gabriel is a senior instructor for the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Program for Mindfulness where he teaches Mindfulness based Stress Management programs, advanced classes in meditation, and leads group retreats.
Gabriel served as the Mind Body Specialist at The Wellness Community of Philadelphia for twenty years where he facilitated an assortment of programs to support cancer patients and caregivers through the integration of mind, body, and spirit. His private practice of Contemplative Mentoring is conducted at the Contemplative Arts Studio in Bryn Mawr, PA, as well as via the internet. He frequently teaches with his wife, Marcy Vaughn.

Laura ShekerjianSenior Teacher

Laura Shekerjian is a psychotherapist practicing in Berkeley, California and a long-time practitioner in the Bön tradition. Holding master’s degrees in counseling psychology as well as Buddhist studies, she has worked for over twenty years in individual, group, and classroom settings to actively engage her clients and students in the process of self-discovery.

Laura utilizes a variety of therapeutic approaches, such as dream work, somatic awareness, and western psychological insights, as she guides others towards the realization of their essential natures. Laura was adjunct faculty for many years in the departments of somatic psychology and counseling psychology at John F. Kennedy University and the California Institute for Integral Studies. Currently, Laura teaches in The 3 Doors Latin American Academy as well as for Ligmincha International. Laura has participated in the translation of texts from Tibetan to English.

Marcy VaughnSenior Teacher

Marcy Vaughn has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for more than forty years and is a senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Marcy was in the first graduating class of the master’s program in contemplative psychotherapy at Naropa University where she also taught and performed in a dance ensemble. She is currently a therapist in private practice in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where she offers meditation groups and retreats with her husband, Gabriel Rocco.

Marcy works in close collaboration with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and has edited his booksTibetan Sound Healing, Awakening the Sacred Body, and Awakening the Luminous Mind. She teaches throughout the US, Mexico, and Europe for Ligmincha International and is a teacher in The 3 Doors US Academy.

Karen PatrickTeacher

Karen Patrick, LCSW, a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for over 25 years and long time student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is a private practice therapist and an artist. She offers The 3 Doors teachings as a presenter, seminar leader, and meditation teacher. Professionally, Karen has been an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University School of Social Work and the Indianapolis Gestalt Institute, and she has served in various clinical settings, including those that address pain management, chiropractic care and holistic heath. Having grown up in West Virginia, she feels a deep kinship with the natural world.

Presenters

In addition to our teachers, The 3 Doors has more than 50 Presenters. One-third of Academy graduates choose to continue their development on the Presenter’s Path. These Presenters are offering the views and practices of The 3 Doors in 14 countries across Europe, Latin America and North America. Their commitments benefit their communities and work places as they serve in practice groups, hospice care, stress management, leadership development, artistic expression, and a wide variety of other venues where contemplative approaches are welcome.

Research Group

The 3 Doors Research group conducts short-term and longitudinal studies on the effects and benefits of The 3 Doors practices. Currently they are working on a longitudinal study of the Academy and multiple studies of the Compassion Project. Research Group Bios>

Staff and Volunteers

The leadership and staff of The 3 Doors rely heavily on a cadre of volunteers. Please contact chelsea@the3door.org if you have time or skills to offer!