Gabriel Rocco, M.A. is a Senior Teacher for The 3 Doors and has been a student of its founder, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, Rinpoche for nearly 30 years. Gabriel earned his Master of Arts in Contemplative Psychotherapy degree from Naropa University in 1982. He maintains a Contemplative Mentoring practice, where he empowers individuals to uncover their inherent health and well-being in the face of serious illness.
In 1986, he pioneered the Cancer Support Care and Crisis Intervention program at Einstein Medical Center where he also served as counselor at Einstein’s Hospice, one of the nations’ first hospital based hospices. In 1990 he founded “Life Support Group,” a nonprofit organization providing mind-body practices in group format to cancer patients and their families.
In 2003, on behalf of Tenzin Rinpoche, he was honored to present directly to the Dalai Lama, at Garrison Institute, on the topic of teaching meditation to Westerners.
For twenty years, Gabriel was a senior teacher for the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Program for Mindfulness where he taught Mindfulness-based Stress Management programs. During the same twenty year period he served as the Mind Body Specialist for the Wellness Community in Philadelphia providing meditation instruction, stress management, and a variety of contemplative healing practices for people living with cancer and their families.
Gabriel taught the first six 3 Doors North American Academies with his wife, Marcy Vaughn. Marcy and Gabriel created and continue to teach The 3 Doors Compassion Project.
In addition to teaching a variety of programs with The 3 Doors, Gabriel has created the pre-recorded, self-paced courses:
“I clearly recall Tenzin Rinpoche speaking to the original gathering of students he would train to become teachers of the 3 Doors. His message indicated we were selected not based on personal accomplishment in practice, but because presenting the teachings and practices of the 3 Doors to others would accelerate, expand, and deepen our own personal practice, both formally and informally on the spot!
“When taking the seat of 'teacher', opportunities to experience being open or closed during interactions with community are more clearly seen: being present or distracted when listening to others; patient and trusting space rather than collapsing into the seeming safety of the conceptual mind and habitual reactive patterns when guiding practice or answering questions. Over time, I’ve experienced a deepening sense of gratitude and warmth of appreciation for so many who have benefitted me!”
