Joan Elizabeth has been a student of Sogyal Rinpoche since 1980. In childhood, she listened to the gospels; later she followed the Gurdjieff Tradition. With a master’s degree in early childhood education, Joan helped start a children’s school in the Gurdjieff community. Because of a rare form of rheumatoid arthritis, she met a homeopathic doctor, who healed her, both body and heart—she was ready to become Rinpoche’s student. To attend retreats, and spend time with her two boys, Joan became a realtor. After the Three-month retreat in Lerab Ling in 1992, Rinpoche asked his students to help hold those who became interested in Tibetan Buddhism after reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, so Joan trained as an instructor. She lives in Maine and enjoys sports, gardening, flower arranging, reading and painting.
