Support Ramona Lisa's Dharma Teaching Journey

Dear Sangha Siblings and Dharma Community,

I am asking for your generosity for my sangha sister Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith. She is a dedicated lay practitioner of the Dharma and has spent the last six years undertaking contemporary Upasika vows and living as a lay renunciate; receiving 95% of her income from Dana-based Dharma teaching opportunities and the other 5% she receives from Extra-Hire work at Spirit Rock and other Dharma-based engagements. For quite some time, her expenses have exceeded her income. Please gift/donate to her journey of becoming one of Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock’s newest retreat teachers. This act of generosity will change the world.

Ramona Lisa brings over 25 years of training and practice to this journey. I met her and then worked with her as a Retreat Manager at Spirit Rock Meditation Center before COVID years. As the “Ramónz,” we held and supported retreatants and teachers in the silence and learning of meditation retreats. Ramona Lisa is a light and teaches/models the love of the dharma. We both received Mindfulness teaching certificates from the Mindfulness Training Institute. We worked online at the Cloud Sangha and graduated from the Spiritual Teacher and Leadership Training at the East Bay Meditation Center together. I have seen her in action, and I know what a great teacher she is and is becoming.

Ramona Lisa is currently in her first year of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program, which is a four-year program designed to train lay meditation teachers in the Insight Meditation tradition. Moreover, it’s a rigorous program combining residential retreats, personal study, and community practice. Thus, the money we are asking for will cover retreat-related expenses, rent while she is away on retreat, and other expenses to help her stay afloat these next three years.

Throughout our time at Spirit Rock and beyond, we have been sustained by the practice of Dana—generosity freely given. In that same spirit, we humbly recognize that making this request is itself an expression of Dana.

Please give what you can, as no amount is too small.

Estimated General Costs and Expenses:

Retreat practice and related expenses: $4,000

General living expenses (i.e., groceries,rent, car insurance): $7,500

Health and Wellness costs (i.e, prescription glasses, retainer, acupuncture, and chiropractic): $1,400

Monthly Tax Payments: $1,100

Personal Debt: $4,000

Total: $18,000

Please contact me with any questions.

In gratitude and with a peaceful breath,

Ramón Honea