Jacqueline Kramer

USA

Jacqueline Kramer has been studying and practicing Theravada Buddhism for 30 years. Her root teacher is Anagarika Dhammadinna who taught in the Sri Lankan tradition. She also studied with Venerable Ananda Maitreya, Ajahn Sobin Namto, and Venerables Punnaji Maha Thera and Ayya Khema.

After 3 years of Buddhist practice and study, Jacqueline became pregnant. She applied what she was learning from Buddhism to pregnancy, birthing, mothering and homemaking and found that, not only was her practice deepening, her mothering and homemaking was becoming more joyful. Determined to share these insights with other moms, Jacqueline wrote, Buddha Mom: The Path of Mindful Mothering and 10 Spiritual Practices for Busy Parents.

After the release of Buddha Mom, Jacqueline began receiving correspondence from readers asking her to teach. Out of these requests Jacqueline developed a number of online lay Buddhist practice classes on subjects such as: creating a home practice, the 3 refuges, the 5 precepts, the Buddha’s advice to householders on relationships and on death, dying and illness in families. These classes are offered freely in keeping with the Buddhist tradition.

The Hearth Foundation was created to house these classes and to create a spiritual community for mothers interested in developing a Buddhist family lifestyle in the West. It serves mothers from all over the world: Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and the United States (www.hearthfoundation.net).

Jacqueline lives part-time in Sonoma, California and part-time with her daughter and granddaughter in Los Angeles, California, USA.