Mountain Zendo and Healing Center

About Susan Downing,

Reiki Master Teacher, PhD

My life centers around facilitating healing and teaching.   A practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, I have dedicated my life to alleviating the suffering of beings, and to helping those around me awaken their love for others and lead happier, more fulfilling lives. 

I work toward this goal in a variety of ways: by doing individual Reiki sessions, training Reiki practitioners and working with advanced Reiki students on integrating Reiki into their spiritual practice.  I am also currently working on a book, The Heart of Reiki, which will be a practical guide to using Reiki for spiritual and personal transformation.

My desire to express my spiritual commitment to this work of alleviating the suffering of beings, and to formally dedicate my life to this work prompted me to take bodhisattva vows from Jeffrey Brooks in July, 2007.   

About Jeffrey Brooks,      Sangha Director

 Jeff Brooks began meditating in 1974, studying in the Soto and Rinzai tradition in both Okinawa and the US.  He also spent seven years in daily study of classical Indian Buddhism in the Dalai Lama's Gelug tradition.    Jeff taught karate in Northampton, daily, from 1988-2009, and led Mountain Zendo from 1994-2009.     A gifted writer and teacher, Jeff is half of our blog-writing team, contributing biweekly dharma-related posts, but you can check out many more of his writings about karate, life and zen on www.jeffbrookskarate.com.  You can reach him through that site, through Mountain Zendo, or by e-mail at "jbrooks882@gmail.com."  

Other sites I recommend

  Here you'll find sites of some people whose work I value and respect.  Check them out:

Carey Andre Baker, Midnight Son Designs: Graphic artist, web designer.  Carey did my Share the Sweater logo. **NEWS!!  Carey has a new website up and running which provides information about dozens of Pioneer Valley businesses, cultural projects, education institutions, local farms, and much, much more!  It's called New England Abundance.  Check it out!

Marie Lisewski, Laurel Mountain Gift Baskets, "where gift-giving won't make you a basket case". Marie put together the lovely gift basket that I will raffle off at the end of the Whole Health Expo.

Terry Spier, Magical Beadstalk: Gorgeous handcrafted Beaded Jewelry!  Terry designed and made the jewelry I'm wearing in my photo above.  Visit her at her Easthampton studio!

Thomas D. Osborne, Mosaic Hardwood Floors:Custom design, fabrication and installation of Marquet and Inlaid Floors  These floors stunning, functional works of art.

Hilary Cooper-Kenny, Crazy As A Loom: Handwoven rag and other rugs If you like rag rugs, you'll love these!  I have 3 so far, including one Hilary made to order for me.

 

Susan's background and training

I earned my PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of California at Berkeley and taught continuously at the college level for 30 years.  I opened my own business (first called Share the Sweater), offering both Reiki treatments and instruction in meditation and stress relief techniques, in 2007.

A Reiki Master Teacher, I am committed to practicing and teaching Reiki in the spirit of Mikao Usui, Reiki's founder. See My Healing Approach for more information on how I approach my work.

In addition to having my own practice, I work as the Reiki provider for Baystate Medical Center's Integrative Medicine Program, which offers a variety of holistic services to the hospital's patients. I also ran the volunteer-staffed Reiki program at the Sister Caritas Cancer Center (at Mercy Medical Center) which offered free Reiki sessions for Cancer Center patients and their caregivers. 

I have also volunteered with hospice patients and am committed to providing compassionate end of life care.