V. Amalan Stanley is an individual who has formally and extensively studied the tradition of Buddhist yoga. He is a multifaceted figure—a poet, a novelist, and a philosopher. He has authored several books, including Theruvara Zen Guru (The Street-Corner Zen Guru), which focuses on the Buddhist monk Bernie Glassman, and Manavizhippunilai (Mindfulness), which explores the concept of Yanam (the spiritual path). (Source: V. Amalan Stanley – Tamil Wiki)
Thich Nhat Hanh was banned from entering his homeland in 1966 due to his opposition to American intervention in Vietnam. When the ban was lifted in 2008 and he returned to Vietnam accompanied by 400 students, Amalan Stanley was among those who traveled with him from India. It was Thich Nhat Hanh who bestowed upon him his monastic ordination and his spiritual name: “Healing Awareness of the Heart.”
V. Amalan Stanley began his journey of Buddhist exploration in 2005 with Goenka-style Vipassana meditation training; subsequently, he underwent Zen training at the Bodhi Zendo center. In 2008, he received direct instruction from the Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnam. From 2010 on—spanning a period of three years—he regularly invited Patrick Kearney, a Vipassana teacher from Australia, to the Bodhi Zendo Center in Kodaikanal to receive instruction. Under Kearney’s guidance, he also acquired the skills necessary to conduct meditation retreats himself. In 2013, he received training in the Tibetan traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen through Sogyal Rinpoche.
He completed a two-and-a-half-year training program to become a teacher of inner-awareness meditation, receiving both instruction and certification (MMTCP) from the Awareness Training Institute and the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California.
V. Amalan Stanley has conducted introductory classes on his method of Buddhist meditation on numerous occasions. Many participants have subsequently testified to the profound sense of liberation they experienced through these sessions. We plan to hold those classes again.
