John Freese

Dr. John Freese (Rev. Dhammabodhi) is a former Buddhist monk in the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition, a Buddhist minister in the Dhamma Vinaya Order, and a professor of Buddhist studies at Sakya Buddha University in Santa Ana California. After being a monk for 12 years John transitioned back to lay life. He moved to Los Angeles and did 10 years of graduate school. He earned a Master of Divinity at University of the West and a PhD in practical theology at Claremont School of Theology. His research is focused on integrating Buddhist meditation with trauma therapy. He has also focused on early Buddhist and Daoist yogic teachings. Based on his research he developed a Buddhist model of spiritual care and counseling called Buddhist ACT in which he has correlated the six processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with early Buddhist teachings from the Samyutta Nikaya. John is the founder of the Dhamma Vinaya Order, a lay order of Buddhist ministers. The DVO online temple is www.muktivihara.org He is a professor of Buddhist counseling at Sakya Buddha University in Santa Ana California. He is the host of Down with the Dharma podcast and editor of The New Order on SubStack.