What happens when a life is shaped by both silence and revolution?

What becomes possible when the Dharma meets the wounded places of our world with tenderness, and also with righteous, necessary fire?

In this episode of Beloved Futures, host Aubrey Morgan Yee sits down with Mary Thanissara – Buddhist teacher, former monastic, author, activist, and carrier of profound devotional lineage – for a spacious, intimate, and stirring conversation. This dialogue becomes a remembering: of feminine wisdom long suppressed, of inner authority reclaimed, and of the Dharma as a living, breathing force for liberation.

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About Our Guest

Mary Thanissara began practicing in the Burmese tradition in 1975 and later ordained in the Ajahn Chah lineage, becoming one of the first Western women to join the siladhara order in the UK. She spent twelve years as a Buddhist nun, helping establish both Chithurst and Amaravati Monasteries and pioneering Dharma retreats for families and children.

A longtime teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Mary is co-founder of Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat on the border of Lesotho, South Africa, where she and her husband, Kittisaro, have supported deep practice communities as well as multiple HIV/AIDS outreach initiatives. She holds an MA in Buddhist Psychotherapy and is the author of Garden of the Midnight Rosary, a collection of mystical, devotional poetry. Her work integrates Dharma, depth psychology, trauma-informed healing, and sacred activism – with a particular emphasis on restoring the feminine principle within spiritual life and systems of power.

What We Explore in This Episode

This conversation moves between the intimate and the mythic – tracing Mary’s journey from early monastic life to decades of teaching, activism, and trauma-informed spiritual care. Through stories, lineage memories, and fierce clarity, Mary calls us back to an embodied, relational, and sacred Dharma.

Key Takeaways

• The wounded feminine within Buddhism – how patriarchal structures shaped Mary’s early monastic life and why reclaiming the feminine is essential for collective liberation.
• Trauma, silence, and spiritual bypassing – understanding how traditions can unintentionally reinforce harm, and how courage, truth-telling, and relational repair restore the integrity of the path.
• Right timing and sacred cycles – how awakening often unfolds in spirals, not straight lines, and why deep practice requires patience, attunement, and compassion.
• The Dharma in a burning world – how Buddhist practice meets climate emergency, social injustice, and global grief – not as escape, but as embodied engagement.

Whether you are a longtime practitioner, newly exploring Buddhist teachings, or simply longing for a more truthful and loving way of being, this conversation with Mary Thanissara invites you into a deeper relationship with presence, integrity, and sacred courage.

With Love & Gratitude,
Aubrey Morgan Yee

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GUEST INFO

Learn more about Mary’s work:

Websites: https://sacredmountainsangha.org/ 

https://dharmagiri.org

Substack: https://thanissara.substack.com

FOLLOW AUBREY'S WORK

Website: www.ourbelovedfutures.com
Instagram: @aubrey.morgan.yee
Substack: ourbelovedfutures.substack.com
Book: Our Beloved Futures