Antonia Sumbundu began her formal practice in 1988 after attending a talk by the Dalai Lama. Her first Buddhist teacher was the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. Following his death in 1992, she studied with a variety of teachers, including Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Chokling Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche. In 2002 she met Mingyur Rinpoche, and began to receive teachings from him. Antonia was already a meditator with a keen interest in the clinical application of meditation when she began studying psychology. She holds a master’s degree in MBCT from Oxford University, and is an Associate with the Oxford Mindfulness Center.

Jess has devoted much of her adult life to practicing and studying Buddhism. After completing  both  Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Earth Systems at Stanford University, she moved to Zen Mountain Monastery, where she trained for over three years. During that time she completed over 40 week-long sesshins (silent retreats) and studied many Buddhist topics. She then decided to pursue Tibetan Buddhism, and was ordained as a monastic by Thrangu Rinpoche in 2015. She met Mingyur Rinpoche shortly afterwards at Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya, India, and knew immediately he was her main teacher. Under Mingyur Rinpoche’s guidance, she completed two months-long solitary retreats in Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s cave in the Himalayas, including a five-month retreat over winter where she saw no one. After completing her solitary retreats, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin to participate in the Tergar community and the Center for Healthy Minds. In 2018, Jess chose to return to lay life and  her homeland in Alberta, Canada. Over the past few years, Jess has continued to study with Mingyur Rinpoche and Tsoknyi Rinpoche, while discovering both the joys and rich opportunities for practice that lay life offers. She serves as a Tergar Facilitator and host for online retreats, and supports a local practice group. Jess currently works as a website designer and meditation coach. In her downtime, she loves to backcountry ski, run, and bike in the mountains with her dog Pema.