In 1987 Phillip Moffitt walked away from his highly successful post as chief executive and editor-in-chief of Esquire magazine to focus on his inner life. After leaving Esquire, Phillip spent most of his time studying Theravada Buddhism and practicing vipassana (insight meditation). He also became interested in the mind-body connection and studied yoga, Jungian psychology, aikido, and somatic healing techniques.
After he had been practicing vipassana for seven years, Phillip was invited by Jack Kornfield, the founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, to participate in Spirit Rock’s three-year teacher training. In 1998 after completing his teacher training, Phillip established the Marin Sangha in San Rafael, California.
In addition to teaching the Marin Sangha, Phillip travels throughout the U.S. and Canada leading silent meditation retreats and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.
Between 1999 and 2006, Phillip wrote a regular column for Yoga Journal called “Dharma Wisdom,” which became the inspiration for this website. And in 2008 he published his first book about living the dharma in daily life, Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering. An excerpt from the book was published in The Best Buddhist Writing, 2009. In 2012 Phillip published a second book about Buddhist psychology, Emotional Chaos to Clarity. An excerpt from the book was published in The Best Buddhist Writing, 2013. Phillip has also written for or been featured in Shambhala Sun, Tricycle, and Buddhadharma magazines.
In addition to devoting himself to teaching the dharma, Phillip also does what he calls “Life Balance” work, a process he developed for helping others find more meaning and a greater sense of well-being in their lives. In 1991 he founded the Life Balance Institute.