Brian Ruhe

Biography for Brian Ruhe

Brian Anthony Ruhe (1959 - ) was a monk in Thailand and he has taught Buddhism since 1996 in the Vancouver, BC area. He has taught thousands of people at temples, community colleges, the University of the Fraser Valley, and at adult ed. courses in school boards and community centres.

Raised within a Unitarian background, Brian was exposed early to the spiritual dimension of life. Originally from Ontario, he studied business and philosophy at Brock University, and moved to Vancouver in 1980, continuing his studies at BCIT. After working in the financial planning industry selling mutual funds for eight years, he felt that although he was a reasonably happy individual, something was 'missing' from his life. Like many of us, he was haunted by the need for meaning and purpose in life.

Brian considered a number of different spiritual paths. In 1991 he was drawn to Buddhism because in it he found something sane, profound and wise. After immersing himself in Buddhist teachings he quit the financial planning business, and became a true seeker. The first stage of his journey was a six-month stay at a Tibetan Buddhist centre in Vermont, founded by Chogyam Trungpa, after which he moved for four years to Thailand, a Theravada Buddhist country. In Thailand he studied and practised at various temples and meditation centres, gathering teachings and deepening his meditation practice. He spent a short time in the monkhood with the name Buddhasaro bhikkhu. At his home temple, Wat Ram Poeng, in Chiangmai, Northern Thailand, he was trained by the abbot, Ajahn Supan, to be a Vipassana meditation instructor. It was in this setting that Brian first began to teach and give formal lectures on Buddhism to the dozens of Westerners who came to the monastery for month-long meditation retreats. It was in this setting, as well, that Brian decided that it was time for him to return to his homeland to share his insights and experiences. He is now a student of Ajahn Sona in the Theravada Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. Ajahn Sona is abbot of the Birken Forest Monastery near Kamloops, BC. They met in 2000 and Ajahn Sona's wisdom, knowledge and sense of humour has been a guiding inspiration for Brian ever since. See www.birken.ca .

Brian says "Meditation means directing the mind!" He works with people one-on-one and also offers courses of study presenting timeless teachings in a fresh way, working with ideas from other Buddhist teachers to empower people to work out the truth for themselves. “Brian Ruhe is a well-known Buddhist teacher in Greater Vancouver”, wrote Doug Todd in the Vancouver Sun. He has founded meditation groups and has appeared in several TV, radio and newspaper interviews on the subject of Buddhism. Brian believes that the boundaries between faiths are dissolving and that in this climate of change we may come to share more realistic, effective and workable tools in the governance of our lives. That is Brian's vision. That is how Brian sees himself benefitting others by contributing to growth and change.

Website: www.brianruhe.ca