David B. Dillard-Wright

Devidasi B. Dillard-Wright graduated from Emory University in 1999 and went on to receive the Master of Divinity degree in the Candler School of Theology, also at Emory. She served as a minister to rural Methodist congregations in Georgia while attending seminary. She studied philosophy and theology at Drew University in Madison New Jersey and eventually wrote a dissertation on French phenomenologist, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, which was published as Ark of the Possible: The Animal World in Merleau-Ponty. Other publications in academic journals followed, which concentrated on philosophy of mind, animal studies, and environmental ethics. One of her academic chapters can be found in Experiencing Animal Minds: An Anthology of Animal-Human Encounters, edited by Julie Smith and Robert Mitchell.

Dr. Dillard-Wright took a turn towards Indian philosophy and religion and began publishing books on meditation, including, The Boundless Life Challenge, A Mindful Day, A Mindful Morning, A Mindful Evening, Meditation for Multitaskers, 5-Minute Mindfulness, and The Everything Guide to Meditation for Healthy Living. She converted to Hinduism and wrote At Ganapati's Feet: Daily Life with the Elephant-Headed Deity, which includes some autobiographical material about her spiritual journey. She founded the Anahata Chakra Satsanga (Heart Chakra Society) as an outgrowth of her study of the teachings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati and Shree Maa of Kamakhya, who now run the Devi Mandir in Yuba City, CA.

Devidasi is currently Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. She lives in Augusta, Georgia with her wife, Jessica, and her three children, Atticus, Oscar, and Tallulah.

www.anahatachakrasatsanga.org

@DBDillardWright

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