We are proud to publish Author JOHN M. TRAVIS’ work.
John has explored the Dharma in many forms: as a wandering holy sadhu in India, a dauntless yogi and courageous spiritual adventurer, as a poet and a meditator, as a student of a hundred spiritual teachers and as a beloved teacher himself, a father and grandfather and community builder and all along a lover of the Path of the Heart.
Jack Kornfield, Spirit Rock Center 2019
These many facets of John’s life are woven into the beautiful and deep teachings you will find here.
John is the founder of Mountain Stream Meditation Center and remains its guiding teacher. His teachings have been important to the growth and development of Buddhism and meditation throughout Northern California and several other areas in the Western United States.
John began his spiritual journey in Asia in the 1960s, a journey that continues today. He recalls:
I hitchhiked from London across Europe to India. Something was pulling me, but I didn’t know what. I traveled overland and got busted in Thessalonica, Greece. They thought I was spy, because I had long hair and a peace sign on my backpack. I was placed in a straight-backed chair with bright lights on my face and grilled by guys in trench coats and hats. It was a scene right out of some grade-B movie. Finally, I made it to Eastern Turkey, where I was thrown in jail again. It was just one crazy thing after another, but I knew where I was headed.
John sat with Buddhist masters in India, Tibet, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and other Eastern regions. While in Asia, he traveled with Baba Ram Das, through whom he connected with Maharaj-ji Neem Karoli. He also studied with Lama Thubten Yeshe and the Venerable Kalu Rinpoche. John later entered the ashram where he took full Hindu monastic ordination under the guidance of Swami Saryananda Saraswati.
Today, John travels extensively both in the United States and around the world. He leads retreats throughout the United States and pilgrimages to sacred Buddhist sites in India and Nepal. Recently he and a group visited sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet.
In 1986, John began teaching weekly meditation groups in Nevada City, California. This eventually evolved into today’s meditation center. During weekly Dharma talks, John incorporates teachings and insights he gained from his extensive travels and his personal spiritual practice.
In 2019 John published his first book, Taking the One Seat, based on his Dharma talks given during classes and retreats.
This book is an invitation to awaken. Offering this truth and the practices of how to do so are the essence of his work.
Taking the One Seat is Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The books will also be available soon as an eBook.
“Read these pages slowly, savor them.
Take the particular teachings that most touch you as medicine, as jewels, as an invitation to live with love and joy amidst it all.
May this book be a blessing to which I add my own.”
Metta, Jack Kornfield, Spirit Rock Center 2019
ABOUT JOHN’S SECOND BOOK: “John is a poet and he expresses himself more profoundly in these poems than he can in a Dharma talk. Reading and rereading these poems provided me with a deeper insight into John, the Buddha’s teachings and the path to relieve suffering.” – Coy F. Cross II
John limited the number of poems to sixty-four, a spiritual and meaningful number in Chinese culture. These poems incorporate many insights from his Asian treks and experiences . For more information about Scuffed-Up Shoes, click here.
Scuffed-Up Shoes is Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The books will also be available soon as an eBook.
