Joe Reilly

Joe Reilly (he, him) is a singer, songwriter, social worker, and Dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Joe was ordained into the Order of Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community in 2011, receiving the Dharma name True Ocean of Grace. In 2021 Joe received transmission of the Lamp at the Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California, becoming an ordained Dharma teacher. Joe was raised Catholic and currently studies and practices progressive Catholicism, Native American spirituality, and engaged Buddhism. Joe has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 2004 and is often found singing and writing songs on spiritual retreats. He currently lives in Waawiyatanong/Detroit, where he co-leads the Building Beloved Community Sangha. He is of Cherokee, Choctaw, Italian, and Irish descent and identifies as Native American. Joe is part of the teaching community at the Lotus Institute along with his Dharma mentors the late Dr. Larry Ward, Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward, and Kaira Jewel Lingo. Joe is also mentored by Barbara Newell.

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