About Darren
I’m not your standard monk/ spiritual guy and I’m for sure NOT your guru.
If spiritual teachers were lovers, I’m the guy who always needs two hands and five minutes to undo the bra.
I’ll get you there but the “way” might be a bit unconventional. But, if you are here, that’s what you’re looking for right?
What I am is someone also struggling along my path figuring it out each day and using the principles I’ve picked up as “the worst buddhist” to find peace and freedom within. And, I’m damn good at sharing my joy, child-likeness, and geeky outlook to help others brighten their lives too.
I’m a Marine Veteran, a chronic martial arts student, an athlete, a comic book nerd, a father, an author, a homeless advocate, a community volunteer, a Zen monk, a yo-yo master (maybe a bit obsessed), and a lot in between.
Most likely what you are experiencing I’ve been there too.
Press:
Media Bio
Darren Lamb began his life as a Buddhist monk in 2003. Choosing the path of the Bodhisattva, Darren has set about teaching the dharma in creative ways. He has taught free meditation courses throughout the country, and has taught for major corporations like LL Bean, Franklin Covey, and Intermountain Healthcare. He has worked one-on-one with athletes, inmates, veterans, end-of-life patients, and the general public, showing them how to implement the Buddha’s teachings, and what he calls The Warriors Life into their daily lives. Darren’s passion for helping people bring out the best of themselves can be felt in his teachings and his writings, and is what makes his bodhisattva path so much fun to walk.
Shortly after becoming a Zen monk, Darren’s temple closed and he adapted a Ronin approach to his work, working without the restrictions of a temple, and taking his teaching out in the world to others who were practicing alone. His first non-fiction book Ronin Buddhism, teaches people how to establish a meditation and life practice, without the aid of formal teachers or traditional settings.
Darren Likes to get his hands dirty in his work. He runs a veteran’s group helping soldiers and sailors return to non-combat life, and to help them deal with PTSD. He is a volunteer chaplain for Intermountain Healthcare, while simultaneously working in their security department aiding patients and families through difficult times. He is one of the founders of The Kindness Project which is a homeless outreach group providing food and services to the large number of people experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake City. He has been on numerous comic book convention panels sharing how Buddhism and spirituality can be found in pop culture.
The easiest way to access Darren’s teachings is through his writing. All of his novels have a conscious living theme running through them and asks you to step outside of your comfort zone and grow with his characters. He has a way of placing spirituality in places you wouldn’t expect to find them like in his novel Rebirth which is a zombie story or The Book of Benjamin in which an awkward professional jelly bean buffer is mistaken as the second coming of Christ.
His Sea of Sin series is where the meat of his teachings lie. With some semi-autobiographical parts, the series follows a Buddhist monk and a Catholic priest who are best friends and whose work takes them to sometimes dark places.
Head Shots
Images by: Cali Warner