Rob Burbea
Rob Burbea (1965-2020) was Gaia House’s much-loved resident teacher for 10 years from 2005 - 2015, when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During his time at
Gaia House, Rob wrote
Seeing That Frees: Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising – an important and influential work that continues to shape and open the meditative exploration of many. Emerging from this deep experiential understanding of emptiness, Rob dedicated much of his time and energy during the last years of his life to conceiving, developing, and establishing a new body of teachings that he called ‘A Soulmaking Dharma’. Before his death, Rob initiated
The Hermes Amāra Foundation (HAF), a sangha-led organisation that is being established to preserve and develop Rob's vast Dharma teaching legacy. Rob was also a guiding teacher of
Freely Given Retreats; a co-founder of
SanghaSeva, an organisation exploring the Dharma through international service work; and a co-initiator of
DANCE, the Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement.