John Orr received Theravada Buddhist ordination while living in Thailand and India as a monk for eight years. He has been teaching Vipassana Meditation and leading retreats, internationally, since 1980 and has also practiced in the Taoist, Tibetan Dzogchen, and Hindu Yoga traditions.

John is the guiding teacher of the New Hope Sangha in Durham, North Carolina and teaches at the Deep Spring Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He recently retired from three decades of teaching at Duke University.