John Baker

We are very sad to report that John Baker passed away during the morning of June 10th. In recent weeks, John had been receiving hospice care for age-related health issues at home, along with the support of caregivers, family, community friends and neighbors.

John was a very close student of the Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche from the earliest days of Rinpoche’s time in North America, starting with his arrival in 1970. He played a major role in the development of Rinpoche’s presentation of the Dharma in the West, both informally as a collaborator and advisor, and formally in a number of key roles: 

• He co-founded the Karma Dzong Meditation Center in Boulder, Colorado in 1970, serving for five years as its first co-director. 

• He also co-founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, teaching Buddhism there for five years, and later serving on its Board of Directors. 

• He is the co-editor of two of Trungpa Rinpoche’s most important books, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and The Myth of Freedom, and the author numerous articles.

In 1975, John retired from his formal positions within Rinpoche’s mandala and soon after founded his own travel services business. After 23 years, John sold the company to a Fortune 500 firm and retired in 2000. Since then, he taught Buddhist thought and meditation practice throughout North America more actively, delivering lectures, weekend programs, and multi-month courses.

Between 1999 and 2007 he led a number of month-long meditation programs at Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado and Karme Chöling Meditation Center in Vermont, and taught at the Vajradhatu Seminary. He also practiced psychotherapy and led Buddhist/Modern Analytic psychotherapy groups for fifteen years in Manhattan, and later served as an executive coach. Additionally, John was a member of the Board of Directors of The Light of Berotsana and the Board of Advisors of the Aligned Center. 

In 2009, John took the lead in co-founding the Westchester Buddhist Center (“WBC”) and served as one of its main directors and teachers, and also founded New York Buddha Dharma. When he moved to Boulder in 2020, he separated from WBC, which subsequently became Westchester Meditation Center. In 2020 John co-created the online Path of Awakening Buddhist Center to be of service during the pandemic, and this organization continues to this day with twice daily offerings on Zoom with meditations, book study and discussion groups.

He is survived by his partner, Valerie, and his two daughters, Olivia and Cara, and a granddaughter, Stella. John will be missed and mourned by many close friends and admirers for a very long time. 

Westchester Meditation Center will hold a Sukhavati ceremony soon – details to be announced. The Sukhavati is a funeral-like ceremony that Trungpa Rinpoche developed to honor the passing of a sangha member and support them in their transition, as well as to provide a way for the sangha to process their loss.

If you would like to access the memorial page for John Baker at CaringBridge, where friends may read and leave remembrances, use this button: