“Householders and homeless alike, each a support for the other, both accomplish the true Dhamma— the unsurpassed security from bondage.”
— Iti 107
Friends of Clear Mountain
“Friends of Clear Mountain” is a non-profit organization created to steward funds donated to help create and sustain Clear Mountain Monastery, a Theravada Buddhist monastery in the greater Seattle area. As the monastic community (the ‘Sangha’) are prohibited by their vows from using or having legal control over money, Friends of Clear Mountain receives and holds monetary donations given to support Clear Mountain Monastery—paying bills and providing necessary requisites for the monastics. In consultation with the monastics, we ensure that financial transactions are carried out legally and fairly. Friends of Clear Mountain is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We welcome inquiries from the community about the organization, our finances, the requisites for the monastics, and the role of stewards. You may email [email protected] with any questions. Sadhu!
Board of Directors
Kim Tull-Esterbrook, President
Kim has been practicing yoga and meditation for over twenty years. A native of the midwest, she has found a deep love for the beauty of the pacific northwest, which she has called home for the past 19 years. As a small business owner, she teaches yoga and mindfulness. She is beyond thrilled to have found the Clear Mountain community and feels incredibly honored to serve the Sangha and deepen her connection to the Dhamma.
Jay Harrington, Secretary
An east coast transplant who has lived in Seattle since the late 1990s, Jay began practicing in the Thai Forest Tradition in 2009. He manages a wheat farming operation based in Eastern Washington and is excited to help support monastic Buddhism as it puts down roots in the Northwest.
Alison Thomas, Treasurer
Alison lives across the water from Seattle in Kitsap County’s Southworth. She has been a practitioner since 2021 and discovered Theravāda Buddhism when she and her husband offered to host a monk that summer. Meeting the monastics and other dedicated practitioners in the community, she was inspired to support Clear Mountain Monastery’s aspiration to bring a place of refuge and practice to Seattle and the surrounding areas.
Steve Wilhelm
Steve Wilhelm has been meditating since 1968, and engaged in Buddhist practice since 1987. He has studied and practiced in the Tibetan and Vipassana traditions, including extended retreats in both, although his practice is now primarily Vipassana. Steve has facilitated Eastside Insight Meditation in Kirkland, Washington, since 2000. He retired in mid-2016 from a 34-year career as a journalist, and currently edits Northwest Dharma News and is editing a fifth dharma book. Steve also serves on the boards of Tibetan Nuns Project and Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church. He lives in Kirkland with his wife Ellen.