Lama Surya Das, born Jeffrey Miller in New York in 1950, graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1971. Surya Das traveled through India, Nepal and Japan, and later established a monastery in Woodstock, New York. He teaches meditation retreats and workshops, and is the founder of the Dzogchen Foundation. Das has published, edited and translated many Buddhist books and scriptures. He has also written poetry, essays and articles.