Trina brings a uniquely heartwarming approach to her teachings. Born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she grew up around monastics and spent her youth at the temple. Her first teacher was her mother, who taught her the Brahmaviharas through daily life events. Trina blends the devotional practices of the Eastern approach with the systematic methods of Western Buddhism. Her teaching style is influenced by Thich Nhat Hanh, Bhante Guanaratana, Master Sheng Yen, and S.N. Goenka. She practices in the Theravadan, Insight, Vipassana, and Zen tradition. Trina has accumulated over 150 days in silent retreats.
Trina is trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through Brown University. She has taught mindfulness to underserved communities in prisons and inner cities, and to business groups, young professionals, and retirees.
Trina is passionate about building communities that embodies diversity, equity and inclusion. She was authorized to teach in 2021. She began teaching retreats in 2023. She served on the Teacher’s Council at Portland Insight Meditation Community in 2023. In Spring of 2024, she co-founded Pacific Northwest Meditation, an open door meditation community in Portland that invites all who seeks meditation, study and guidance with no boundaries. She continues to create spaces for the BIPOC community to have place to practice and hear the Dharma.
She is a visionary and entrepreneur at heart. She has been involved in several startups and built businesses for over 15 years in the city of Chicago. She applies Buddhist principles and ethics to lead and inspire teams, advocating work-life balance and mediatating interrelational conflicts at work. As her spiritual journey deepens, her business ventures reflect these aspects of her love for the inner life. These days, she is directing her creative energy to building a non-profit organization. She continues to teach a daily sitting group online, sutra study classes, mindfulness workshops, and retreats throughout the Pacific Northwest.
In her past time, she enjoys going on long hikes, nature photography, zen calligraphy, singing and poetry. She is a mindful foodie and delights in cooking and sharing vegetarian dishes with friends and family. She currently lives on an organic farm in Washington that is the home of a Buddhist temple and a Druid sanctuary.
trina truong
vipassana Meditation teacher, MBSR qualified teacher at the mindfulness center, authorized dharma teacher
Founder of Wake Up Together Online Meditation Community, Co-Founder & Co-Guiding Teacher at Pacific Northwest Meditation, Served on the Teacher’s Council at Portland Insight Meditation Center
“May I become at all times,
both now and forever,
A protector for those without protection,
A guide for those who have lost their way,
A ship for those with oceans to cross,
A bridge for those with rivers to cross,
A sanctuary for those in danger,
A lamp for those without light,
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter,
And a servant to all in need.
- Shantideva, 8th century Indian Buddhist monk
PRACTICE GUIDANCE WISDOM
“Without concentration, there is no wisdom. Without wisdom, there is no concentration. One who has both concentration and wisdom is close to peace and emancipation.” - the Dhammapada
the truth lies within you.
Trina works to help people uncover blindspots and barriers to living a life of fulfillment. The practice of meditation and the application of mindfulness can reveal many subtle aspects that one can gain through books, therapy, and listening to podcasts. Letting go of the mental, emotional and physical troubles can only happen once there is a clear understanding of the root of our problems. Trina provides concise and simple instructions to be implemented and practiced over the course of daily life that produces extraordinary results. Under Trina’s sound, gentle, and clear guidance, individuals discover the nature of reality for themselves. You will discover that island within you without needing to change anything outside of you. You will build the confidence of the right way to practice, and how to train in being the master of your mind.
find your tribe
Often times, when individuals take on a meditation practice or start questioning their spiritual path, it can be a lonely experience. Alone, one can easily stray into dark corners, have okay experiences, and maybe have incremental progress. Alone, we can achieve some success. But to make that quantum leap of success in your practice, having a community made up of a trusted teacher, rich reminders, and a group of open-minded and warm-hearted friends are necessary. Trina draws individuals who share this interest to go further and deeper. We don’t just skim the surface, we dig deep in practice, study, and contemplations. This is evident in the space that Trina curates. Join in on the practice.