Maggie Bernstein died on March 1st, 2026, in Burbank, California. She was 94. Her decades of insight and caring for people through her psychoanalytic practice blossomed into a passionate exploration of meditation in the second half of her life. After Chögyam Trungpa’s death, she developed a close relationship with Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. Her intellect, humor, and cheerfulness infected every dharma gathering, and students of her Hinayana and Mahayana teachings in Manchester, Vermont, and Karmê Chöling found her charming and fearless. She met the effects of a stroke in 2009 with grace, and continued presenting meditation at her elder living facility. In 2015, to be near family, Maggie moved to LA, where she polished the practice of simple presence.
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