Mario Castillo

Mario Castillo (he/him) identifies as a queer, cis man of color on a spiritual path and has been a dedicated Buddhist practitioner in the Theravāda and Vipassanā traditions for nearly 15 years. Mario began attending the East Bay Meditation Center’s Alphabet and People of Color Sanghas in 2009. He later co-founded two peer-led Deep Refuge Groups in 2010: Alphabet Brothers of All Colors and Alphabet Brothers of Color. Mario is a graduate of EBMC’s Commit to Dharma Program with Larry Yang (2012) and EBMC’s inaugural Spiritual Teacher and Leadership Training with Noliwe Alexander, Carol Cano, JD Doyle, and Amana Brembry Johnson (2023). Mario practiced as a Buddhist monk in Thailand with Venerable Acharn Tippakorn Sukhito before returning to the Bay Area to complete his graduate training. Mario received his Ph.D. in sociology from UC Berkeley in 2023. His research focuses on organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.