Avrom Altman began studying Zen Buddhism in 1967 and sat zazen with Shunry? Suzuki Roshi at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. In 1972, Avrom attended a ten-month residential course at Sherborne House under the direction of J.G. Bennett, a student of G.I. Gurdjieff. In the 1980s, while a resident of Claymont, an intentional community created by Bennett, Avrom was head gardener, Gurdjieff Movements teacher, and directed studies of ten-month residential courses before becoming President of the Claymont Society for Continuous Education. He became a Mevlevi semazen and participated in the Sema under the guidance of sheiks Suleiman Dede and Jelaludin Loras. Avrom is a member of the Board of Directors of the Gurdjieff Heritage Society and has led groups and over 100 seminars and retreats based on the Gurdjieff Work and Gurdjieff Movements.Avrom is Professor Emeritus at Pacifica Graduate Institute where he served as Director of Research, Associate Chair, and Academic Senate President. He received the Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Award for Extraordinary Accomplishments as Soul Tender in the World in 2015. Avrom is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Hakomi Therapist, and has been in private practice for over 40 years. He is a member of the CIVIQ Society, founder of the activist group Rise Up for Justice, co-founder of Flip Nation and its 50 state groups, administrator of Equal and its nine regional groups, and administrator of Just Policy Action. Avrom lives with Rachel, his wife of over 50 years, in Santa Barbara, California. They have a daughter, Rebekah, and two granddaughters, Alia and Iris. Flowers of Emptiness: Imaginal Haiku is Avrom's first published book of haiku.