About Delson
I am a mirror, reflecting what is given to me. Do not seek perfection in me as a teacher. I see myself as a conduit for various teachings from the Great Wisdom schools from time immemorial. I teach from my direct experience.
I want to offer you what I can based on what you’re seeking and is worthwhile for your growth as a fellow spiritual traveler. My aim is to hold space for you and be the vessel you require for the purposes of awakening at all levels.
The Truth everyone speaks about can be uncovered through similar practices, including those that encourage relaxation and the release from suffering. My aim is to reveal that Truth to all those who are ready.
DELSON’s OFFERINGS
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Awakening
Awakening demystifies the true nature of reality as we understand it through various personalized pointing out instructions. These instructions are intuited by Delson in tandem with his extensive experience in ancient wisdom traditions to bring one to a level of awakening using modern contexts through innovative methods.
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Kriya Yoga
Kriya helps clear energetic blocks in the system, reduces the fear of letting go, and can provide a repeatable formula for attaining high states of non-dual experiences. As a lineage holder of Lahiri’s Kriya, Delson has been initiated in all seven stages and is authorized to disseminate this knowledge to those who seek it.
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JHĀNAS
Rooted in the Pāli Canon and spanning the centuries through time-tested practice of great meditative masters in the Buddhist traditions, the jhānas are sublime levels of elevated awareness and insight. They are also powerful stepping stones to Nibbana or awakening, the fundamental personality shifts we call the Reboot.
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TANTRA
Delson’s experiences in Tantra range from the ten Mahavidya traditions to Trika Philosophy. Rooted in ancient Vedic methods and practices for recognizing the true nature of reality, Delson demystifies Tantra, moving it beyond esotericism and misperceptions to make it accessible to a 21st-century mind facing 21st-century problems.
LINEAGES
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Avadhuta Sri Yogeswarananda Nath (early 20th century): A revered Avadhuta master in the lineage of Sri Dakshinamurti; initiated young disciples into Sri Vidya (worship of Lalita Tripurasundari) and Trika/Kashmir Shaivism systems, preserving rare Tantric knowledge.
Avadhuta Sri Atmananda Nath (1909–?): Born in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir; received early initiation into Sri Vidya and Trika from Yogeswarananda Nath; mastered the 64 Bhairava Tantras and other esoteric systems, transmitting them to his disciple in a direct, oral tradition.
Avadhuta Sri Purnananda Nath (1931–2005): Born near Mayang, Assam, in a traditional Tantric family near Kamakhya Shakti Peetha; met and was initiated by Atmananda Nath during the 1955 Ambubachi Mela; practiced extensive mantra purashcharana and fire rituals, attaining mastery in Sri Vidya krama, Kashmir Shaivism, Das Mahavidya, and Shakta Tantra; attained Mahasamadhi on Sravana Purnima in August 2005.
Avadhuta Sri Gita Nath (living): Met Purnananda Nath in December 1992 at Kamakhya Shakti Peetha and received initiation into Sri Vidya and secret Trika Tantras; attained mastery in Sri Vidya soon after; close student of Swami Ramananda Saraswati at Markandeya Sannyasa Ashram in Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh; initiated Delson Armstrong into Sri Vidya and Trika, maintaining ongoing guidance in the ten Mahavidyas, advanced Kaulachara practices and Samayachara inner yoga; in January 2026, granted Delson purnābhishek, conferring full teaching authority as Avadhuta in the Nath lineage.
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Lahiri Mahasaya (Shyama Charan Lahiri, 1828–1895): Revived the ancient science of Kriya Yoga in the modern era after receiving initiation from Mahavatar Babaji in 1861; taught it as a practical path for householders to achieve self-realization while living in the world.
Panchanan Bhattacharya (1853–1919): Chief disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya and the first authorized to initiate others into Kriya Yoga; founded the Arya Mission Institution in Kolkata to publish authentic Kriya texts and commentaries.
Maheshwari Prasad Dubey (1936–2004): Devoted householder disciple of Netai Charan Banerjee (a key figure in the Panchanan line); authored the authoritative book Kriya Yoga Rahasya (The Secret of Kriya Yoga) and emphasized pure, unmodified practice.
Ashok Kumar Singh (1940–2021): Engineer and dedicated teacher in the Panchanan Bhattacharya lineage; received full seven-stage authorization from Dubeyji and widely disseminated original Kriya techniques, focusing on authentic transmission.
Forrest Knutson (living): Former monastic who transitioned to the Panchanan Bhattacharya lineage under Ashok Singh; teaches all seven stages through books like Mastering Meditation and online platforms, emphasizing scientific and practical approaches. He initiated Delson into all seven stages in 2023.
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Sayadaw U Silananda (1927–2005): Renowned Burmese scholar-monk and Vipassana teacher from the Mahasi tradition; ordained in 1943, edited Pali texts at the Sixth Buddhist Council, taught in the US from 1979 onward, and served as a key early influence on Bhante Vimalaramsi's monastic training and meditation practice.
Bhante Vimalaramsi (1946–2023): American monk who ordained in Burma under Sayadaw U Silananda and trained in Mahasi-style Vipassana; founded Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in 2003 and developed Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM) from the suttas, emphasizing the 6Rs (Recognize, Release, Relax, Re-smile, Resume, Repeat) for metta leading to jhanas and Nibbana; authorized teachers like David Johnson and Delson Armstrong. Gave the title of Dharmacharya to Delson in 2022.
David Johnson (living): Longtime senior student of Bhante Vimalaramsi, resident at Dhamma Sukha since 2010; author of The Path to Nibbana and co-author of TWIM guides; serves as director and senior teacher, leading retreats and emphasizing practical application of metta and forgiveness meditation. Taught Delson TWIM in an online retreat in 2016.
From an early age, Delson immersed himself with extraordinary diligence in spiritual training. He delved deeply into the core principles of Buddhist practice and philosophy, gaining particularly profound insight into the Four Noble Truths and Dependent Origination. Prior to his Buddhist studies, Delson explored a broad range of other spiritual traditions. He practiced different forms of meditation, studied sacred texts, and obtained guidance from masters of these disciplines. This comprehensive spiritual education enriched his understanding and provided him with a broad perspective on the universal principles underlying different paths to awakening. Delson’s dedication to his practice led him to attain various levels of meditative states, which traditionalists call samādhī in Yoga and jhāna in Buddhism. He is also known for his mastery of rarified states of mind and body, known by some as nirodha-samapatti and phala samadhi.
A Life in the Dharma
Living and Teaching the Path
Delson Armstrong lives at the nexus of traditional models of awakening and emerging trends toward evidence-based approaches to inner transformation. He is dedicated to adapting timeless truths to changing times, focusing on practices that work instead of dogma-based, cookie-cutter solutions. His emphasis is always on guiding individuals away from distress and suffering, through understanding and acceptance, towards individual realization and freedom. Delson’s experience with various traditions informs him of the contexts required to teach, whether he’s giving workshops on Buddhist studies at the Pāli Department of the University of Mumbai, initiating students into Kriya Yoga individually through online sessions, conducting ten-day retreats at the epicenter of the TWIM (Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation) at Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center, or providing one-on-one in-person experiences tailored for students seeking to travel ancient sites like Varanasi while having casual conversations about the deepest truths of existence.
“Knowledge is one thing, and practice is another, and when you listen to Delson, you can see — you can feel — it is not only the Dharma knowledge but the practice speaking.”
— BHANTE KUSALA