David began practicing Vipassana in 1998 after taking a course similar to the Beginning Meditation Course. He immediately began a daily practice and soon started attending 10-day retreats. In 1994 he completed a 3-month retreat and afterwards lived at Pa Auk Forest Monastery in Myanmar. He has also lived at Na Uyana Monastery in Sri Lanka and the Bhavana Society Monastery in West Virginia.
David has accumulated over two years of intensive silent practice. He maintains a daily practice and continues to do long-term retreats. David considers his teacher to be Pa Auk Sayadaw, who emphasizes development of the jhanas.
Professionally, David was a public interest lawyer, first as a public defender and then as an animal law attorney. He served as executive director of Vegan Action, where he instituted the popular vegan logo. He is also a credentialed teacher and taught high school math and social studies. His interests include sports, politics and hiking/backpacking.
David is a co-founder of Dharma Voices for Animals, a non-profit organization that promotes veganism within the meditation/Buddhist community. He is also author of the book The Vegan Imperative.