Author Archives: Rick McDaniel

Russian River Zendo Cynthia Kear is a Soto priest in the Shunryu Suzuki lineage attached to the Russian River Zendo north of San Francisco and an articulate spokesperson for that style of Zen practice. She was raised on the East coast, but after college she moved across the country to the west coast. “I wasContinue reading “Cynthia Kear”

Zen Center of Denver Peggy Sheehan is one of the Spiritual Directors – along with Karin Kempe  – of the Zen Center of Denver founded by Danan Henry, an heir of Philip Kapleau. Both Peggy and Karin have medical degrees, although Karin is now retired. I ask Peggy if she is jealous. She laughs andContinue reading “Peggy Sheehan”

Bread Loaf Mountain, Vermont Joshin Byrnes is the founder and Guiding Teacher of the Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community in Vermont. He is also active in Bernie Glassman’s “Zen Peacemakers” and continues the tradition of Street Retreats that Bernie had conducted, bringing Zen practitioners to live among the homeless in urban centers Joshin’s life storyContinue reading “Joshin Byrnes”

Endless Path Zendo, Rochester, NY Rafe Martin’s Endless Path Zendo is located three blocks from the famous Rochester Zen Center established by Philip Kapleau. “You went toe-to-toe with the Kapleau people?” I ask, in surprise. “No,” he assures me. “My wife and Roshi Kapleau and I were very, very close. His daughter says we wereContinue reading “Rafe Martin”

Dharma Rain, Portland, Oregon Gyokuko Carlson is the retired abbot of the Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon, which she co-founded with her husband Kyogen Carlson, who died in 2014. The two met at Shasta Abbey, the primary teaching center of the Soto teacher, Jiyu Kennett. Although Gyokuko served as Kennett’s attendant for aContinue reading “Gyokuko Carlson”

Benevolent Zen Sangha, Providence James Córdova was a member of the Boundless Way community in New England, which – as he puts it – “sort of split apart, and then I was affiliated with Greater Boston Zen Center for a while, and then we sort of split apart from them, and now we’re doing anotherContinue reading “James Córdova”

When Karin Kempe was 17 years old, she walked into the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco and came upon a copy of Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects by Alexandra David-Neel. “Reading it, I absolutely recognized, ‘This is it! This is what reality is actually like. This is the way things operate.’ TheContinue reading “Karin Kempe”

Scott Thornton is an Assistant Teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage. He is also married to Valerie Forstman, who recently moved to Santa Fe to share teaching responsibilities with Henry Shukman at Mountain Cloud. Scott’s introduction to meditation came through theatre. The school he attended staged the first college production of the musical Hair, andContinue reading “Scott Thornton”

Jean-Luc Foisy informs me that after the death of Albert Low, the Montreal Zen Centre went through an “inevitable period of confusion with regards to who was going to do what. A lot of people had relied on Albert’s presence. He was really the center of the Centre. He was the founder, as you know,Continue reading “Jean-Luc Foisy”