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A conversation with Ruben Habito The Sanbo Kyodan school was founded by Yasutani Hakuun in 1954 when he formally cut ties with the Soto Establishment in Japan and promoted a style of Zen based on the work of his teacher, Harada Daiun. The suffix “-un” in both given names means “cloud” and would become commonContinue reading “Koun Yamada and Sanbo Zen”

Abridged from The Third Step East Although Soen Nakagawa spent only brief periods in the United States, he not only helped Robert Aitken establish the Diamond Sangha in Hawaii, he was also the inspiration behind the International Dai Bosatsu Zendo in the Catskill Mountains, the first Rinzai Monastery to be established in North America. HeContinue reading “Soen Nakagawa and Eido Shimano”

Awakened Meditation Center, Toronto – Matthew Sullivan is a Zen Master in the Korean Zen (Soen) lineage of Hwasun Yangil Sunim and a Dharma Teacher at the Awakened Meditation Centre in Toronto. “What I talk about when I’m teaching meditation to new students – what remains true for me – is there is no particularlyContinue reading “Matthew Juksan Sullivan”

Adapted in part from The Story of Zen– The history of the transition of Zen to the West is a tapestry of concepts, personalities, and events. One of the most distinctive elements is the story of a Japanese-trained Englishwoman who appeared in San Francisco in 1969. “I’ve been trying to reconstruct Jiyu Kennett Roshi’s history,”Continue reading “Jiyu Kennett”

The May 2024 issue of Tricycle magazine includes an abbreviated description of the personal experience which eventually led me to Zen practice. I provided a fuller account of the event in the epilogue to Zen Conversations: Epilogue in Island View There is a story Elaine MacInnes is fond of telling about a Little Salt DollContinue reading ““Zen Conversations” Epilogue”

Empty Cloud Zen, California – Alice Cabotaje is Director of Spiritual Care Services at Stanford University in California. She is also an ordained Protestant minister in the Metropolitan Community Church, which (on its website) describes itself as “a diverse group of people with different perspectives and opinions. “Many people within Metropolitan Community Churches,” the articleContinue reading “Alice Cabotaje”

Cochise Zen Center, Bisbee, Arizona – Barry Briggs – Kwan Um Zen Master Hye Mun – first encountered Buddhism through a girlfriend. “She practiced in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition with Sogyal Rinpoche, who died several years ago.” Barry was studying the Philosophy of Religion at the time at university. “I’m interested in human behavior andContinue reading “Barry Briggs [Zen Master Hye Mun]”

Adapted from The Story of Zen – In his history of American Buddhism – How the Swans Came to the Lake – Rick Fields recounts the story of the time Rinzai master, Joshu Sasaki, gave a talk at the Berkeley campus of the University of California. One of the people in attendance asked if thereContinue reading “Joshu Sasaki”

Conversations with James Ford – James Ford was among the first twelve interviews I did in 2013 when I began this tour of teachers and centers. Our most recent conversation, ten years later, was the 231st I’ve conducted. James has transmission in both the Soto tradition – through Jiyu Kennett Roshi – and the Harada-YasutaniContinue reading “On the Matter of “Transmission””