Simplicity Zen Podcast

An Interview with Soto Zen Priest and Teacher Shinko Andreas Hagn Shinko Andreas Hagn is the founder and teacher of Daijihi, a Soto Zen sangha in Viena Austria.  He received jukai by Ryuten Rosenblum Roshi, a successor of Baker Roshi in 2011 and was ordained as a priest in 2019.  His ordination teacher was Hoko Karnegis, who is in the senior teacher in Sanshinji lineage of Okumura Roshi.  He has w...

An Interview with Soto Zen Priest, Zen Teacher and Author Tim Burkett Tim Burkett is Zen priest, Zen teacher and retired licensed Ph. D. psychologist.  Tim was the Guiding Teacher of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center from 2002-2019 and the retired CEO of one of Minnesota's largest non-profit mental health agencies, People Incorporated.  He was among Suzuki Roshi's and Katagiri Roshi's...

An Interview with Soto Zen Priest David Isurushin Shapiro. David Shapiro is a Zen priest in the Clear Mind Zen lineage which flows through pioneering Soto Zen priest Sōyū Matsuoka Roshi.  He received Dharma Transmission from John Shoji Sorensen Roshi and lives and practices in Reno, Nevada.  He is a retired rehabilitation specialist and has worked with many vulnerable populations including disable...

Tatsudo Nicole Baden is a Dharma Successor of Zentatsu Baker Roshi in the Dharma Sangha Soto Zen Lineage. She has been practicing Zen since 2001 and received Dharma Transmission in 2017. She graduated as a psychologist from the University of Oldenburg in 2008. She also trained at the ‘School for Body Mind Centering’ for four years. Since 2009 she has been living and practicing either at the Cresto...

Hozan Alan Senauke is a Soto Zen priest, Zen teacher, folk musician and poet residing at the Berkeley Zen Center, where he currently serves as Abbot. He is a former Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), holding that position from 1991 to 2001.  Senauke received Dharma transmission from his teacher Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1998 during a ceremony at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. ...

Rev. Jay Rinsen Weik Roshi is the Abbot of the Buddhist Temple of Toledo.  He received Dharma Transmission from Rev. James Myoun Ford Roshi in 2014.  He begain his practice in 1987 with John Daido Loori Roshi at the Zen Mountain Monastery in New York and received jukai from him in 1998. He later studied with  Daido Loori's dharma heir Bonnie Myotai Treace. He is also a professional Jazz Music...

Seiso Paul Cooper is the guiding the guiding teacher for the Two Rivers Zen Community and also for the Realizational Practice Studies Project.  He was ordained as a priest and received dharma transmission from Soto priest Sojun Diane Martin.  Seiso is also a practicing psychoanalyst and is the author of numerous books including his most recent: "Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism" which was...

 Rev. Edward Keido Sanshin Oberholtzer is a Soto Zen priest and a Dharma heir of James Myuon Ford, Roshi. Edward is a member of Empty Moon Zen, and has practiced Zen for the past twenty years. He is the head teacher of the Joseph Priestley Zen Community. More About Edward: - https://www.josephpriestleyzen.com/ - https://www.emptymoonzen.org/ More About Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplicity...

Taylor Guthrie is Doctoral Student and teacher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon. He runs the The Cellular Republic Youtube channel that makes neuroscience accessible without being dumbed down. In this podcast episode we explore the "Social Self" and its relationship to Buddhism and suffering. Talor's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ @thecellularrepublic98...

Shana Smith is an assistant Zen teacher under Valerie Forstman in the Sanbo Zen tradition and a long time Yoga teacher.  She is the facilitator of Florida Sanbo Zen and she continues her studies under Henry Shukman, Valerie Forstman and Ruben Habito.  She is additionally an author and singer songwriter.  More about Shana Smith: - https://oaktreeinthegarden.com/ - https://www.facebook.com/events/28...

David Jitsusan Vititoe has been practicing Zen since 2005 and received Dharma Transmission from Fusho Roshi in 2019. Dave is a Lay Monk in the Open Mind Zen school and is a current member of the Lay Zen Teacher’s Association.   He currently lives in Melbourne, Florida. More about David and Open Mind Zen: - https://openmindzenmelbourne.com/ More about the Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplici...

A high-level look at how and why the brain creates a sense of self-identity and how this relates to the Buddhist concept of the five aggregates.  We also explore why having a self-identity can lead to pervasive human discontentment. For more on the Simplicity Zen Podcast: - https://simplicityzen.com/

Marc Lesser is a Soto Zen priest and head teacher of Mill Valley Zen in Marin County California. He was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years including director of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.   He received dharma transmission in the Shunryū Suzuki lineage by Dairyu Michael Wenger. Marc is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is the author of four bo...

Zen, Martial Arts, Budo and Shugyo - An interview with Rinzai Zen Practitioner Jim Tabor Jim Tabor is longtime Rinzai Zen practitioner and a founding board member of the Korinji Rinzai Zen monastery Foundation. He is one of the moderators of the Rinzai Zen Discussion group on Facebook.  In addition to Zen training, Jim has been a practitioner of classical Japanese martial arts for the past 30 year...

Ruben Habito Roshi is the founding teacher of the Maria Kan-non Zen Center. He is a former Jesuit priest and now a Zen teacher practicing in the Sanbo Zen lineage which was founded by Yaustani Roshi in Japan.   He received Dharma transmission from Yamada Koun in 1988. He is a faculty member at Southern Methodists University Perkins School of Theology where he teaches World Religions and Spirituali...

Dr. Jud Brewer, a practicing Buddhist, is the director of mindfulness research as well as a professor at Brown University.  Additionally, he is the executive medical director of behavioral health at a digital healthcare company called Sharecare.  He has published numerous scientific studies as well as two books.  Those books are the Craving Mind and Unwinding Anxiety.  In this episode, we explore...

Corey Hess is a longtime Rinzai Zen practitioner who studied with renowned Zen master Shodo Harada Roshi in Japan.  He maintains the Zen Embodiment website, The Energy Collective practice group and the Internal Process with Corey Hess Facegroup.  Corey joins us for a second time and this episode we discuss non-directed body movement, Qigong, energy work and internal processes. We look at them indi...

Doug Kraft is a Buddhist teacher, Counselor, author and ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. He has a Masters in Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley. His most recent book is "Resting in the Waves". In this podcast episode we discuss  his practice journey and explore  various topics pertaining to what science tells us about Buddhist practice.    More about Do...

Gregory Wonderwheel is a prolific translator of Buddhist scriptures and an apprentice Zen teacher under Daniel Terragno at the Rocks and Clouds Zendo in Sebastopol, California.  https://wonderwheels.blogspot.com/ Simplicity Zen Podcast : https://simplicityzen.com /

Tony Wallin-Sato is a Zen practitioner, author, poet, program director for Project Rebound (a program to help formally incarcerated individuals succeed in the CSU system) and a board member of the Boundless Freedom Project (an organization that brings Dharma and mindfulness to incarcerated individuals).  Tony generously shares his inspirational story of overcoming drug addiction and imprisonment a...

An interview with Rinzai priest and Zen teacher Sozui Schubert. Sozui Schubert is the teacher at Hidden Valley Zen Center in San Marcos California.  She was ordained by legendary Zen Mater Shodo Harada Roshi and studied with him for decades at Sogen-ji, his monastery in Okayama, Japan.  At the instructions of of her teacher, she has helped establish practice communities Hungary, Germany, Latvia, I...

Rafe Jnan Martin began Zen practice in 1970 and is a lay transmitted koan teacher who received Inka from Danan Henry Roshi in 2012.  In 2016 Rafe received Full Dharma Transmission as an independent teacher and Dharma Heir of Danan Henry Roshi. He has been a student of various teachers in the Harada/Yasutani line including  Danan Henry Roshi, Philip Kapleau Roshi and Robert Aitken Roshi. Rafe is th...

An interview discussion that explores the science of Zen. Neil Schmitzer-Torbert is a Professor of  Psychology at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN where he teaches courses and conducts research on memory and learning.  He is a Zen practitioner and runs a website called the "Neural Buddhist" which explores the intersection of Zen and neuroscience. https://neuralbuddhist.com/ https://s...

Heather Shoren Iarusso is currently the director and head of practice for San Francisco Zen Center’s online practice center.  She moved to Tassajara in 2008 where she lived for a total of seven years while completing twelve, 90-day practice periods.  At Tassajara she served such roles as Ino (head of the meditation hall), Tenzo (Head Cook), Shika (Guest Manager), and the Shuso (Head Student). Heat...

Mark Doyu Albin was a longtime student of the legendary Rinzai Zen Master Shodo Harada Roshi in Japan.  After a long period of monastic Zen practice he is now practicing as a shiatsu therapist, meditation guide, mentor, and translator. Mark lives in Southern Germany. https://www.markalbin.com/en/ https://simplicityzen.com/