Simplicity Zen Podcast

Note:  Sorry about Jiryu's sound being a bit muddy.  I have improved it as much as I can. Jiryu Rutschman-Byler is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, with dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman.   He lives and teaches at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, where he served as Tanto (Head of Practice) and is slated to become abbot of the temple next yea...

Tim Ryuko Langdell is a board-certified hospice chaplain and is both the head priest and guiding teacher at the StillCenter Zen Center in Pasadena, California. His dharma name, Ryuko, means “Dragon Tiger.”  He holds an Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and a Ph. D. in Psychology from University College London.  He is an author of several books, including “Beginner’s Mind: An Int...

Mary Mocine is the founder of and head priest at Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo California.  She was priest ordained by Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1994, was Shuso (or head student) at Tassajara monastery in 1998 and received Dharma Transmission in 2005.  She practiced professionally as a lawyer and has offered mindfulness retreats at Tassajara and at Spirit Rock for attorneys. She has also led a dharma s...

Here is the same Guogu Interview but with the audio fixed.  The volumes between me and Guogu have been normalized by a software transform.  If you tried listening before but the volume changes were too distracting, please give this a try.

Yujiro Seki is the director, cinematographer and editor of the upcoming documentary titled “Carving the Divine - Buddhist Sculptors of Japan” which explores the ancient practice of wood carving Buddhist statues in Japan called Busshi. Today Yujiro is launching a crowdfunding campaign to fund the release of this film to the general public.  I was able to watch a early viewing of this documentary an...

Guogu is a Chan teacher, author, and Buddhist scholar. He is the founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center.  He is a professor of Religion at Florida State Univeristy.  He received inka from legendary Chan teacher Sheng yen. More on Guogu and the Tallahassee Chan Center: - https://tallahasseechan.org/ - https://guogulaoshi.com/ More on Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplicityzen.com/

Deborah Eden Tull is the founder of Mindful Living Revolution.  She is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator.  She trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years.   She is an author of multiple books with her most recent being “Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Bu...

Shaku Kojyu is the abbot of the Daishu-in West Rinzai Zen temple in rural Northern California.  He came to Daishu-in West in 2007 and was ordained in Kyoto the following spring.  He practiced traditional Rinzai Zen at the training halls in Daitoku-ji and Kosho-ji for ten years before returning to America. More about Shaku: - https://daishuinwest.org / More about the Simplicity Zen Podcast : - http...

Taiun Michael Elliston began practicing Zen in 1966 With Matsuoka-Roshi at the Chicago Zen Buddhist Temple.  He was ordained as a Zen priest in 1970 by Matsuoka-Roshi and in 1983 received full Dharma transmission.  Has also studied with Sayrin Barbara Kohn of the Austin Zen Center and Shohaku Okumura of the Sanshin Zen Community.  He is the founder and current about of Atlanta Soto Zen Center. Mor...

Scott Thorton is a long time Zen practitioner in the Sanbo Zen tradition where he is an assistant teacher.  He has been as student of Ruben Habito Roshi at Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas Texas for 22 years and now is a member of Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe New Mexico where he lead to residency program.  He is a musician and a professional psychologist. More about Mountain Cloud: - htt...

David Chadwick began his Zen study under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. Ordained as a Zen priest in 1971, he later wrote Suzuki's biography, “Crooked Cucumber”, as well as “Thank You and OK!: An American Zen Failure in Japan”. With a great deal of help, Chadwick is poo-bah of Cuke Archives (http://cuke.com/), preserving the legacy of Shunryu Suzuki and those whose paths crossed his—and anythin...

Satya Vayu is a Zen monk originally ordained by Kobun Chino Roshi. He has practiced at the Tassajara and No Abode monasteries in California.  He also has extensive practice experience at various Asian monasteries including Bukkoku-ji in Japan where he trained with the legendary Harada Tangen Roshi. He leads a residential pratice center in Portland Oregon called Touching Earth. More about Touching...

Valerie Forstman is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen lineage and Guiding Teacher at Mountain Cloud Zen Center. Her first teacher, with whom she continues to work, was Ruben Habito Roshi. Since 2003, she has also trained under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of Sanbo Zen. For more about Valerie: - https://www.mountaincloud.org/ For more about Simplicity Zen Podcast : - htt...

Dosho Port teaches with the Vine of Obstacles: Online support for Zen Training. He began practicing Zen in 1977 and has received Soto Zen transmission from Dainin Katagiri Roshi and Harada-Yasutani koan lineage inka shomei from James Myoun Ford Roshi. Dosho is the author of Keep Me in Your Heart a While: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri and the recently released, Record of Empty Hall: One Hundr...

This is a recording of a guided meditation from an outdoor practice event at the historic Wakamatsu farm in El Dorado County, CA.   This includes guided instructions for both classic Zen and loving kindness meditation.  It could be helpful for those just starting out with meditation, those who are dealing with anxiety or stress or even experienced meditators who might want to try a new approach. F...

Barry Magid, M.D. is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and Zen Teacher practicing and teaching in New York City.  He is a dharma heir of Charlotte Joko Beck and the founding teacher of the The Ordinary Mind Zendo.  He is the President of the Lay Zen Teachers Association. More about Barry Magid: - https://www.ordinarymind.com/barry-magid More about the Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplicityzen.c...

Rev. Daiho Matt Wagner Osho leads the Madison Rinzai Community in Wisconsin. After many years of both monastic and householder practice, in 2022 he was made an Osho by his teacher Meido Roshi Roshi of Korinji Rinzai Monastery. More about Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplicityzen.com/ More about Madison Rinzai Community: - https://www.korinji.org/practice-groups

Dan Myoen Birnbaum is the teacher of the Bay Zen Center in Oakland, CA. He is a lay teacher who received Dharma Transmission from Diane Eshin Rizzetto in 2019. He is a member of the Ordinary Mind Zen School, White Plum Asanga, American Zen Teacher’s Association and Lay Zen Teacher’s Association. Dan is a retired pediatric neurologist and was  the Director of the Division of Neurology at UCSF Benio...

 Barbara Baccei is a senior Zen student under Soto Zen priest Valorie Beer. She is currently in preparation for Lay Dharma Entrustment and is a teacher of sewing the Buddha's robe. For more about the Simplicity Zen Podcast : https://simplicityzen.com/  

Genryo Jones Osho is the instructor of Iron City Rinzai in Pittsburg, PA.  He is a senior student and Osho under Meido Moore Roshi, abbot of Korinji in Wisconsin.  He studied Zen under legendary Zen master Shodo Harada Roshi a the Sogenji monastery in Japan as well as several centers in the United States. More about the Simplicity Zen Podcast : -  https://simplicityzen.com/ More about Iron City Ri...

 Kyosho Valorie Beer has practiced Zen Buddhism since 1991. She was ordained as a Zen priest in 2005 and received Dharma Transmission in 2013 from her teacher, Edward Brown. She lived at Green Gulch Farm from 2003 to 2012, when she moved to City Center. After serving as the San Francisco Zen Center corporate secretary, she was the City Center Ino (Head of Meditation Hall), and is now supporting th...

So-on Jim Hare serves as Tanto, or head of practice at Valley Streams Zen Sangha in Sacramento. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period. For more on Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplicit...

Jamie Howell is a lay Zen Teacher in the Suzuki Roshi Soto Tradition. After many years of practice he received the precepts in a jukai ceremony in 2000. He was chairman of the board of San Francisco Zen Center in 2004 and 2005, and was shuso at City Center in 2006. In 2011, Jamie received lay Dharma Entrustment from Dairyu Michael Wenger. More about Simplicity Zen Podcast : - https://simplicityzen...

Laurie Senauke started formal Zen practice in 1980 at San Francisco Zen Center; she worked at Greens Restaurant back in the day and lived at Tassajara for three years. In 1989 she married Hozan Alan Senauke, moved to Berkeley Zen Center, and raised their two children with him there. She served as head student (shuso) at BZC in 2003 and is a Practice Leader there. In April 2018, she received priest...

Rinzan Pechovnik is a Rinzai Zen priest and is the teacher at No Rank Zendo in Portland Oregon.  Rinzan began his training with the Zen Community of Oregon in 2003, studying under Hogan and Chozen Bays.  He began training under Genjo Marinello in 2012, ordained under him in 2013, and was named a Dharma Heir (Inka) in 2019.   He works professionally as a trained psychotherapist. More about Rinzan:...