Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism

Rev. Cyndi Jikaku Yasaki is a Jōdo Shinshū minister that serves the White River Buddhist Temple based in Auburn, WA. Rev. Cyndi completed her Certificate in Shin Buddhism from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Spring 2019 and received the first level of ordination, Tokudo, in Kyoto, Japan in Summer 2019. She married her husband, Rev. Tadao Koyama, in 2020 and moved with him to Tacoma, WA upon his ministerial assignment as the Resident Minister of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. Rev. Cyndi received her Masters in Arts in Buddhist Studies from IBS and her second level of ordination, Kyoshi, in 2022.*Note: This episode briefly mentions suicide/self-harm.We talked about the unique qualities of different Jōdo Shinshū sanghas within Washington state, what it's like being married to a minister while being a minister herself, gratitude and it's role in deepening Rev. Cyndi’s commitment towards ministry, anxiety and connecting with things outside of yourself as a form of healing, and the importance of knowing who you are in order to find the right medicine for you.

Fresh “Lev” White is a love and compassion activist. He offers mindfulness, mediation, and diversity trainings as tools for shifting towards more authentic, conscious, and passionate living. He teaches and writes about how unconditional love and self-compassion are the ultimate gateways to honoring and understanding others; thus, healing our communities and our planet. For more information about Lev, please see the following link: https://affirmativeacts.org/ Please also see below for links to some of the organizations Lev mentions as resources: Dark and Tender | Official Trailer | The Chronically UnderTouched (CUT) Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u24WVJLqe7A Dhamma Dena Meditation Center https://www.dhammadena.org/home Jews On Ohlone Land https://www.jewsonohloneland.org/ Transgender Law Center https://transgenderlawcenter.org/ East Bay Meditation Center https://eastbaymeditation.org/ Tzedek Lab https://www.tzedeklab.net/ We discussed Lev's experience at a retreat focused on platonic touch and healing, grief and grief in community, practice as "from commitment to home," resources for living in 2025, approaching religion as love and faith as compassion, and spontaneous practice.

Rev. Myozen Joan Amaral is a Soto Zen priest and the Founder and Guiding Teacher of the Zen Center North Shore located in Beverly, MA. Joan is a dharma heir of Zenkei Blanche Hartman in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi. Joan trained at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery for six years. While in residency at San Francisco Zen Center, she formed a dharma group – Dharma en Español – devoted to studying Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind in Spanish (Mente Zen, Mente de Principiante), in order to provide the opportunity for native Spanish speakers to hear the dharma in their own language. Joan's primary focus as a Zen priest, meditation teacher, sangha leader, and community activist, is on the dynamic relationship between formal practice and everyday, messy human life. In recent times she has been exploring the relationship of zazen and social justice, self-care, and creativity as a path of true happiness. Please see the following link for more information about Joan and Zen Center North Shore: https://www.zencenternorthshore.org/ We talked about finding “the heart of dance” in shikantaza, facilitating a recent emergency school board meeting, the importance of getting out of your own way and being your full self, practicing in a public library, and asking, "who wants to play?".

Rev. Dr. Duncan Ryūken Williams is a Soto Zen priest and the Professor of Religion and East Asian Languages & Cultures as well as the Director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture. Dr. Williams is the author of American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War, The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Soto Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan, and the editor of seven volumes including Hapa Japan, Issei Buddhism in the Americas, American Buddhism, and Buddhism and Ecology. He has also translated four books from Japanese into English including Putting Buddhism to Work: A New Theory of Economics and Business Management. For more information about Dr. Williams, please see the following link: https://www.duncanryukenwilliams.com/ We discussed Dr. Williams's recent experience serving as temporary abbot of Eiheiji and Sojiji, chaplaincy at Harvard University, learning a softer approach to Zen directly from Thich Nhat Hanh, American Sutra and activism with Tsuru for Solidarity, the future of American Buddhism, and trusting your gut. For more information about the Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration project, please see the following link: https://ireizo.org/

Rev. Dr. Enrique Galvan-Alvarez is a professor of Humanities and Digital Society at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja-UNIR and a Jōdo Shinshū priest that serves Jinen-Kō, an online community of Portuguese and Spanish speaking folk who are interested in learning and practicing the Dharma, or teachings, of Pure Land Buddhism. For more information about Jinen-Kō and the European Shin Conference 2025, please see the following link: https://jodoshinshu.org/ We talked about the ever-changing nature of the past, initially taking refuge within the Vajrayāna tradition, finding a “livable” practice in Jōdo Shinshū, how rituals within Jōdo Shinshū can vary in different sanghas, and how contemplating impermanence can at times be distressing but can also offer hope.

Mushim Patricia Ikeda is a secular mindfulness and Buddhist teacher working primarily with justice activists and BIPOC meditation practitioners as well as with people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Mushim is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, and has been published in Lion's Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma and various anthologies. Mushim's training and practice have roots in Korean Zen (Seon or Sŏn Buddhism) and Vipassanā, among others. For more information, please visit www.mushimikeda.com. We discussed 'prefigurative activism,' transitioning from a monastic Korean Zen practice to Insight/Vipassanā, mindfulness practices for caretakers, expressing emotions and social justice initiatives through “write action,” and the importance of approaching spiritual practice as an adventurer.

Bonbu Stories is an Asian American arts collaborative dedicated to using music as a medium for raw storytelling and building connections. Featured on the podcast are Sydney Shiroyama, Miharu Okamura, and Miko Shudo. For more information about the group, please see the following link: https://bonbustories.art/ Please also see the following link for "Lantern Song" by Bonbu Stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZMJ39gNHU0 We talked about the process of writing and choreographing Lantern Song, finding “home” and connection with different Jodo Shinshu Buddhist sanghas while on tour, the experience of performing at the 55th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, and how Bonbu Stories approaches projects and creativity as an arts collective.

Rev. Gyokei Yokoyama is a Soto Zen priest that currently serves as Kokusai Fukyoshi (International Missionary) of Sozenji Buddhist Temple in Montebello, California. Gyokei also serves as the Secretary of Soto Zen Buddhism North America and as a board member of the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists (ASZB) and Soto Zen Buddhist North America (SZBA).Gyokei is the former minister of the Long Beach Buddhist Church, a non-denominational Japanese American Buddhist Church, and the former abbot of Iwoji temple, Shinshiro, Aichi Pref., Japan. Additionally, Gyokei has been a supporting teacher at Angel City Zen Center in Los Angeles and leads Rocky Mountain Zen, a lay sangha in Alberta, Canada. We discuss the importance of diversity in sanghas, how what's emphasized within Zen communities in America can vary just like Zen sanghas in Japan, collective culture and healthy ego, the experience of leading Japanese American sanghas in Southern California, language, and how practice off of the cushion helps spin the wheel of dharma.

Rev. Liên Shutt is an ordained Soto Zen priest and Dharma teacher in the tradition of Shunryū Suzuki Roshi. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, Rev. Liên trained in the Insight and Zen traditions in the U.S., Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam. Rev. Liên co-founded Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the founder and guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an anti-racist, inclusive sangha and non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area (AccessToZen.org). Rev. Liên is also the co-host of the podcast, Opening Dharma Access, and the author of Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path. We talk about the experience of training in both the Insight Meditation and Soto Zen traditions, takeaways from practicing in Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan, Buddhists of Color and the importance of resources like affinity groups, and the value of exploring the precepts and being supported by them along the path.

Rev. Myozan Ian Kilroy is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and a Dharma heir of Taigu Turlur Roshi, in the lineage of Nishijima Roshi and Rempo Niwa Zenji. Rev. Myozan serves the Zen Buddhism Ireland sangha, where he is the founding teacher and abbot at Dublin Zen Centre. Rev. Myozan is the founding president of the Irish Buddhist Union and represents Buddhism on the Dublin City Interfaith Forum. In early 2025, Rev. Myozan's book "Do Not Try to Become a Buddha: Practicing Zen Right Where You Are" will be available via Wisdom Publications. (https://wisdomexperience.org/product/do-not-try-to-become-a-buddha/). We talk about the history and development of Zen Buddhism in Ireland and Europe, using skillful means to discuss Buddhism and Buddhist teachings with Irish Catholic audiences, the importance of NOT recognizing a connection between zazen and creativity, and embracing 'great doubt' and feeling the cloth before you make a stitch.

Rev. Monshin Paul Naamon is the abbot and co-founder of the Tendai Buddhist Institute (Jiunzan Tendaiji), an officially recognized branch temple of Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei located in East Chatham, NY. We discuss the feng shui and geographical history of the Tendai Buddhist Institute’s location, finding what was missing in Zen in America within Tendai in Japan, converting a horse barn into a Hondo, ritual and meditation as informing each other, and the importance of finding and connecting with the bodhisattva 'superheroes' living among us.

Roshi June Ryushin Tanoue is a Zen Buddhist priest and the co-founder of Zen Life & Meditation Center based in Chicago, IL. June Roshi is also a Kumu Hula (Master Teacher of Hula) and the founder of Halau I Ka Pono, the Hula School of Chicago. For more information about June Roshi and the Zen Life & Meditation Center, please see the following links: https://www.zlmc.org/ https://www.lionsroar.com/the-hula-sutra/ We talk about the connections between hula and Zen practice, maternal family histories and the sacred feminine, recognizing Kaiona (the Hawaiian goddess of the lost) as a Buddhist bodhisattva, islands of coherence, the honesty and beauty of Pele’s destructive anger, and following your bliss.

Wendy Dainin Lau, MD, is an Emergency Medicine and Addiction Medicine physician and an ordained Zen priest that serves the Upaya Zen Center sangha in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dainin is also the author of Inner Practice of Medicine, which compiles the lessons that she has been gathering throughout her time as a doctor and teacher of doctors. For more information about Dainin and the Upaya Zen Center, please see the following link: https://www.upaya.org/ We discuss Shuso Hossen-Shiki ceremonies, the learning and healing exchange occurring while treating Roshi Joan Halifax's recent injury, Upaya’s Nomads Clinic and the experience of pilgrimage in Nepal, humbling yourself to meet people where they are in their spiritual journeys, treating physician burnout, literally chopping wood and carrying water, and how her rescue dog highlights the liberating qualities of nature.

Sangen Salo is an ordained Zen Buddhist priest and teacher that serves as abbot of Sanneji based in Karjaa, Finland. Sangen sensei is also Sante Poromaa Roshi’s first Dharma heir in the lineage of Roshi Philip Kapleau and teaches at the Helsinki Zen Center as well as other zendos in the Sanneji network. We talk about the connections between Zen practice and playing the shakuhachi, learning from Sante Poromaa Roshi and the deep sense of understanding and connection between teacher and student, participating in takuhatsu (alms-gathering) in Japan with a lightly sprained ankle, and practicing not just for your self but for other people.

Zenzele Isoke, PhD, is a black feminist theorist, urban ethnographer, and political storyteller and serves as an Associate Professor in The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland in College Park. Dr. Isoke practices meditation in the Insight and Zen traditions, with experience practicing at the Clouds and Water Zen Center and Common Ground Meditation Center. We talk about the heart-opening qualities of Christianity and Buddhism, deepening an understanding of form and emptiness while chanting at George Floyd’s funeral, incorporating breath and mindfulness techniques into university courses about racial trauma, creating a relaxed environment and body for writing, and the importance of sangha.

Gillian Coote, Roshi, is a social documentary filmmaker, writer, grandmother and bush regenerator, and serves the Sydney Zen Centre sangha as a senior resident teacher. We talk about camping out during sesshins amongst iguanas and noisy koalas, weeding and removing invasive species as part of Buddhist practice, synchronicities and meeting Robert Aitken Roshi, how she's weaved architecture and house building projects into her life, and the rewards of following your curiosity.

Rev. Kanse Capon Shonin, a Nichiren Shu priest, serves the Nichiren Shu Buddhist Temple of UK located in Dagenham, Essex. We discuss celebrating Oeshiki and hosting members of the European Nichiren Shu sangha network, the closer-than-family relationship between master and disciple, embarking on a more than 300 mile pilgrimage from Penzance to Dagenham, the legacy of Captain John M. James, and cultivating a faith that's "like water."

Jinzu Minna Jain (they/them) is an artist, writer, and racial & systemic equity educator. They identify as BIPOC, disabled, queer and trans/nonbinary. Jinzu has been practicing Sōtō Zen Buddhism for over twenty years and is a novice priest at Clouds in Water Zen Center. They are also the Director of Learning & Development with Real Transformation Today, a racial equity education and consulting group. Jinzu is mostly curious about how Zen practice can help us be human well, meet ourselves and one another complexly, and enjoy our little lives a little more. They wish to break down barriers to access caused by systems of oppression and provide gateways into Sōtō Zen for anyone who wishes to experience it. More info at minnajain.com We talk about the Clouds in Water Zen Center sangha holding space for (and nurturing!) a dying maple tree on their property, the Way of the Mississippi River, the comfort of wrapping yourself in the Buddha’s teachings, cyanotype and impermanence, and how getting comfortable with doubt can allow you to be your full self.

Catherine Raynor Brown is a sangha member of the Karma Kagyu Thigsum Chokhorling (or Karma Choeling Buddhist Monastery), a study, practice and retreat centre in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism based in Waitoki, New Zealand. https://kagyu.org.nz/ We discuss the recent passing of the monastery's founding teacher and observing 49 days of prayer, traditional Tibetan healthcare and medicine, best practices for stupa renovations, a buddha statue's eye opening ceremony with blessings from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and remembering that "it's okay."

Shosan Victoria Austin is an international Soto Zen priest that serves the San Francisco Zen Center sangha as a Dharma teacher, previously fulfilling the roles of Work Leader, Tenzo, Tanto, and President. Victoria is also a certified Senior Intermediate teacher within the Iyengar Yoga tradition. We talk about participating in abbot stepping up and down ceremonies, the differences between guilt and responsibility, Iyengar Yoga, developing and providing accessible zazen postures for all bodies, viewing the body as organized by committee, and acting on what you feel is true and needed.