Jikoji Retreat Center, 12100 Skyline Blvd, Los Gatos, CA 95030, phone: (408) 741-9562
Jikoji Retreat Center, 12100 Skyline Blvd, Los Gatos, CA 95030, phone: (408) 741-9562
Carolyn Atkinson, Eiko Joshin, is a Dharma Heir of the late Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, and has been practicing Zen Buddhist meditation since 1973. She is a priest in the Soto Zen tradition and received dharma transmission from her Teacher before his unexpected death in 2002. She has also studied in the Vipassana tradition, and is a trained community dharma leader. She is particularly interested in the comparison and the benefits of two practices: mindfulness meditation (vipassana) and "just sitting" (shikantaza). Carolyn is the author of the book, Quiet Mind, Open Heart, and is the Head Teacher at Everyday Dharma Zen Center in Santa Cruz, California. She trained in traditional Chinese medicine in San Francisco and in China, and practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for twenty years. She is the mother of two grown sons.
Angie Boissevain served as Jikoji's first director and, later, as a teacher. While raising three sons and being a wife and poet, she began her study with Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi at Haiku Zendo. Kobun called her the "transmitted housewife" and she was formally ordained as a teacher by Vanja Palmers after Kobun's untimely death. She has almost forty years of practice, is the Floating Zendo's teacher, and leads sesshins for her students in many parts of California, New Mexico, Colorado, Austria, and Switzerland.
Sokuzan Bob Brown in 1975, he established the Dharma Study Group of Battle Creek, Michigan, that has become through association with Kobun and Michael a sister zendo of Jikoji. In 1978, Bob became an authorized meditation instructor through Vajradhatu in Boulder and later completed the Vajradhatu Seminary in 1980 at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. In 1990, Bob met Kobun Chino Roshi, a Zen meditation master from Japan, and became a student of his. He received lay ordination from Kobun Roshi's brother, the late Hojosama Keibun Otagawa, and full ordination as a priest in 2007 in the Soto Zen lineage from Shoho Michael Newhall, Resident Teacher at Jikoji in Los Gatos, California.
Ian Hakuryu Forsberg was fortunate to meet Kobun Chino Otogawa during his late teens. He began zazen practice and was ordained by Kobun at Haiku Zendo in 1977. Ian practiced with Kobun and the Sangha in California at Haiku Zendo, Hidden Villa Ranch and later at Jikoji. In the early eighties, after Kobun moved to Taos, New Mexico, Ian visited Taos a few times at Kobun’s request for sesshins and the formal Hokoji opening ceremony. In 1987 he went to Taos to spend three months working on Kobun’s house and never left. During the years at Hokoji, he has helped with the practice at Hokoji; was Shuso in 1990, received Dharma Transmission from Vanja Palmers in 2005 and is resident teacher at Hokoji. Along with many of Kobun’s students, he has embraced the commitment of ordinations, family, and zazen as an open and natural practice.
Kokyo Henkel is the Head Teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center. He has been practicing Zen since 1990 in residence at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, No Abode Hermitage in Mill Valley, and Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan. He was given transmission as a teacher in 2010 by Tenshin Anderson Roshi.
Misha Shungen Merrill is the primary teacher for Zen Heart Sangha in Menlo Park and Woodside, California and has been practicing Zen since 1984. She was ordained as a Zen priest in 1988 and received Dharma Transmission in 1998 from her teacher, Les Kaye Roshi, the abbot of Kannon Do Zen Center.
Shoho Michael Newhall was ordained and transmitted by Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi and currently is Jikoji's resident teacher and Chief Priest. He leads sesshins at other Zen Centers in the U.S. and Europe, along with art and meditation workshops. Michael has practiced and studied with Kobun's brother, Keibun Otogawa, in Japan , Dainin Katagiri Roshi, Tozen Akiyama Roshi, and Tenshin Reb Anderson.
Abbess Myoan Grace Schireson is the founder and head teacher of the Empty Nest Zen Group, Modesto Valley Heartland Zen Group, and the Fresno River Zen Group. Grace is a Dharma heir in the lineage of the Shunryu Suzuki-roshi—founder of the San Francisco Zen Center. Grace has practiced Zen meditation for more than 35 years and is author of the book "Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens and Macho Masters"
Kuzan Peter Schireson is the teacher of the Saturday morning Zen and Interfaith Meditation group in Fresno, California and Practice Leader at Empty Nest Zendo in the Sierra Foothills. He was ordained as a Lay Teacher by Sojun Mel Weitsman of Berkeley Zen Center in 2003 and as a Soto Zen priest by Chikudo Lew Richmond of Vimala Zen Center in 2008.
Hozan Alan Senauke is a Soto Zen priest who serves as Vice Abbot of the Berekely Zen Center. He was Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) from 1991 to 2001. He is a social activist merging Buddhist practice with social work, and founder of Clear View Project, working for social change and relief in Burma.
Shoka Myogen, Kathryn Stark, is a longtime student and practitioner of Buddhism, Kathryn has been practicing for the past twenty years with the Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz Zen Centers. In 2003, she was ordained as a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi by Sobun Katherine Thanas, Abbot of Santa Cruz Zen Center and founding teacher of MBZC. She has trained both in Japan and at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. In 2007 she completed the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy training program. Currently she is studying at the Graduate Theological Union and Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley where she is working toward an MA in Buddhist Studies with an emphasis in Buddhist Chaplaincy. She also volunteers as a chaplain at Dominican Hospital Rehab Care Unit in Santa Cruz.
Many years ago, Peter Szydlowski was ordained as a Zen Priest by Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi at Jikoji. On those infrequent occasions when he is due to talk at a Sunday program or sesshin, he tends to focus on zazen, "just sitting", presence, and/or silence. He usually works outdoor kinhin into the schedule--he was, after all, a National Park ranger for 16 years. He is still an avid hiker and traveler, "grampa" of five, and past Jikoji board president.
Val Szymanski is the founding teacher of Bamboo in the Wind, a Zen practice group that meets in Sunnyvale. She was ordained by Diane Martin in the Danin Katagiri Roshi lineage. Reverend Val is an esteemed calligrapher and offers calligraphy workshops, as well as dharma studies. For more information about Bamboo in the Wind, go to: www.bamboointhewind.org.
Greg Campbell is a Staff Resident who also serves as Business Manager at Jikoji. Greg was born in Washington state in 1938. He joined the Marines while still a teenager. He later practiced Zen Buddhism and studied Japanese culture in Japan. Back in America in his late twenties, he became a nurse, served as an interpreter-monk for Sasaki Joshu Roshi, and studied world mysticism. In Europe in his fifties he served as an ecumenical counsellor/comforter for the dying and also gave talks, retreats, and educational programs. He received lay ordination from Michael Newhall at Jikoji. Recently his health has deteriorated unexpectedly.
donnalynn chase is a student of Angie Boissevain Sensei and was ordained by her as a lay Soto Zen Buddhist Priest in 2008 at Jikoji. She is a life coach and workshop facilitator in private practice. donnalynn also is a Floating Zendo sangha member, corporate refugee, artist, Jikoji ex-board member, and haiku poet.
Mark Gonnerman holds an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Stanford, where Carl Bielefeldt directed his dissertation on the life and work of American Buddhist poet Gary Snyder. He is the father of Christopher, a university student, and shares householder life with Meri Mitsuyoshi in San Jose. The founding director of the Aurora Forum at Stanford University, Mark is an occasional lecturer at Stanford and the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto. He studies Zen with Michael Newhall and members of the sangha at Jikoji.
After only 40 years of practice, Cliff Isberg, PhD, was ordained by Shoho Michael Newhall as a Soto Zen Buddhist Monk in 2010. He sometimes serves as one of Jikoji's oversight managers. Notes and outlines for his recent talks are posted on his Dharma Talks.
Robert Jackson is passionate about bringing mindfulness and wisdom practices to the masses through social media, podcasting, and creating apps for the iPad and the iPhone. He hosts the podcast A Quiet Mind (spirituality for the average Joe/Jane). He also bring mindfulness practices to the workplace with Part Time Buddha training and workshops in person and online.
Doug Jacobson is a Jikoji Resident, ordained monk, and civil/tunnel engineer. He also assists prisoners with Buddhist practice.
Shoho Kerstin Kuebast, born in Germany, spent a few years of residency in Puregg, Austria. There she practiced with Kobun and was priest—ordained by Vanja Palmers in 2000 at the newly established Felsentor. Since then she practiced at the San Francisco Zen Center with Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, with whom she completed basic priest training by being Shuso last fall. She is currently associated with Santa Cruz Zen Center.
Yoga has been Camella Nair's passion for over 25 years. As a certified instructor for the past eight she has traveled, studied, and taught in India, England, and throughout the United States. She offers classes in every aspect and every level of yoga, including vinyasa yoga, aqua yoga, pre—natal yoga, ayurvedic yoga, and meditation. Her success as a teacher can be credited in part to her irrepressible sense of humor and to her keen sensitivity to the needs of each of her students.
As a resident at Jikoji, Gerow Reece offers ceremonial tea usually the first and third Sundays of the month. He is also the grounds keeper here--recently developing a garden area behind the Community Building. In the mid-sixties he practiced Zen meditation and studied calligraphy in Kyoto, Japan, and he now teaches a monthly calligraphy class.
Karin Sigmund is a student of Michael Newhall Sensei and received lay ordination from him at Jikoji. Karin is a Tenzo with a mission, a world-traveler, educational therapist, sinologist, MBA, psychology student, and artist. Her passion is applied neuropolasticity – how to change the brain for the better, through mindfulness and meditation.
Dan Zigmond is a Soto Zen Buddhist Priest ordained at Jikoji by Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi in 1998. He is also a father, software engineer, writer, and contributing editor at Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Currently, Dan is a Jikoji board member, and is teaching and training at Jikoji.