Simplicity Zen Podcast

Zen Buddhism Podcast

Sensei Jissai Prince-Cherry was born in 1967 in North Carolina, served eight years in the U.S. Air Force and earned a degree in Industrial Engineering from Southern Illinois University. After nearly 15 years in the field, she turned her full attention to a life dedicated to the Buddhadharma. She began practicing Zen in 1994. In addition to the traditional Zen training she received at the Rochester Zen Center, she also made pilgrimages to a Rinzai Zen monastery in Japan for residential practice and sesshin. Ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in 2022, she received the name, “Jissai” (pronounced JEE-sigh), which means “true encounter.” In 2025, after nearly 30 years of training with her teacher, Roshi Bodhin (“Cold Heed”) Kjolhede, she was formally sanctioned by him as a fully authorized Zen teacher. Jissai-sensei lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she leads the Louisville Zen Center. She also serves as a teacher for the Rochester Zen Center. https://www.louisvillezen.org/ Online Zen training and podcast: https://simplicityzen.com
Ep 114 - An Interview with Zen Teacher Sensei Jissai Prince-Cherry
In Japanese Soto Zen there is a ceremony called shuso hossenshiki (首座法戦式). This translates to "head student dharma combat ceremony". Being a head student is a right of passage where they help lead a Zen practice period. A practice period (ango in Japanese) is a time of intensified practice that often revolves around a theme or a text that is being studied. The dharma combat ceremony culminates the practice period and is a chance for practice period participants to bring forth question about Zen and present them to the head student to answer. In traditional Japanese Soto Zen the entire ceremony is highly scripted, including the questions and answers, but in the ceremony the head student takes real questions that he must answer in real-time. This ceremony reflects the tradition in Chinese and Japanese Zen of "dialog encounters" where the one's understanding of Zen is put to the test. For online Zen training and podcasts: https://simplicityzen.com
Fall 2026 Practice Period Dharma Combat Ceremony
Jon Joseph Roshi is a teacher in the Pacific Zen Institute lineage and is the guiding teacher at San Mateo Zen Community in California. Jon studied with Yamada Koun, Roshi in Japan and John Tarrant, Roshi in California. Jon was given initial permission to teach in 2012 and in 2016 he received full dharma transmission. More about Jon: https://www.sanmateozen.org Online Zen training and podcast: https://simplicityzen.com
Ep 113 - An interview with Zen teacher Jon Joseph Roshi
Mushin takes householder ordination in the Zen lineage of Dogen Zenji. For podcasts, online training and information visit: https://simplicityzen.com
Mushin Simplicity Zen Householder Ordination
Rick McDaniel was raised in Indiana and moved to Canada in 1967, where he earned an MA and Ph. D. in the Literature of the Developing World. He has worked for many tears as a University Professor and he was the creator of the YMCA Peace Medallion and he also founded Cultures Boutique, the first fair trade store in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Rick became interested in Zen practice in 1971 and eventually studied with Albert Low of the Montreal Zen Center. He is the author of eight books on the subject. His most recent, Further Zen Conversations, was released by the Sumeru Press in 2023. At the request of Albert Low, Rick started the Fredericton Zen Sitting Group which meets weekly in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Rick is perhaps best known to Zen practitioners as a frequently profiler of North American Zen Teachers which can be found on the rbmcdaniel.ca website For more about Rick and his work, please see: https://rbmcdaniel.ca/ For online Zen training and information: http://scienceofzen.org/
Ep 112 - An Interview with Zen Author and Historian Rick McDaniel
Paul Gyodo Agostinelli, Sensei is the Founder and Spiritual Leader of Eon Zen Center. He is the founder of Zen at Work, which is a professional and life coaching consultancy. He received Dharma Transmission in 2015, after 25 years of Zen practice, from his teachers Shishin Wick, Roshi and Shinko Perez, Roshi, founders of the Great Mountain Zen Center. More about Pal can be found at: https://www.eonzen.org https://www.zenatwork.org https://www.onebodysangha.org Newsletter: https://thezenshift.substack.com/ The Game of Zen (podcast): https://open.spotify.com/show/2bjnPE66RC1bCL6h7i68jt?si=91fd55a8fabe40a6 Online Zen training and instruction: https://simplicityzen.com
Ep 111 - Zen Teacher Interview with Paul Gyodo Agostinelli (Zen Podcast)
In this dharma talk by Berry Crawford we will examine these lines from the XinXin Ming: In oneness and equality, Confusion vanishes of itself. Stop activity and return to stillness, And that stillness will be even more active. Merely stagnating in duality, How can you recognize oneness? For more Zen interviews, dharma talks and online Zen training, visit: https://simplicityzen.com/ Gambo Kyogan Berry first started practicing Zen meditation in 1992. He lived at the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center and practiced as a resident there in the mid-1990s. Afterward, he practiced with Diane “Eshin” Rizzetto at the Ordinary Mind Zen School, founded by Joko Beck. Later, he became a student of John “Shoji” Sorenson, under whom he eventually received shiho (2022) and Inka Shomei (2025) in the lineage of Soto priest Soyu Matsuoka Roshi. He has also completed the Open Mind Zen koan curriculum under Russell “Kyofu Seikyo” Mitchell and was given dharma transmission in that lineage in 2025. Berry is a member of the “Doan-ryo” at the Valley Streams Zen Sangha and of the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Dharma Center.
Ep. 110 - Zen Dharma Talk: Zen and Oneness
Tess Beasley is a Zen koan teacher and dharma heir of John Tarrant Roshi and serves as President for the Board of Directors for the Pacific Zen Institute. She holds a PhD in Jungian and Archetypal Psychology and is particularly interested in the ways Zen and depth psychology complement each other to kindle creativity and transformation. More on Tess and PZI: https://www.pacificzen.org/ Online Zen Training and Education: https://simplicityzen.com
Ep. 109 - Tess Beasley Zen Teacher Interview (Zen Podcast)
In this dharma talk by Berry Crawford we will examine these lines from the XinXin Ming: The Supreme Way is not difficult If only you do not pick and choose. Neither love nor hate, And you will clearly understand. For more Zen interviews, dharma talks and online Zen training, visit: https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep. 108 - Zen Dharma Talk: Picking and Choosing
A way seeking mind talk is when a Zen student shares how they became interested and involved in Zen practice. For Zen podcasts and training: https://simplicityzen.com
Ep 107 - Zen Way Seeking Mind Talk by Myozan Vince Nocito (Zen Podcast)
Our guest in this episode is Mitra Bishop Roshi. She received a B.A. from Indiana University, raised two children, and worked in graphic, interior, and architectural design for many years. She first encountered Buddhism while living in Asia. She was ordained at the Rochester Zen Center, where she lived and practiced for many years and received dharma transmission from Kapleau Roshi. Afterwards she traveled to Sogen-ji in Japan to practice under the guidance of the Zen master, Harada Shodo Roshi. She currently lives in New Mexico, where she has founded Mountain Gate. For more information about Mitra Roshi and Mountain Gate: https://www.sanmonjizen.org/ For online Zen training and podcasts: https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep 106 - Mitra Bishop Roshi Interview (Zen Podcast)
Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western non-dual traditions. He was authorized to teach in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in 2007 and the Zen Buddhist schools of Soto and Rinzai in 2022. Mugen is a senior student of Roshi Mark Sando Mininberg and a transmitted teacher in the White Plum Asanga—the body of teachers in the Maezumi-roshi lineage. For more on Stephen and his teachings: https://awakeningdharma.org/ Online Zen podcasts and Zen training: https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep. 105 - An Interview with Zen teacher Stephen Snyder (Zen Podcast)
Carolyn Seburn is an authorized Dharma successor of Sei’un Roselyn Stone Rôshi of the Mountain Moon Sangha in Toronto and Brisbane. She has been practicing Zen meditation since 1985 and guiding Zen practice since 2015. Married, and parent to two young adults, Carolyn is also a retired wildlife conservation biologist. Carolyn is also appointed a Zen teacher with Sanbo Zen International and is on the teaching staff of Mountain Cloud Zen Centre. For more information on Carolyn to contact her, please visit: https://mountainmoonottawa.org/ For Zen podcasts and online training, visit https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep. 104 - An Interview with Zen teacher Carolyn Seburn (Zen Podcast)
In this dharma talk by Berry Crawford we will look at the practical ways that Zen allows us to deal with emotionally difficult situations in daily life. For more Zen interviews, dharma talks and online Zen training, visit: https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep. 103 - Zen Dharma Talk: Zen and Responding to Emotionally Difficult Situations
Peter Coyote is an actor, narrator, writer and Soto Zen priest. He was ordained as a Zen Priest in 2015 and received dharma transmission in 2016 from Chikudo Lewis Richmond in the Soto tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. For more podcast episodes and online Zen training visit: https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep 102 - Peter Coyote Zen Interview (Zen Podcast)
A conversation with pioneering Zen practitioner and leader Hugh Curran. In this episode we have a conversation with Hugh Curran. He is longtime practitioner, Zen retreat leader and professor of Peace and Reconciliation Studies at the University of Maine. Hugh was a key player in the early years of the transmission of the Harada/Yasutani lineage to North American and offers fascinating insight into this pivotal era. For more Zen podcasts and online Zen training, visit https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep 101 - A conversation with pioneering Zen practitioner and leader Hugh Curran. (Zen Podcast)
Genpo Roshi is Zen teacher who has trained in and taught within the White Plum school of Buddhism. He was ordained as a Zen monk in October 1973 under Taizan Maezumi Roshi at the Zen Center of Los Angeles where he later served as Director. In September 1980, he received Dharma transmission as Maezumi Roshi's second successor, and he later received Inka from Bernie Glassman in 1996, making him Glassman's first Inka successor. Over the decades, Merzel has founded and led several prominent Zen organizations. He established the Kanzeon International Sangha in 1982, was installed as the Abbot of Hosshinji Temple in Maine in 1988, created the Big Mind Process in 1999 and served as the President of the White Plum Asanga from 1996 until 2007. For more interviews and online Zen training you can visit: https://simplicityzen.com/
Ep 100 - Zen Interview with Genpo Roshi (Zen Podcast)
In this dharma talk we look at the critical importance of attention in Zen Buddhist practice. Gambo Kyogan Berry Crawford first started practicing Zen meditation in 1992. He lived at the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center and practiced as a resident in the mid 1990s. Afterwards, he practiced with Diane “Eshin” Rizzetto in the Ordinary Mind Zen School started by Joko Beck. Later, he became a student of John “Shoji” Sorenson under whom he eventually received shiho (2022) and Inka Shomei (2025) in the lineage of Soto priest Soyu Matsuoka Roshi. He has also completed the Open Mind Zen koan curriculum under Russell “Kyofu Seikyo” Mitchell and was given dharma transmission in that lineage in 2025. Berry is a member of the “Doan-ryo” at the Valley Streams Zen Sangha and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Dharma Center where he serves as President. For more Zen podcasts and Online Zen training options: https://simplicityzen.com
Ep. 99 - Zen Dharma Talk: The Critical Importance of Attention in Zen Practice
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