Misha Merrill is a Zen teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received Dharma Transmission from his disciple, Les Kaye, in 1998, and since 1993 has been the guiding teacher of Zen Heart Sangha on the Peninsula. Misha also teaches young children at the Peninsula School of Menlo Park. She lives in the hills above Stanford with her husband and four-footed friends, and joyfully cultivates a large garden.
Monshin Albert Kutchins began practicing at San Francisco Zen Center in 1984. In the years following he completed several practice periods in Tassajara and one at Rinso-in in Japan, and received the precepts from Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi and again from Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi. In addition to teaching and practicing the Dharma whenever he can, and serving on the Zen Center Board, he practices law in Berkeley, where he lives with his family and Satchel the dog.
Kokyo Henkel leads a new generation of Buddhist scholars and is currently Head Teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center. Kokyo's interests include how the original, classic teachings of Buddha-Dharma from ancient India, China, and Japan are still very much alive and useful in present-day America for bringing peace and harmony to this troubled world.
Shoho Michael Newhall was ordained and transmitted by Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi. Prior to his installation as Jikoji’s Resident Teacher, he taught art and Buddhism at Naropa University, the Art Institute of Chicago, and other universities in the midwest. He leads sesshins and meditation workshops at Zen centers in the U.S. and Europe. Shoho has also practiced and studied with Keibun Otogawa in Japan, Dainin Katagiri Roshi, and Tenshin Reb Anderson. At the close of our annual Denko-e ("Transmission of Light") Sesshin, Michael experientially engages the Satipatthana Sutra on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Body, Feelings, Consciousness, and Mental Factors.
Meido Barbara Anderson is the resident teacher and priest at O-An Zendo, one of Jikoji’s sister temples, in Central Pennsylvania. Retired from Penn State University, where she founded and served as the first Director of the Center for Sustainability, she taught courses in multidisciplinary studies in Science, Technology and Society and Green Design. She also served as the Director of Peace Studies. After more than 30 years of practice, Meido will be receiving Transmission from Shoho Michael Newhall this winter.
Meido Barbara Anderson – What is Real?
Doug Jacobson began practicing Zen in Minneapolis in 1094 with Dainin Katagiri Roshi, and had Jukai in 1977. He was a householder, father, contractor, and civil engineer in Southern California for 25 years. Doug came to Jikoji in 2008, and received priest ordination in 2010, and transmission in 2015, from Shoho Michael Newhall. He currently serves Jikoji as a teacher, resident, and tireless construction worker. He also assists prisoners with Buddhist practice.
Andy Acker began practicing and studying Zen in the early 2000's in Minnesota and in Boulder, Colorado. He is a resident practitioner at Jikoji and is ordained as a priest in the lineage of Kobun Chino, Roshi. He received a B.A. in Psychology and Religion from Naropa University and a Master's in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University.
Eric Remington was an early student of Jikoji Founder Kobun in the early 1970s. After years spent studying with Kobun and founding a school for children, Eric was ordained and subsequently trained at Tassajara Monastery for a year. He became a biologist and naturalist before living for several years in the desert, and recently joining Jikoji as a Resident.
Dan Zigmond was ordained as a priest by Kobun Chino Otagawa Roshi in 1998, and was Shuso with Michael Newhall in 2009. He currently serves on the board of the San Francisco Zen Center. Dan is the Director of Analytics at Facebook, and is co-author of the best-selling book Buddha’s Diet: the Ancient Art of Losing Weight Without Losing your Mind.
Born in Chicago, Jill Kaplan moved to the Bay Area in 1977 where she raised two boys and taught school for many years. Jill discovered Zen practice in 1993 and returned to graduate school in 1995. Working as a psychologist, she trained in Sandplay, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and in Body Soul Rhythms with Jungian analyst Marion Woodman, and studied Zen with Darlene Cohen. Jill recieved dharma transmission from Misha Shungen Merril in 2013. Her talks are informed by her body-focused meditation practice. In This talk, Jill explores the Zen koan "The Old Woman Selling Rice Cakes."
Melissa Sutor is a mindfulness expert and mental health counselor and has been a resident at Jikoji Zen Center. She teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (qualified through training programs by Bob Stahl, Ph.D. and Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.), leads retreats, and speaks at organizations that are committed to well-being and excellence. Melissa was a software engineer and IT project manager in Silicon Valley then founded Dragonfly Healing Center to facilitate the healing and transformation of individuals and the planet. Her masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University focused on positive psychology and mindfulness. She also holds a masters degree in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Melissa is a world traveler and greatly appreciates connecting heartfully with people of diverse cultures and backgrounds which informs her work in diversity and inclusion. She currently teaches at Kaiser Permanente in Maui and gives talks and leads meditation sessions at summits for Google and during retreats at Esalen Institute. Melissa is featured on the cover of the August 2018 issue of Mindful magazine.