Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism – Details, episodes & analysis

Rev. Shingaku Jenny Henderson leads the Winding Path Sangha, a Tendai Buddhist community based in Springfield, MA. We discuss locating areas for bodhisattva and buddha venerations on pilgrimage walks, the journey of finding a permanent space for the sangha, the efforts to sustain an inclusive and welcoming space for beginners, navigating how to both honor the Tendai lineage while also being mindful of cultural appropriation, temple cats, and “lighting up your corner.”

Kogen Austin Keith is a Soto Zen priest and Army chaplain.

We talk about camaraderie and pranks at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, developing a Zen practice in New Orleans, bringing along a copy of the Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki while fighting wildfires, fielding the varied concerns of soldiers as an Army chaplain, the challenges of serving as a police officer, and the importance of supporting your local Buddhist sangha.

Fusatsu received Jukai in the Soto Zen lineage in 2018.

We discussed Fusatsu’s experience assisting with preparations for a recent abbot transition at the Sanshin Zen Community, the Everyday Zen Foundation, pet sanghas, making virtual dharma connections, the impact of nature practice, and being comfortable outside of your comfort zone.

Angela Lintz Small, PhD, is a Historical & Cultural Studies of Religion PhD Student and Student Trustee at the Graduate Theological Union.

We talk about Angela's experience as a student at the Graduate Theological Union, PTSD and ADHD, eco feminism, finding sangha at the National Black Buddhist Meeting, reading Lama Rod Owens' Love and Rage, and practicing Insight Meditation at the East Bay Meditation Center.

Yoni Ackerman received lay ordination from the Berkeley Zen Center in 2022.

We talk about Yoni’s journey into becoming a physical therapist, growing up in a Reform Jewish household, just being yourself in zazen, the stink of zen, and looking locally to find your sangha.

If you're curious and wish to learn more about practice at the Berkeley Zen Center, feel free to reach out to Yoni through his email: jonathan dot d dot ackerman at gmail dot com.

Rev. JP deGuzman, PhD, is a lecturer in the Asian American Studies Department at UCLA and a Minister's Assistant at the San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple.

We discuss improv comedy and Buddhism, lessons given and learned while teaching high school students during the pandemic, the impact of a vitamin C gummy during tokudo, interweaving oneself within the history and architecture of temples through chanting, and allowing gratitude to ripen when it ripens.

Jade Sasser, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Gender & Sexuality Studies Department at University of California, Riverside. Sasser is the author of Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future and host of the podcast, Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question.

We discuss how mindfulness practices may benefit climate anxiety, how writing Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question deepened her Buddhist practice, the role of chanting in daily life, and Soka Gakkai International's work towards nuclear disarmament.

Rev. Kaitlyn Mascher-Mace is a Jōdo Shinshū priest and host of the BuddhistPriestPlays channel on Twitch.

We talk about developing digital Buddhist communities, military and hospital chaplaincy, working as an emergency paramedic, and how everyone is special and welcome under the tent of Jōdo Shinshū.

Ralph H. Craig III, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at Whitman College and the author of Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner.

We discuss finding Soka Gakkai in a phone book, understanding practice as the art of looking again, Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, and the dharmic teachings of Tina Turner.

Rev. Melissa Opel serves as the Head/Resident Minister of the Buddhist Church of San Francisco.

We talk about Rev. Opel's journey with and eventual break from evangelical Christianity, struggles with faith and identity, the process of becoming a minister, and understanding Jodo Shinshu as a tradition that invites you to come as you are.