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Daijaku Kinst

Daijaku Kinst (Vice-president)

Shunryu Suzuki lineage
Capitola, CA

Daijaku Judith Kinst was ordained in 1988 and received dharma transmission from Sojun Weitsman in 2004.   After priest training at San Francisco Zen Center, including four years at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, she completed an MA in counseling psychology, licensure as a psychotherapist, and a PhD in Buddhism and Psychology (Doctoral thesis: Trust Emptiness and the Self in the Practice of Soto Zen Buddhism).  During this time she also trained as a chaplain at the UCSF medical center.

She was founder and clinical director of Golden Gate ICC, a counseling center and training program that integrated Buddhist teachings and practices into the education of students completing a Master’s program in counseling psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she was also adjunct faculty. She also maintained a private psychotherapy practice.

Currently she is Professor of Buddhism and Buddhist Pastoral Care and Director of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Graduate Program at the Institute of Buddhist studies, a Buddhist seminary and an affiliate school of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. Her students at IBS come from a full range of Buddhist traditions, as well as other GTU seminaries, and are studying to be chaplains, clergy, and scholars.

As both a professor and Zen teacher she is actively involved in inter-tradition and interfaith dialogue and has led retreats with Buddhist teachers in Theravada and Tibetan traditions, including the Ven. Pema Chodron.

She co-founded Ocean Gate Zen Center with Rev. Shinshu Roberts, her partner of 25 years. Ocean Gate is a community zendo committed to welcoming all people who wish to study Soto Zen Buddhism.  Daijaku is active in the wider community, including clergy of all faiths who support diversity in their congregations.

She has presented and published articles on Buddhist pastoral care and chaplaincy, Buddhism and psychology, and interfaith subjects such as a Soto Zen perspective on Thomas Merton’s teachings on self surrender.

 

Ejo

Ejo McMullen

Joshin Keira lineage
Eugene, OR

Ejo McMullen serves as the resident priest and head teacher for Buddha Eye Temple in Eugene, Oregon where he lives with his wife, Azusa, and their three children.  He was ordained in 1996 by Joshin Keira Roshi of Sendai, Japan and succeeded to Keira Roshi’s dharma line in 1999.  Ejo was raised in Salem, Oregon, and moved with his family to Eugene from Sendai in 1999 with the vow to establish a temple.  Through the generosity and support of countless beings, Buddha Eye Temple was founded in 2004, and the temple community has been practicing and working hard to rise to this rare opportunity to found a temple ever since.  Ejo has also worked as a secondary school teacher for most of his adult life, teaching Japanese, World Religions and Philosophy.