Rev. CJ Sokugan Dunford (they/them/theirs) is a Jōdo Shinshū minister serving as minister's assistant at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple and Tokudo minister at the Buddhist Temple of Marin. Rev. CJ recently completed a Doctorate of Ministry degree at the Pacific School of Religion and teaches at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Rev. CJ works towards establishing practical Jodo Shinshu frameworks of spiritual care for LGBTQ+ folks that can be utilized by both leadership and laypersons in various sangha settings ranging from traditional temple structures, to smaller LGBTQ+ focused healing & support groups and organizes the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple.

We discussed finding community and a framework for liberation in Jōdo Shinshū, viewing hope as a discipline, exploring "gender as empty," the joy and magic found in building queer family in Japan, and the importance of knowing that you're loved.

Rev. Cyndi Jikaku Yasaki is a Jōdo Shinshū minister that serves the White River Buddhist Temple based in Auburn, WA. Rev. Cyndi completed her Certificate in Shin Buddhism from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Spring 2019 and received the first level of ordination, Tokudo, in Kyoto, Japan in Summer 2019. She married her husband, Rev. Tadao Koyama, in 2020 and moved with him to Tacoma, WA upon his ministerial assignment as the Resident Minister of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. Rev. Cyndi received her Masters in Arts in Buddhist Studies from IBS and her second level of ordination, Kyoshi, in 2022.

*Note: This episode briefly mentions suicide/self-harm.

We talked about the unique qualities of different Jōdo Shinshū sanghas within Washington state, what it's like being married to a minister while being a minister herself, gratitude and it's role in deepening Rev. Cyndi’s commitment towards ministry, anxiety and connecting with things outside of yourself as a form of healing, and the importance of knowing who you are in order to find the right medicine for you.

Fresh “Lev” White is a love and compassion activist. He offers mindfulness, mediation, and diversity trainings as tools for shifting towards more authentic, conscious, and passionate living. He teaches and writes about how unconditional love and self-compassion are the ultimate gateways to honoring and understanding others; thus, healing our communities and our planet. For more information about Lev, please see the following link: https://affirmativeacts.org/

Rev. Myozen Joan Amaral is a Soto Zen priest and the Founder and Guiding Teacher of the Zen Center North Shore located in Beverly, MA. Joan is a dharma heir of Zenkei Blanche Hartman in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi. Joan trained at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery for six years. While in residency at San Francisco Zen Center, she formed a dharma group – Dharma en Español – devoted to studying Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind in Spanish (Mente Zen, Mente de Principiante), in order to provide the opportunity for native Spanish speakers to hear the dharma in their own language. Joan's primary focus as a Zen priest, meditation teacher, sangha leader, and community activist, is on the dynamic relationship between formal practice and everyday, messy human life. In recent times she has been exploring the relationship of zazen and social justice, self-care, and creativity as a path of true happiness. Please see the following link for more information about Joan and Zen Center North Shore: https://www.zencenternorthshore.org/

We talked about finding “the heart of dance” in shikantaza, facilitating a recent emergency school board meeting, the importance of getting out of your own way and being your full self, practicing in a public library, and asking, "who wants to play?".

Rev. Dr. Duncan Ryūken Williams is a Soto Zen priest and the Professor of Religion and East Asian Languages & Cultures as well as the Director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture. Dr. Williams is the author of American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War, The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Soto Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan, and the editor of seven volumes including Hapa Japan, Issei Buddhism in the Americas, American Buddhism, and Buddhism and Ecology. He has also translated four books from Japanese into English including Putting Buddhism to Work: A New Theory of Economics and Business Management. For more information about Dr. Williams, please see the following link: https://www.duncanryukenwilliams.com/

Rev. Dr. Enrique Galvan-Alvarez is a professor of Humanities and Digital Society at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja-UNIR and a Jōdo Shinshū priest that serves Jinen-Kō, an online community of Portuguese and Spanish speaking folk who are interested in learning and practicing the Dharma, or teachings, of Pure Land Buddhism. For more information about Jinen-Kō and the European Shin Conference 2025, please see the following link: https://jodoshinshu.org/

We talked about the ever-changing nature of the past, initially taking refuge within the Vajrayāna tradition, finding a “livable” practice in Jōdo Shinshū, how rituals within Jōdo Shinshū can vary in different sanghas, and how contemplating impermanence can at times be distressing but can also offer hope.

Mushim Patricia Ikeda is a secular mindfulness and Buddhist teacher working primarily with justice activists and BIPOC meditation practitioners as well as with people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Mushim is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, and has been published in Lion's Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma and various anthologies. Mushim's training and practice have roots in Korean Zen (Seon or Sŏn Buddhism) and Vipassanā, among others. For more information, please visit www.mushimikeda.com.

Bonbu Stories is an Asian American arts collaborative dedicated to using music as a medium for raw storytelling and building connections. Featured on the podcast are Sydney Shiroyama, Miharu Okamura, and Miko Shudo. For more information about the group, please see the following link:

https://bonbustories.art/

Please also see the following link for "Lantern Song" by Bonbu Stories:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZMJ39gNHU0

We talked about the process of writing and choreographing Lantern Song, finding “home” and connection with different Jodo Shinshu Buddhist sanghas while on tour, the experience of performing at the 55th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, and how Bonbu Stories approaches projects and creativity as an arts collective.

Rev. Gyokei Yokoyama is a Soto Zen priest that currently serves as Kokusai Fukyoshi (International Missionary) of Sozenji Buddhist Temple in Montebello, California. Gyokei also serves as the Secretary of Soto Zen Buddhism North America and as a board member of the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists (ASZB) and Soto Zen Buddhist North America (SZBA).Gyokei is the former minister of the Long Beach Buddhist Church, a non-denominational Japanese American Buddhist Church, and the former abbot of Iwoji temple, Shinshiro, Aichi Pref., Japan. Additionally, Gyokei has been a supporting teacher at Angel City Zen Center in Los Angeles and leads Rocky Mountain Zen, a lay sangha in Alberta, Canada.

We discuss the importance of diversity in sanghas, how what's emphasized within Zen communities in America can vary just like Zen sanghas in Japan, collective culture and healthy ego, the experience of leading Japanese American sanghas in Southern California, language, and how practice off of the cushion helps spin the wheel of dharma.

Rev. Liên Shutt is an ordained Soto Zen priest and Dharma teacher in the tradition of Shunryū Suzuki Roshi. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, Rev. Liên trained in the Insight and Zen traditions in the U.S., Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam. Rev. Liên co-founded Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the founder and guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an anti-racist, inclusive sangha and non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area (AccessToZen.org). Rev. Liên is also the co-host of the podcast, Opening Dharma Access, and the author of Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path.