Saturday, November 7, 2009

Densho Quintero Interview

Densho Quintero is a Soto Zen priest and Dharma heir of Shohaku Okumura-roshi (head teacher of Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington Indiana and Director of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center). Densho is the director of the Daishin Temple of the Soto Zen Community of Colombia in Bogotá. He started practicing in 1984 and received monk ordination in France in 1987. In 1989, he founded in Bogota a center for the diffusion and practice of Soto Zen. In October 2001, he received Tokudo and the name of Densho in Antaiji, by the abbot Ven. Shinyu Miyaura. After Miyaura Roshi’s death in February 2002, he became student of Shohaku Okumura Roshi. In December 2007 he completed the ceremony of Hossenshiki in Sao Paulo Brazil, with Rev. Dosho Saikawa Sokan. He translated the Book Opening the hand of Thought by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi into Spanish, published in Editorial Kairós in Barcelona Spain in 2009. In November 2006 he published the book Conciencia zen (Spanish Edition) (Zen Consciousness) with Editorial Albatros from Argentina. In March 2009, he received Dharma Transmission from Okumura Roshi. In 2009 he did Zuisse at the two main temples of the Soto Zen School, Eiheiji and Sojiji. He is a full member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association of North America.

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Ven. Eshu Martin Interview

Eshu Martin has been the guiding force behind the Victoria Zen Centre since his arrival in Victoria in 1995. Ordained by Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi in January 1999, Eshu practiced in the Rinzai-ji lineage of Rinzai zen until February 2008. His continuous practice is complemented by his extensive front-line experience both with youth in the care of the Ministry for Children and Family Development, and most recently with Mental Health and Addictions Services for the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Since November of 2005, Eshu has been dedicated full-time to the practice and development of the Victoria Zen Centre and the Buddhist community on Vancouver Island.

Eshu is also committed to increasing awareness of, and creating more opportunities for, Buddhist practice in the Greater Victoria area. To this end he is the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Victoria’s Interfaith Chaplaincy, is the past chair of the World Interfaith Education Association (BC) and has been a committee member on the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s Spirituality in Mental Health and Addictions Initiative. A thank you to Eshu Martin for his participation.

On the web: http://www.zenwest.ca/



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