Shodhin started practicing at the Center in 1996 while he was still living in Valparaiso, IN. A series of events meant moving closer and closer to the Center, first to Hyde Park and then to Buena Park. Finally, upon ordaining in 2010, he moved into the Center, where he now lives with his partner, Michael. He was sanctioned as a teacher of the Dharma by Yusan Graham in 2021 and became abbot of the CZC in 2023.

 

In addition to his service here, Shodhin is also Senior Research Professor in the department of Philosophy & Theology at Valparaiso University. He has given talks on Zen and Buddhism to school and community groups, and he written on aspects of the Dharma and on points of interface between Buddhist and Christian spirituality. His book, Alone in a World of Wounds: A Dharmic Response to the Ills of Sentient Beings, was published in 2022. Another, Obstacles to Stillness: Thoughts, Hindrances, and Self-Surrender in Evagrius and the Buddha, came out in 2023. He is currently working on a book exploring the intrepid fearlessness of the bodhisattva.