Melissa Blacker

Melissa Myōzen Blacker, Rōshi, is a Sōtō Zen priest, and a Dharma heir to James Myōun Ford, Rōshi in two lineages: an ordained Sōtō transmission through Jiyu Kennett, Rōshi and a lay kōan-teaching lineage through John Tarrant, Rōshi. Along with her husband, David Dae An Rynick, Rōshi, she is a resident teacher at Boundless Way Zen Temple in Worcester, MA. She holds degrees in anthropology, music and counseling psychology.  From 1992 to 2012 she was a teacher and director of programs at the Center for Mindfulness, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Her writing appears in a number of collections including The Best Buddhist Writing 2012, and The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women (2013), and she is co-editor of The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen’s Most Important Koan (2011). Her writing also appears in various Buddhist magazines, including Shambhala Sun, Lion’s Roar and Buddhadharma. Click here to learn more about Melissa Blacker.