Founder of Treeleaf Zendo, Jundo Cohen was born in New York in 1960. He was ordained by and received Dharma Transmission from Gudo Wafu NishijimaGudo Wafu Nishijima (西嶋愚道和夫) (November 29, 1919 - January 28, 2014) practiced Zen Buddhism for over seventy years, taught students from around the world, founded the group known as "Dogen Sangha", and translated Buddhist texts from Japanese and Sanskrit, including Dogen's ninety-five-fascicle Kana… Read more about Gudo Wafu Nishijima ». Jundo began Zen practice in 1980, has lived in Japan for most years since that time, and was for many years a lay student of Azuma Ikuo Roshi at Soji-ji Dai-Honzan.
He lives in Tsukuba, Japan with his wife and children, working as a translator of Japanese, and believes that the hard border between ordained priest and householder has long been vanishing in Soto Zen. Our practice is, after all, for living in the world.
Jundo Cohen is a Zen teacher and founder of the Treeleaf Zendo, a Sōtō Zen community using visual media to link Zen practitioners around the world. Treeleaf serves those who cannot easily commute to a Zen center due to health concerns; age or disability; living in remote areas; or work, childcare, or family needs; and provides zazen sittings, retreats, discussion, interaction with a teacher, and all other activities of a Zen Buddhist sangha, all fully online without thought of location or distance. Jundo was born and raised in the United States but has lived in Japan for more than half his life. He was ordained and subsequently received Dharma transmission from Gudo Wafu NishijimaGudo Wafu Nishijima (西嶋愚道和夫) (November 29, 1919 - January 28, 2014) practiced Zen Buddhism for over seventy years, taught students from around the world, founded the group known as "Dogen Sangha", and translated Buddhist texts from Japanese and Sanskrit, including Dogen's ninety-five-fascicle Kana… Read more about Gudo Wafu Nishijima » in Chiba, Japan in 2004.