Danny Fisher Talks to Joan Halifax Roshi

Danny Fisher posted a nice introduction to and discussion with Joan Halifax Roshi about the Upaya Buddhist Chaplaincy Training program -- here is a taste from the beginning:

Joan Halifax Roshi is one of the modern engaged Buddhist movement's great heroines. A Zen priest, anthropologist, shaman, activist, and author, she is also the founder, abbot, and head teacher at Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For over ten years Roshi studied with Korean Zen master Seung Sahn, and was a teacher in his Kwan Um Zen School. She also received the Lamp Transmission from Thich Nhat Hanh, and was given inka (formal acknowledgment of the completion of Zen training) by Roshi Bernie Glassman.

A founding teacher of Glassman's Zen Peacemaker Order, she also established the Ojai Foundation in 1975 while working as a research assistant for mythologist Joseph Campbell.

In addition, Roshi, who holds a Ph.D. in medical anthropology and psychology from the University of Miami's School of Medicine, is the author of several wonderful books, including The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey Through Buddhist Practice and Tribal Wisdom, Shaman: The Wounded Healer, Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives, A Buddhist Life in America: Simplicity in Context, and The Human Encounter with Death (with ex-husband Stanislav Grof).

Read the rest, including the interview.

Tags: Danny Fisher, Joan Halifax Roshi, interview, Buddhism, Upaya Buddhist, Chaplaincy Training, dharma, Zen