Jeff Shore

Jeff Shore (1953) was born in Philadelphia, USA. After 10 years studying and practicing in the United States, he went to Japan in 1981. He first spent a year living with Mumon Yamada, Head Abbot of Myoshinji monastery in Kyoto, and got his toes wet training at the monastery of Shofukuji in Kobe. In 1982 he began practice under Zenkei Shibayama‘s successor: Keido Fukushima, then Zen master and later Head Abbot of the major Rinzai complex of Tofukuji in Kyoto. He spent the next 25 years in rigorous Zen training there, completed the training, and became Fukushima Roshi’s lay successor. Jeff’s focus is directly pointing out the very core of Zen and the heart of living Buddhism. Jeff is also professor of Zen in the Modern World at Hanazono University in Kyoto, the sole Rinzai-affiliated university in the world, where he has taught since 1987. He is a husband and a father. He lives in Kyoto where he also has a small place – the Rokoan hermitage – open for those who want to deepen their practice.