Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism

Vincent Moore
  • 5.0 (4)
  • BUDDHISM

Paths of Practice (PoP) is a podcast that features interviews with people sharing their experiences with Buddhism and Buddhist practice. The podcast includes conversations with folks from a wide variety of backgrounds, both those that have been on the path for a while and those just starting out as well as everyone in between. In a way, the podcast sets out to explore the "84,000 paths to enlightenment," one Buddhist at a time. PoP was created and is hosted by Vincent Moore. Vincent is a relatively new practitioner of Soto Zen and has an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

  1. Paths of Practice with Alexander James O'Neill, PhD

    4D AGO

    Paths of Practice with Alexander James O'Neill, PhD

    Alexander James O'Neill is a specially appointed assistant professor at the Department of Liberal Arts at Musashino University, Tōkyō. He was previously a research fellow at the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto's Department for the Study of Religion. He has a broad range of interests, including Sanskrit Buddhist texts and manuscripts from South Asia, especially Nepal. He has a passion for Newar Buddhism and the Newar language and culture. In addition, he is interested broadly in Mahāyāna Buddhism, ranging from Sanskrit and Newar literature to Chinese and Japanese Buddhist texts and practices. For more information about Dr. O'Neill, please see the following links: https://www.alexanderjoneill.com/ https://www.shingansportal.com/https://www.zonkakuproject.org/ We talked about: *Zonkaku and creating open source dharma resources *The Secrets of the Tathāgata and the Buddha meeting us as we are *Practicing in different traditions and finding Jōdo Shinshū through a connection with Amitabha *Newar Buddhism, Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, and Buddhist book worship *And the importance of focused reading and finding a teacher or trusted dharma friend to help guide you along the path

    1h 14m
  2. Paths of Practice with Tenzin Tseme

    FEB 9

    Paths of Practice with Tenzin Tseme

    Tseme (they/them) practices in the Himalayan Gelugpa tradition. Their Buddhist Studies degree at UC Berkeley included studying Tibetan and Japanese languages and they are now undertaking a Master of Divinity at Harvard to become a Buddhist Chaplain. Tseme also publishes innovative content about being queer and Buddhist on their Instagram @neo_queer and dreams of starting their own publishing house one day. For more information about Rainbodhi, please check out the following link:https://rainbodhi.org/ We talked about: *Mental prostrations and weaving Tibetan Buddhist practices into a busy schedule *Rainbodhi USA and pursuing chaplaincy to support and facilitate queer communities and spaces *Buddhist Studies and how to approach “post-post" colonial critique *Engaged Buddhism and approaching activism through subversive art *And the importance of remaining curious about your practice

    1h 8m
  3. Paths of Practice with Jhani Randhawa

    FEB 5

    Paths of Practice with Jhani Randhawa

    Jhani Randhawa is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar, whose praxis centres the performative uses of literature, archival marginalia, and bodies to illuminate limits of legality, memory, and racially gendered power within the ongoing ecological crises of settler colonialism. Winner of the 2024 California Book Award for their debut poetry collection, Time Regime (Gaudy Boy, 2022), Jhani’s work has appeared in the New Art Gallery Walsall (Walsall, England) and the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea), as well as publications A Mouth Holds Many Things: A Hybrid Literature Anthology, ASAP/J, 128 Lit, Footnotes, and O BOD, among others. You can learn more about their work at www.jfkrandhawa.com. For more information about Sujatha Baliga and Spiritual Fitness, please see the following link: https://www.sujathabaliga.com/spiritual-fitness For more information about Annah, Infinite by Khairani Barokka, please see the following link: https://www.tiltedaxispress.com/annah-infinite We discussed: The relationship between Buddhist practice and artDiving deep in community during a retreat at the Upaya Zen CenterSurabhi (aka Kamadhenu) and early experiences with SikhismObsessive-Compulsive Disorder and learning to accept your whole selfAnd the importance of taking your time with the tensions that come up along the Buddhist path and practicing “looking again”Also, think about creating a photo journal!

    53 min
  4. Paths of Practice with Dr. Muna Shaheen

    FEB 1

    Paths of Practice with Dr. Muna Shaheen

    Muna Shaheen is a Palestinian single mother of three living in Haifa. She is a long-term practitioner, who co-founded “Ihna-Hon,” an open Arabic-speaking mindfulness-meditation space, and later founded “Marsa” a dedicated Arabic-speaking Sangha, in which she teaches Dharma. In addition she is an assistant teacher in an MBSR teacher-training-course.Muna regards mindfulness teaching as her major social activism, while she holds a veterinarian certificate and promotes awareness to animal welfare both as an educational consultant in the Ministries of Agriculture and Education and teaching at university level. She is an environmental activist, co-founder of the “One Climate” movement, and formerly established a Palestinian Sea advocacy community in Haifa. Muna also leads children’s group in nature bonding them to earth.For more information about One Climate, please visit the following link:https://www.facebook.com/climatejustice4all/ To make a donation, Muna recommends the following link: https://www.every.org/youth-passageways/f/special-projects-donorWe discussed environmental education for children and teaching youths about non-violence through compassion towards animals, belonging to the land and receiving olives as gifts from ancient beings, anxiety and finding a personal Vipassana practice as well as a heart connection to Native American spirituality, developing Palestinian sanghas and viewing practice as social activism, and the importance of knowing that the Buddhist path reveals itself.

    1h 21m
  5. Paths of Practice with Rev. Dr. Daijaku Kinst

    JAN 24

    Paths of Practice with Rev. Dr. Daijaku Kinst

    Daijaku was ordained in 1988, completed her priest training Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and received Dharma transmission (full authorization as a Soto Zen teacher), in 2004 from Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi (Abbot of Berkeley Zen Center and Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center from 1988- 1997). After her priest training, Daijaku completed a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a PhD on the teachings and practice of Soto Zen with a focus on effective ways to support a deep engagement with the path of practice. Daijaku has taught and led retreats in a variety of settings including Gampo Abbey with the Venerable Pema Chodron and at Buddhist temples throughout the U.S. She continues to learn from and incorporate teachings and wisdom from Buddhist traditions beyond Soto Zen, while remaining deeply rooted in the Soto Zen way. She is a Professor Emerita at the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS), a Buddhist seminary and graduate school and member school of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California, where she founded and directed the Buddhist chaplaincy graduate program, as well as the Certificate in Soto Zen Studies. She continues her involvement at IBS in a less formal way. Jaku was appointed Kokusaifukyoshi (International Teacher) by the Soto Zen School (Sotoshu) in Tokyo Japan in 2009 and is a board member of the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists, a Sotoshu organization of Kokusaifukyoshi in North America. She is also a full member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, served as a board member of that organization from 2007 – 2013, and is a member of the American Zen Teacher’s Association. She is the author of Trust Realization and the Self in Soto Zen Practice and numerous articles on Buddhism. For more information, please visit the following link:https://oceangatezen.org/ We talked about preparations for an upcoming Jukai at Ocean Gate Zen Center, beginnings in Zen and the invitation to enter practice “completely as you are," Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and pursuing a degree in counseling, developing the Buddhist chaplaincy program and the Certificate in Soto Zen Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, and the importance of remembering that "discipline is following what you love" and that you can find a way to be in this world as it is.

    1h 7m
  6. Paths of Practice with Coral Short

    JAN 17

    Paths of Practice with Coral Short

    Coral Short is a queer, non-binary, white settler born in 1973. They completed their Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) training in March 2023 with Dea Parsanishi. They specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ folks, recovery, activism, creativity, and all forms of radical sexuality. They are a graduated active Community Dharma Teacher at True North Insight in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal and co-lead a weekly Queer Sangha. Coral has been working with the Stretch Festival in Berlin for several years at the Somatische Akademie/ Village Berlin and at the Montreal Somatics Festival. They offer anti-racist courses, somatic workshops, and eco-somatic walks to international communities. They have been an organizer, activist, and artist for the last two decades. For more information about Coral, please visit the following website: https://www.coralshort.com/ We talked about co-facilitating the Poly Dinner Club and supporting polyamorous community discussions with Buddhist practices, anattā (non-self) and accepting the fluidity of identity and body, performance art and celebrating community through joint creativity, digital dharma offerings and eco-somatic hikes, and the importance of sangha and exploring what forms of Buddhism resonate with you.

    49 min
  7. Paths of Practice with Rev. Hōgetsu Laurie Belzer

    JAN 13

    Paths of Practice with Rev. Hōgetsu Laurie Belzer

    ​Rev. Hōgetsu Laurie Belzer is the Guiding Dharma Teacher at Ancient Dragon Zen Gate (ADZG) in Chicago, Illinois, and succeeds their founding guiding teacher, Taigen Dan Leighton. She is a lineage holder in the Soto Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi, and received dharma transmission from Rev. Taiyo Lipscomb. Since 1989, Hōgetsu has trained intensively at all three of San Francisco Zen Center’s temples, where she served as Shuso (Head Monk) with Tenshin Reb Anderson at Green Gulch Farm. A founding member of ADZG, Hōgetsu has supported the evolution of the practice center since its genesis. As guiding teacher, Hogetsu joyfully serves the wonderful ADZG community in many ways, including as dharma teacher, sangha leader, board member, Thursday morning zazen host, and sewing practice mentor. For more information about ​Rev. Hōgetsu and Ancient Dragon Zen Gate, please visit the following website: https://www.ancientdragon.org/ We discussed practice conversations and how a sangha sharing individual experiences with each other around practice informs a sense of community, zazen as a practice that touches the heart and caring for our conditions, meditating with incense as a child and finding Soto Zen through a cross-country peace walk, and the importance of appreciating the preciousness of practice.

    52 min
  8. Paths of Practice with Chance Krempasky

    12/30/2025

    Paths of Practice with Chance Krempasky

    Chance Krempasky is a vegan cyclist, cold water swimming weirdo, and meditator. He works as a family nurse practitioner specializing in queer and transgender medicine, drug user health, and care for people living with HIV. Chance is a practice leader at New York Insight Meditation Center, co-author of Developing Trans*Competence: A Short Guide to Improving Transgender Experiences at Meditation and Retreat Centers, and a contributor to Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices. He has led gatherings for TGNC Buddhists and allies both online and at venues including the Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program, the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, and Brooklyn Zen Center. Please see below for links to Chance's written work and recommended organizations/causes: Developing Trans*Competence: A Short Guide to Improving Transgender Experiences at Meditation and Retreat Centers https://www.transbuddhists.org/retreat-guide/about-the-guide/ (also see Transbuddhists.org) Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices (book) https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/transcending/ Recovery Dharma Global https://recoverydharma.org/ The Sameer Project https://www.instagram.com/thesameerproject/?hl=en We discussed Chance's recent retreat experience at the Temple Forest Monastery in New Hampshire and engaging in service as practice, Transbuddhists.org and the origins of the zine “Developing Trans*Competence," Recovery Dharma Global and applying the Four Noble Truths towards navigating recovery and support, Mudita and the practice of celebrating the joys of others as a healthcare provider, and the importance of remembering that the Buddhist journey is a marathon not a sprint.

    42 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Paths of Practice (PoP) is a podcast that features interviews with people sharing their experiences with Buddhism and Buddhist practice. The podcast includes conversations with folks from a wide variety of backgrounds, both those that have been on the path for a while and those just starting out as well as everyone in between. In a way, the podcast sets out to explore the "84,000 paths to enlightenment," one Buddhist at a time. PoP was created and is hosted by Vincent Moore. Vincent is a relatively new practitioner of Soto Zen and has an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

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