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 Coral Short

    3D AGO

    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
  2. Paths of Practice with Rev. Hōgetsu Laurie Belzer

    6D AGO

    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
  3. 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
  4. Paths of Practice with Arthur Braverman

    12/23/2025

    Paths of Practice with Arthur Braverman

    Arthur Braverman studied at Antaiji temple in Japan under Uchiyama Roshi from 1970 to 1975. He is an author and translator, whose works include Mud and Water: The Collected Teachings of Zen Master Bassui, and the novel, Dharma Brothers Kodo and Tokujoo. He lives in Ojai, California. For more information, please visit the following link for purchasing options for some of Arthur's books (you can also check out your local independent bookstore): https://greenapplebooks.com/search?q=arthur%20braverman We discussed volunteering with the Peace Corps in Nigeria and his early experiences with Zen in Japan, Uchiyama Roshi and his lessons on old age and death, writing historical fiction vs translation, independence and recognizing zazen as your teacher, and the importance of keeping your ideals in check and seeing what happens when you just sit.

    1h 3m
  5. Paths of Practice with Zen Master Dae An (Bogumila Malinowska)

    12/16/2025

    Paths of Practice with Zen Master Dae An (Bogumila Malinowska)

    Zen Master Dae An (Bogumila Malinowska) is a Guiding Teacher at The London Zen Centre of the Kwan Um School of Zen and currently lives in London. She was born in North-west Poland and met Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1981 on one of his visits to the country. In 1988 she participated in a 100 day solo retreat. She was leading zen groups in Pila and Poznan while she was living in Poland from 1985 to 2003 before she left for the UK.  She is a licensed counselor/psychotherapist in private practice in North London and registered with British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP). In 2005, she established the London Zen Centre two years after moving to the UK with the spiritual support of Zen Master Wu Bong. She received Inka (authority to teach koans and lead retreats) from Zen Master Wu Bong in September 2009 at the Warsaw Zen Centre (Wu Bong Sa). She received transmission from Zen Master Ji Kwang on June 15th, 2024 and was given the title Zen Master Dae An. For more information about The London Zen Centre (Kwan Um School of Zen), please see the link below: https://kwanumzen.co.uk/ Please also see the following link for more information about Bogumila Malinowska's private therapy practice: https://www.londoncounsellingcentre.org/ We talked about Gestalt therapy and how to cultivate an environment for clients to be in the moment, recognizing the boundaries involved with being a zen teacher and a therapist, Zen Master Seung Sahn and solo practice vs. group settings, the Kwan Um School’s approach to bowing, meditation, and kong-ans (koans), and the importance of knowing your needs when you’re exploring Buddhism and Buddhist communities.

    1h 1m
  6. Paths of Practice with Shohaku Okumura

    12/12/2025

    Paths of Practice with Shohaku Okumura

    Shohaku Okumura, founder and abbot of Sanshin Zen Community, was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1948. In 1970, he was ordained by the late Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, one of the foremost Zen masters of the twentieth-century. He received Dharma transmission from his teacher in 1975 and, shortly after, became one of the founding members of Pioneer Valley Zendo in Massachusetts. He returned to Japan in 1981 and began translating the works of Dogen Zenji, Uchiyama Roshi and other Soto masters from Japanese into English. In 1993, he moved back to the United States with his wife, Yuko, and their two children. He has previously served as teacher at the Kyoto Soto Zen Center in Japan and at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, and was Director of the Soto Zen International Center in San Francisco for thirteen years. Today he is recognized for his unique perspective on the life and teachings of Dogen Zenji derived from his experience as both practitioner and translator, and as a teacher in both Japanese and Western practice communities. He gives frequent lectures on the Shobogenzo and other foundational texts. His translations and commentaries include Dogen’s Extensive Record: A Translation of the Eihei Koroku, Realizing Genjokoan, Living by Vow: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts, and The Mountains and Waters Sutra: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s “Sansuikyo”. His lectures have appeared in Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, Dharma Eye, and Buddhism Now. For more information, please visit the links below: Sanshin-ji (Sanshin Zen Community) https://www.sanshinji.org/ The Dōgen Institute https://dogeninstitute.wordpress.com/ We discussed Kosho Uchiyama Roshi and early Zen practice at Antaiji, jiko and how understanding the emptiness of the self fosters compassion, the poetry of Dōgen Zenji and Taigu Ryōkan, practicing Zen Buddhism through lectures and translation, Kannon and the sound that perceives the world, and the importance of finding a teacher and sangha.

    1h 3m
  7. Paths of Practice with Arisika Razak

    12/09/2025

    Paths of Practice with Arisika Razak

    Arisika Razak is Professor Emerita at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where she also served as the director of the Women’s Spirituality MA and PhD program and as Director of Diversity. She has been an inner-city midwife for over two decades, has performed nationally and internationally as a spiritual dancer, and has led embodied healing workshops for over thirty-five years. She teaches at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland. Please see below for Arisika's upcoming and ongoing events as well as recommended resources: Afrikan Healing and Wisdom With Vimalasara Mason-John, Arisika Razak, and Aleta Toure’  First Sundays at East Bay Meditation Center (online) https://eastbaymeditation.org/calendar/online-afrikan-wisdom-and-healing-2-2-2/ Honoring the Past, Revisioning the Future: Afrikan Healing & Wisdom  Taught by Vimalasara, Arisika Razak, and Aleta Toure’ In-person, Residential Retreat: February 5 - 8, 2026 https://www.dhammadena.org/retreats/Afrikan-Wisdom-Retreat-Feb-2026 Middle East Children’s Alliancehttps://www.mecaforpeace.org/ Crushing Wheelchairs (Film)https://wraphome.org/2025/11/03/crushing-wheelchairs-premiere-of-the-movie-in-the-sf-bay-area/ We discussed civil rights activism and growing up listening to Malcolm X in Harlem, midwifery and identifying connections between breath techniques used during labor and meditation, karma and the caste system, kinship and learning how to recognize those that are different than us as meaningful and integral to our shared sacred hoop, and the importance of remembering to trust that you have a life purpose and that you have your own path of heart.

    1h 4m
  8. Paths of Practice with Žarko Andričević

    11/20/2025

    Paths of Practice with Žarko Andričević

    Žarko Andričević is the founder of Dharmaloka Chan Buddhist Community and Chan Retreat Centre (Chan centar Hartovski vrh) in Croatia, where he currently lives and teaches. Žarko first encountered Buddhism 1975 and has been a martial arts and yoga teacher since the 1970s. In the mid-80s, he started the first Buddhist study and meditation group in Croatia. In 1996, he meet Chan Master Sheng Yen and became one of his students. Žarko received Dharma transmission from Master Sheng Yen in June 2001. Since then, he teaches and leads Chan retreats in Europe, USA, Canada, Taiwan and Australia.For more information about Žarko and Chan centar Hartovski vrh, please visit the following link:https://chan.hr/en/chan-retreat-center-croatia/We talked about martial arts and forming Croatia's first Buddhist practice group, Master Sheng Yen and silent illumination practice, Zenyoga and awakening your body through physical movement, and the importance of remembering to approach dharma with a joyful seriousness.

    51 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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