Paths of Practice with Rev. Gigen Mark Hollingshead

Paths of Practice with Rev. Gigen Mark Hollingshead

Author: Vincent Moore April 11, 2026 Duration: 1:03:24

Rev. Gigen Mark Hollingshead has been studying Zen for over 25 years. He began training at Middlebar Monastery in Stockton, California. Twelve years ago he moved to Santa Cruz and began practice at Ocean Gate Zen Center. In 2017 Gigen went through the Jukai ceremony to officially become Daijaku Roshi’s student, and in 2023 went through novice priest ordination (Shukke Tokodo). Gigen holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from California State University, Sacramento.


For more information about Rev. Gigen and other resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://oceangatezen.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@CrankyZen

https://www.youtube.com/@markhollingshead5096


We talked about:

*Finding stability, balance, and meditation at an early age in martial arts training

*Middlebar Monastery, MacDonough Roshi, and practice without pretension

*Ocean Gate Zen Center, Jukai, and the decision to ordain

*Zazen, Fudōshin or "the immovable mind," and recognizing stillness in motion

*And the importance of getting out of your own head and comfort zone and to practice with others


Vincent Moore hosts Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism, a space where personal stories take center stage. Each episode is built around a simple, profound question: what does it actually look like to live with Buddhist teachings? You’ll hear from people whose lives have been shaped by this path, from long-time monastics and dedicated lay practitioners to those who have just felt a curious pull toward mindfulness and compassion. The conversations avoid dry theory, focusing instead on the messy, human, and often surprising realities of integrating practice into daily life-through family, work, doubt, and discovery. This podcast operates on the belief that there are as many ways to walk this road as there are people walking it, gently exploring that diversity one honest conversation at a time. It’s less about providing answers and more about sharing the map-making process itself, offering companionship and insight for anyone interested in the varied terrain of spiritual life.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism
Podcast Episodes
Paths of Practice with Paula Arai, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:24
Paula Arai, PhD, was raised in Detroit by a Japanese mother and did Zen training in Japan. She obtained her PhD in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University in 1993 and is now the Eshinni & Kakushinni Professor of Women a…
Paths of Practice with Bidisha Mallik, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:10
Bidisha Mallik, PhD, is an Associate Teaching Professor of Social Sciences in the Department of School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Tacoma. Dr. Mallik is the author of Legends in…
Paths of Practice with rev. syd yang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:30
Rev. Syd Yang, MDiv (they/them) is a mixed race/Taiwanese American queer trans/non-binary lay Buddhist Minister, movement chaplain, spiritual counselor and writer who engages decolonial possibilities for shared liberatio…
Paths of Practice with Nicole Wordlaw, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
Dr. Nicole Wordlaw is a clinical psychologist, a longtime practitioner of Buddhist meditation, a lover of Spirit, and the daughter of a white mother and a Black father. She completed her undergraduate degree in psycholog…
Paths of Practice with Maṅgala Bhikkhu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:04
Bhante Mangala, born and raised in northeastern Massachusetts, started to take an interest in Buddhism while in high school. He began taking that interest more seriously in his mid 20’s and started to practice meditation…
Paths of Practice with Muichi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:39
Muichi is a Cuban-American Mahayana Buddhist layman and Wikipedian currently residing in Florida. Muichi's Buddhist refuge name is Abhayajñāna (originally given in Tibetan as Yeshe Jigme), which means "Fearless Wisdom" (…
Paths of Practice with Rev. Katsuya Kusunoki [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
Reverend Katsuya Kusunoki is the Head Minister of the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. Sensei was born in Nagasaki, Japan, the second son of a temple family. Today his older brother Naoya is the 17th generation of their…
Paths of Practice with Kyle Neo (aka Dharma Kueen) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:48
Kyle Neo aka Dharma Kueen and Facilitator of Rainbodhi SG creates safe spaces where Buddhism and queerness meet with compassion. He blends study, practice, and storytelling to make the Dharma inclusive, accessible, engag…
Paths of Practice with Zengyu Paul Discoe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:09
An ordained Zen Buddhist priest, Zengyu Paul Discoe studied art history and philosophy as an undergraduate in the United States and Buddhist temple design and construction in Japan. He became a student of Suzuki Roshi at…
Paths of Practice with John Tarrant, Roshi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:40
John Tarrant, Roshi is a Zen teacher, poet, and founder of the Pacific Zen Institute. He is interested in Zen as a way that transforms the mind, and in the dance between innovation and tradition in both teaching and prac…