Paths of Practice with Zengyu Paul Discoe

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 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California, and, after four years, Suzuki sent him to Japan to train under a traditional master builder for five years. Upon returning, Discoe founded Joinery Structures in 1988. His projects include the Kojin-an Zen temple in Oakland for Akiba Sensei, the founder's hall and kitchen at Tassajara, the Lindesfarne guesthouse and Wheelwright Center, and the abbot's house at Green Gulch, as well as several prestigious homes and projects internationally. His current project is Chop and Carry Farm, an emerging Soto Zen practice center based in Hawaii and guided by the teachings of Dōgen Zenji and Suzuki Roshi, with its practice structure modeled on the early days of Tassajara.

For more information on Zengyu Paul Discoe and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://www.chopandcarry.org/

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4855014-zen-architecture

We discussed:

*The recent fire at the zendo of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, using what’s around you, and building without blueprints

*Zen as an action, Genjōkōan, and dependent co-arising

*Hachi Dainin Gaku, attention to detail without gaining, and the difference between building new structures and maintenance

*Developing a cardboard zendo, repurposing discarded materials, and creating a ecologically harmonious Soto Zen retreat center in Hawaii

*And the importance of finding a teacher and developing a practice to address your karma.