Teachers

Ven. Shih Ying-Fa

The Abbot of CloudWater Zendo and founder of the Nien-Fo Ch'an Order of Buddhist Monks is Ven. Shih Ying-Fa. Ven. Ying-Fa is a disciple of his root teacher, Rev. Koshin Ogui of the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Chicago, Illinois. He received Dharma Transmission from Ven. Shih Shen-Lung of the Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple in 1998 and succeeded Master Shen-Lung as Abbot of Dragon Flower following his death. Ven. Ying-Fa was recently named honorary Spiritual Director of the Richard Hunn Association of Ch'an Study in England. Ven. Ying-Fa regularly teaches at CloudWater Zendo's affiliate Sanghas in Canton and Akron, Ohio as well as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also active in teaching Zen and Buddhism to inmates at several Ohio correctional facilities.

Rev. Koshin Ogui, Ven. Ying-Fa's root teacher, is currently the Socho (bishop) of the Buddhist Churches of America, based in San Francisco, California. An 18th generation Buddhist priest who has lived in the U.S. for over 35 years, Rev. Ogui has served as a trustee of the Parliament of World Religions based in Chicago. A contemporary and friend of Zen Masters Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and Eido Shimano Roshi, Rev. Ogui founded the Zen Shin Sangha in 1978 to introduce both Zen and Pure Land Buddhist teachings to Americans. His first book on Buddhism is entitled "Zen Shin Talks."

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Rev. Koshin Ogui

Ven. Shih Shen-Lung

Ven. Shih Shen-Lung, Ven. Ying-Fa's Ch'an master, was the abbot of the Heavenly Gates Ch'an Temple of St. Louis, Missouri until his death in 2006. He was the founder of Building for Maitreya, Ltd., an organization dedicated to translating important Buddhist texts, teaching the Buddha-Dharma and providing a role model for Buddhist and non-Buddhist businesses. A practicing Buddhist monk since 1972, Ven. Shen-Lung was ordained in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition by Rev. Soyu Matsuoka Roshi and subsequently received Dharma Transmission from Ch'an Master Shih Mo-Hwa of the Lin-Chi sect in 1980.