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Janet Jiryu Abels Sensei is the founder and co-resident teacher at Still Mind Zendo in Manhattan (W. 17th St.), part of the White Plum Asanga founded by the late Taizan Maezumi Roshi. Sensei received dharma transmission in 2000 from her teacher, Roshi Robert Jinsen Kennedy and is currently the vice-president of the White Plum Asanga Board of Directors. Koshin Paley Ellison is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. He serves as the Director of Training for the Center’s Buddhist Contemplative Care Programs. Koshin is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He has served as a chaplain at Cabrini Medical Center and Hospice and he is now co-director of Contemplative Care Services for the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. Josh Korda has been studying the dhamma and Insight Meditation since 1995 and received his initial teacher training with Noah Levine. He teaches meditation at DharmaPunx New York. Over the years Josh has had the honor to learn from a variety of well-known and respected teachers such as Peter Doobinin, Sharon Salzberg, Susan Kuralt Smith and Ajahn Sucitto, to name a few. Josh lives in Brooklyn, NY. Donna Walker-Kuhne has been a member of Soka Gakkai International for 30 years. She has used her Buddhist practice to develop a career that marries her passions of the arts and the law. As an arts administrator, author, professor, and keynote speaker, she directs her efforts on creating access to the arts for multicultural audiences. She is the NY Zone Peace and Community Relations Director with the responsibility of promoting Soka Gakkai International and creating opportunities for recognition of the organization as well as in support of President Daisaku Ikeda. Ms. Walker-Kuhne is a Minister of Ceremonies with the ability to perform legal marriage ceremonies for SGI members in New York. Michele Laporte is a long time student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Senior teacher and meditation instructor of the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York. Venerable Chung Lee is the Founding Head Minister of the Manhattan Temple of Won Buddhism, the Representative of Won Buddhism to the United Nations, and Co-President of Religions for Peace International. She has been actively involved in interreligious understanding and cooperation globally since 1986. Rev. Lee received full ordination in 1981 in Korea. She earned her M.A and Ph.D from New York University. Venerable Myoji Sunim of Chogye Sa Korean Zen Temple. Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara is the abbot of the Village Zendo in Manhattan. She is a Soto Zen Priest and certified Zen Teacher in the White Plum lineage, an American branch of Zen, with lineage in both the Soto and Rinzai lines, founded by Maezumi Roshi. She received priest ordination from Maezumi Roshi and Dharma Transmission from Bernie Tetsugen Glassman Roshi. She has taught meditation to many groups, centering on physical and emotional health, right livelihood, self-expression and peacemaking. She holds a Ph.D. in Media Ecology, and taught at NYU for twenty years. Brother Phap Tri of the Order of Interbeing / Community of Mindfulness. Ellen Scordato of the Interdependence Project has practiced Buddhism in the Shambhala tradition since 2004. She enjoys study and practice with the IDP, attending Zen retreats, and hearing teachings from rinpoches and roshis. A yoga student for 12+ years, she graduated from Om Yoga teacher training in 2005, where she joined the IDP as it began. Currently the chairperson of the IDP board, she makes her living as the co-owner of The Stonesong Press, LLC , a book producer of high-quality nonfiction bestsellers for the popular market. Venerable Yung Ku was born in Taiwan in 1962, renounced in Fo Guang Shan Monastery at age twenty-two and fully ordained in the same year. As a third generation disciple of Venerable Hsing Yun, she perpetuates the mission of promoting Humanistic Buddhism. She is the Head Abbess of International Buddhist Progress Society (IBPS), of Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto in Canada. Since 2006, she has become the Abbess of IBPS, New York and Deer Park in upstate New York.