An accomplished yogi and yoga teacher, Jun Po Roshi traced his lineage to BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois. Jun Po Roshi began his Buddhist practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in the early ’70s, spending time with Shunryu Suzuki and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, later becoming a student of Eido Shimano Roshi in New York. He served as Vice Abbot of Dai Bosatsu Zendo from 1987-1993, receiving Inka, dharma transmission, from Eido Roshi in 1992. Interested in bringing his Zen lineage into American culture without the Japanese cultural ties, Jun Po left the monastery and founded the lay Buddhist Hollow Bones Rinzai Zen Order, serving as its Abbot for over 25 years.

Jun Po Roshi’s primary teachings led to his creation of the Mondo Zen Koan process to help people understand the deeper feelings underneath negative emotions and to transform them into wise, compassionate responses. As Jun Po Roshi endured major health issues – Stage IV throat cancer, liver cancer, and Parkinson’s Disease with associated dementia – his teachings on radical acceptance and the gift of life became even more profound.