EPISODE · Jan 7, 2026 · 1H 58M
Zen Teacher Daigaku Rummé - Monastic Training in Japan, Zazen, and Practice and Awakening
from The Spiritual Context Podcast · host Bishal Karna
A Zen practitioner for nearly fifty years, Daigaku Rumme trained for twenty-seven years under Sekkei Harada Rōshi at Hosshin-ji Monastery in Japan. He was later appointed Director of the North American Office of Japanese Sōtō Zen Buddhism—the first American to hold this position. After stepping down from this role, Rumme founded Confluence Zen Center in St. Louis, Missouri, where he currently teaches. He is the translator of Essence of Zen and Unfathomable Depths by Sekkei Harada Rōshi, as well as A Blueprint of Enlightenment and The Formless Record of the Transmission of Illumination, commentaries on the teachings of Dōgen and Keizan, respectively, by Gien Rōshi. Confluence Zen Center: https://www.confluencezen.org/Timestamps:00:00 Introduction03:04 Finding Zen10:55 Experience at Hosshin-ji Monastery16:37 Daigaku's Teacher, Harada Sekkei Roshi, An Awakened Being29:56 Life at Hōshin-ji Monastery35:48 What is Zazen?47:04 Zen is about studying the moment now01:01:26 Koan Practice01:04:24 Letting Go of Past and Future01:09:14 The Power of True Acceptance01:11:19 The Only Way to Bring an End to Anxiety01:12:14 To study the Self is to forget the self01:18:51 Practice is Awakening01:24:12 Letting Go of the Goal of Enlightenment, Without Losing Enlightenment01:29:27 "I have never given up"01:31:00 Loving Kindness and Compassion01:36:10 Married Life01:43:36 The Impact of Teaching on Practice01:46:20 Translation Work: Bridging Tradition and Modernity01:49:23 Becoming Completely One with Your Life01:54:12 How can one person save all beings?01:57:12 Alone with BuddhaThe Spiritual Context Podcast: Dedicated to the Ultimate Realization, this podcast features interviews with long-time spiritual practitioners and teachers, focusing on their spiritual biographies, core practices and perspectives, and approaches to integrating spirituality into everyday life. The host, Bishal Karna, is a professor of religious studies and a long-time spiritual practitioner.Music: Ben BigelowTranscript Edit Assistance: Brodie Martin
What this episode covers
A Zen practitioner for nearly fifty years, Daigaku Rumme trained for twenty-seven years under Sekkei Harada Rōshi at Hosshin-ji Monastery in Japan. He was later appointed Director of the North American Office of Japanese Sōtō Zen Buddhism—the first American to hold this position. After stepping down from this role, Rumme founded Confluence Zen Center in St. Louis, Missouri, where he currently teaches. He is the translator of Essence of Zen and Unfathomable Depths by Sekkei Harada Rōshi, as well as A Blueprint of Enlightenment and The Formless Record of the Transmission of Illumination, commentaries on the teachings of Dōgen and Keizan, respectively, by Gien Rōshi. Confluence Zen Center: https://www.confluencezen.org/Timestamps:00:00 Introduction03:04 Finding Zen10:55 Experience at Hosshin-ji Monastery16:37 Daigaku's Teacher, Harada Sekkei Roshi, An Awakened Being29:56 Life at Hōshin-ji Monastery35:48 What is Zazen?47:04 Zen is about studying the moment now01:01:26 Koan Practice01:04:24 Letting Go of Past and Future01:09:14 The Power of True Acceptance01:11:19 The Only Way to Bring an End to Anxiety01:12:14 To study the Self is to forget the self01:18:51 Practice is Awakening01:24:12 Letting Go of the Goal of Enlightenment, Without Losing Enlightenment01:29:27 "I have never given up"01:31:00 Loving Kindness and Compassion01:36:10 Married Life01:43:36 The Impact of Teaching on Practice01:46:20 Translation Work: Bridging Tradition and Modernity01:49:23 Becoming Completely One with Your Life01:54:12 How can one person save all beings?01:57:12 Alone with BuddhaThe Spiritual Context Podcast: Dedicated to the Ultimate Realization, this podcast features interviews with long-time spiritual practitioners and teachers, focusing on their spiritual biographies, core practices and perspectives, and approaches to integrating spirituality into everyday life. The host, Bishal Karna, is a professor of religious studies and a long-time spiritual practitioner.Music: Ben BigelowTranscript Edit Assistance: Brodie Martin
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Zen Teacher Daigaku Rummé - Monastic Training in Japan, Zazen, and Practice and Awakening
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