Alan, a native of Ireland, now living in Oakland, California, was drawn to Zen by its message of intrinsic wholeness, its Taoist roots, and its simplicity. He began zazen practice at home in the mid 1990s, and started formal Zen practice in 1999. He subsequently practiced for several years in the Tibetan Buddhist Gelug tradition under Panchen Otrul Rinpoche with whom he formally took refuge/jukai in 2000. He traveled to hear teachings by HH the Dalai Lama in India and Europe during this period, and also acted as the Buddhist representative for various Irish interfaith gatherings. He returned to formal Zen practice in 2014, connected with Tim Burkett in 2017, and was ordained as a priest by Tim in 2019.

Alan is committed to making Zen practice accessible to all, and to bringing it to life in the everyday. In attunement with this, he and his partner Barbara have chosen to raise and home-educate their 2 children following an auto-didactic approach that is guided by principles of self-inquiry, curiosity and compassion. He works as a coach and guide in the area of organizational effectiveness. He has taught mindfulness in various settings since 2005.

Sunday Schedule:

10:00 — Service

10:20 — Zazen

10:50 — Kinhin

11:00 — Dharma Talk

In person at Santa Barbara Hospice or on Zoom