GYOSHO LESLIE ERICKSON
Priest-In-Training
Gyosho Leslie Erickson began exploring the bodhisattva way long before she knew the term. Entering recovery from drugs and alcohol at 23, she was drawn to the idea of helping others. This desire to be of service, along with a deep yearning for personal spiritual evolution, informed her life as she raised a family and taught literature and writing.
Over the years, Gyosho was inspired by the work of many teachers from various wisdom traditions. She joined the Unitarian church in Sioux City, Iowa, and learned Zen meditation at Nebraska Zen Center. She trained in the Work of Byron Katie and began deeply studying the Tao Te Ching. In 2010, she was introduced to Adyashanti, a teacher trained in the Zen tradition, and embarked on a practice of regular meditation.
After moving to Minneapolis in 2021, she found a spiritual home at MZMC. Receiving lay initiation in 2023 and ordained as a priest-in-training in 2025 by Ted O’Toole, Gyosho sees Zen priesthood and the bodhisattva way as a great vehicle to grow in her understanding of who we are as human and spiritual beings and to share the dharma with others who yearn to awaken to their buddha nature.
Priest-In-Training
Gyosho Leslie Erickson began exploring the bodhisattva way long before she knew the term. Entering recovery from drugs and alcohol at 23, she was drawn to the idea of helping others. This desire to be of service, along with a deep yearning for personal spiritual evolution, informed her life as she raised a family and taught literature and writing.
Over the years, Gyosho was inspired by the work of many teachers from various wisdom traditions. She joined the Unitarian church in Sioux City, Iowa, and learned Zen meditation at Nebraska Zen Center. She trained in the Work of Byron Katie and began deeply studying the Tao Te Ching. In 2010, she was introduced to Adyashanti, a teacher trained in the Zen tradition, and embarked on a practice of regular meditation.
After moving to Minneapolis in 2021, she found a spiritual home at MZMC. Receiving lay initiation in 2023 and ordained as a priest-in-training in 2025 by Ted O’Toole, Gyosho sees Zen priesthood and the bodhisattva way as a great vehicle to grow in her understanding of who we are as human and spiritual beings and to share the dharma with others who yearn to awaken to their buddha nature.
