Guiding Teacher Ted O'Toole
Ted O'Toole first became interested in Buddhism in 1973, and began his formal practice in 1992 at the Zen Buddhist Temple in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The following year he moved to Minnesota and became a member of MZMC, where he received the precepts from Shohaku Okamura. He was ordained as a priest by Tim Burkett in 2005, and received dharma transmission (permission to teach independently) from Tim in February of 2012. He frequently leads practice periods and meditation retreats, and has taught various classes, including Basics of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths, Creative Writing as Buddhist Practice, and Zen and the Art of Public Speaking.
Ted grew up on a farm in North Dakota, and often incorporates his early experiences into his dharma talks. He has done construction, packing plant, and factory work, and currently works in the legal profession. He and his wife Kathy Guthrie live in St. Paul, and enjoy their extended family, as well as gardening, house projects, biking, cross-country skiing, and writing. It is a great joy, Ted says, to teach the dharma and build sangha, and to be supported in turn by a kind, vibrant, and exciting community.
Learn more about Guiding Teacher Ted O'Toole.
Ted grew up on a farm in North Dakota, and often incorporates his early experiences into his dharma talks. He has done construction, packing plant, and factory work, and currently works in the legal profession. He and his wife Kathy Guthrie live in St. Paul, and enjoy their extended family, as well as gardening, house projects, biking, cross-country skiing, and writing. It is a great joy, Ted says, to teach the dharma and build sangha, and to be supported in turn by a kind, vibrant, and exciting community.
Learn more about Guiding Teacher Ted O'Toole.
Assistant Guiding Teacher Ben Connelly
Ben began Zen practice at MZMC in 2001, was ordained in 2009, and received dharma transmission in 2015. He also teaches mindfulness in a wide variety of secular contexts including police training and addiction recovery groups. He works with multifaith groups focused on intersectional liberation, racial justice, and climate justice. Ben travels to teach across the United States, has written for Tricycle and Lion’s Roar magazines, and is author for Wisdom Publications of Inside the Grass Hut, Inside Vasubandhu's Yogacara, Vasubandhu's "Three Natures", and Mindfulness and Intimacy. Click here to find out more about Ben's books.
Teachers (Senior Teachers, Priests-in-Training and Lay Teachers)
Priests at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center make a lifelong commitment to teaching and exemplifying the Dharma. The responsibilities of priests are many and varied, and include much service to the community. They may teach classes, lead practice groups, lead meditation retreats, and give dharma talks. They may conduct rituals, conduct practice meetings, and offer pastoral care. They are expected to hold an office at MZMC, such as ino (practice leader), tenzo (cook), or work leader, and to have a consistent presence within the community. Some of them lead or help to facilitate practice groups in other locations as well. Priests maintain a regular and disciplined zazen practice, which includes both daily practice and retreats. Priests tend to be very busy people, and although they often find it challenging to balance family, work, and training activities, they know that this balancing is the very heart of their practice. They are committed to the Bodhisattva ideal, and feel profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve at MZMC and to be a part of this practice community.
Priest training at MZMC follows the model Guidelines for Training Soto Zen Priests in the West, which was developed by Tim Burkett and others under the auspices of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA). Priests-in-training are expected to become knowledgeable as to the history and teachings of Buddhism through study, classes, and, most importantly, working directly with their teacher. Training focuses on developing priestcraft, exemplary personal conduct, self-understanding, and academic study.
MZMC has designated a group of zen practitioners as lay teachers. These are long-term Zen Center members who have been recognized as qualified to guide others in their practice due to their years of practice, spiritual depth, and devotion to our sangha. MZMC does not offer a program for lay teacher training and currently does not plan to designate more lay teachers.
Priest training at MZMC follows the model Guidelines for Training Soto Zen Priests in the West, which was developed by Tim Burkett and others under the auspices of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA). Priests-in-training are expected to become knowledgeable as to the history and teachings of Buddhism through study, classes, and, most importantly, working directly with their teacher. Training focuses on developing priestcraft, exemplary personal conduct, self-understanding, and academic study.
MZMC has designated a group of zen practitioners as lay teachers. These are long-term Zen Center members who have been recognized as qualified to guide others in their practice due to their years of practice, spiritual depth, and devotion to our sangha. MZMC does not offer a program for lay teacher training and currently does not plan to designate more lay teachers.
Senior Teachers
Tim burkett
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Tim Burkett began Zen practice in early 1964 with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. At Suzuki Roshi's urging, Tim began a weekly meditation group on the San Francisco peninsula later that year. Suzuki Roshi regularly attended this group, and as it grew in size, it was moved to the converted garage of a sangha member. Suzuki Roshi's talks to that group were later edited and published as Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, a now-classic text and a gateway to Zen practice for many westerners.
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After completing his BA at Stanford University, Tim attended the maiden practice period at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in 1967. In 1970, Tim and his wife Linda moved to Minnesota. He was an early member of MZMC and was ordained by Dainin Katagiri Roshi in 1978. Tim served as board president of MZMC from 1978 to 1983, received dharma transmission from Sekijun Karen Sunna in the Katagiri lineage in 2000, and succeeded Karen as Guiding Teacher in 2002. Tim and Linda live in Minneapolis and have two grown children and two grandchildren.
Tim is a licensed Ph.D. psychologist, whose doctoral work focused on neo-shamanic practice. He is also the retired CEO of one of Minnesota's largest non-profit agencies, People Incorporated, which provides community-based service to individuals with mental health concerns. Shambhala published his first book, Nothing Holy About It: The Zen of being Just Who You Are, in 2015 and his second book, Zen in the Age of Anxiety in 2018. His most recent book, Enlightenment Is An Accident came out in May 2023.. A central focus of Tim's first book is his discussion of the impact of Suzuki Roshi's teaching on his life and on his own Zen own teaching and life, while the second book focuses on practicing Zen in our modern, fast-paced world. See more about his publications on his author page.
Tim Burkett was the Guiding Teacher of MZMC from 2002-2019. He offers teaches, leads retreats, and enjoys meeting with MZMC members one-to-one. You can schedule a meeting with him by contacting the office [email protected]
Read more of his teachings in his blog. Click here to find the blog.
Tim is a licensed Ph.D. psychologist, whose doctoral work focused on neo-shamanic practice. He is also the retired CEO of one of Minnesota's largest non-profit agencies, People Incorporated, which provides community-based service to individuals with mental health concerns. Shambhala published his first book, Nothing Holy About It: The Zen of being Just Who You Are, in 2015 and his second book, Zen in the Age of Anxiety in 2018. His most recent book, Enlightenment Is An Accident came out in May 2023.. A central focus of Tim's first book is his discussion of the impact of Suzuki Roshi's teaching on his life and on his own Zen own teaching and life, while the second book focuses on practicing Zen in our modern, fast-paced world. See more about his publications on his author page.
Tim Burkett was the Guiding Teacher of MZMC from 2002-2019. He offers teaches, leads retreats, and enjoys meeting with MZMC members one-to-one. You can schedule a meeting with him by contacting the office [email protected]
Read more of his teachings in his blog. Click here to find the blog.
BEN CONNELLY
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Ben began Zen practice at MZMC in 2001, was ordained in 2009, and received dharma transmission in 2015. He is currently serving as Program Administrator. He started teaching Introduction to Meditation in 2005, and since then has taught regularly at MZMC and more recently, at Zen centers across the US. He teaches secular mindfulness in a variety of contexts such as police training, addiction recovery groups, and wellness groups. Ben is also a musician by profession: a singer and songwriter, guitar teacher, film composer and multi-instrumentalist. His first book, Inside the Grass Hut, Living Shitou's Classic Zen Poem (Wisdom Publications) was published in 2014, and his second Inside Vasubandhu's Yogacara: A Practitioner's Guide, was published by Wisdom in 2016. His most recent books are Mindfulness and Intimacy (February 2019 Wisdom Publications) and Imagination, Interdependence, and Liberation. Practicing Yogacara Buddhism with Vasubandhu’s Three Natures (Simon &Schuster, November 2022). Click here to find out more about Ben's books.
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Jiryu Matt Cisler
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Jiryu Matt Cisler has been an active presence at MZMC since 2011. He learned meditation in the 1970’s and has been a meditation practitioner ever since. His spiritual journey has been long and complex including studies and practices as varied as lucid dreaming, Western Hermeticism, and Asian internal style martial arts. This path lead him finally to Zen Buddhism and MZMC where he was ordained as a priest in training in November of 2017 by his teacher Ted O’Toole.
Matt has been among other things, a visual artist, a punk noise guitarist, and an experimental soundscape artist. He lives and works in Minneapolis with his wife Julie, and is the caretaker of a variety of small creatures, both vertebrate and invertebrate. His sincere wish is to share the teaching of the Dharma and the practice of meditation to help others as it has helped him. |
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BIll Woywod
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Bill's interest in Zen Buddhism began when he was a teenager, drawn by the promise of experience deeper than the mundane, and the idea that one could influence his or her own mind. He started reading books on Buddhism, including Zen Mind Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and visited a variety of practice communities in the Minneapolis and Madison, WI areas. Bill found his way to MZMC in 2011 and began a daily meditation practice shortly thereafter. In 2013 he took the lay precepts, and in 2016 he was ordained as a priest-in-training by Tim Burkett, and received dharma transmission from him in 2022. Bill has become a wholehearted meditation enthusiast, and in particular appreciates intensive meditation retreats, or sesshin. Other interests of Bill's include Japanese language and culture, contemplative Christianity, and workplace mindfulness. Bill works as a management consultant in the healthcare and life science sectors.
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Keido Jeromy Thotland
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Keidō is a Senior Priest at MZMC in Minneapolis, MN. He was ordained in 2019 by Ted O’Toole.
He was born and raised in Minneapolis. His life includes experiences in the US Navy, retail, labor union work, and research. He depends on these, including family and sangha life, to remind him of the many ways of being. His focus is on the intersection of the everydayness of life and the everydayness of Zen, and the wonder that each moment can bring. |
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Senior Teachers Emeritus
Rosemary Taylor
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Rosemary was ordained by Tim Burkett in 2003 and received dharma transmission in September 2010. Meanwhile, after studying Nyoho-e (the Way of Sewing) with Tomoe Katagiri for 16 years, Rosemary became one of three people authorized to teach by Tomoe-san upon her retirement in 2013. Rosemary has helped people sew their rakusu in preparation for Zen Initiation, and okesa for ordination and dharma transmission. She describes teaching sewing as "helping people see what zazen has to do with your everyday life." She lives in Minneapolis with her husband Dave; they have an adult daughter and son, along with three grandsons.
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Bonnie (SHinKai) Versboncoeur
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Bonnie has been a student of zen since the late 1970s when she moved her family from hometown Green Bay Wisconsin to Minneapolis, bringing with her a UWGB undergrad degree in Sociology and masters in Environmental Arts and Sciences.
Many people had told her about MZMC and the kind teacher. When she first heard Katagiri give a lecture in the overpacked zendo, she did not know he was speaking English. Yet, somehow, her heart heard, and she felt a great peace and healing. She was not looking for a religion or a male teacher. But if this person Katagiri, and zen practice, had something to do with the healing experience and the truth her heart was hearing, then, YES! |
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She studied with Katagiri from 1978, receiving the precepts in 1982 and beginning the conversation about priest training for ordination.
Circumstances took her to the midcoast of Maine in 1986, and she continued to study with Katagiri until his transition in 1990.
She went back to MZMC each year for retreats, practice periods, and priests training for ordination in 1997. Tim Burkett honored that ordination in 2004.
Bonnie’s interest in the many conflicts around life and death brought her back to Minneapolis in 2008-2009 for a two year clinical pastoral education program as chaplain training. She then served 10 years in her little town in midcoast Maine as the hospice chaplain. Tim Burkett, then Abbott of MZMC, completed Bonnie’s dharma transmission (permission to teach independently) in 2013.
In September of 2021, she realized she was too far from her elderly family members, dear “old “ friends, and zen center. Relocating back to Twin Cities has given her the opportunity to participate in programs, retreats, classes and one-to-one mentorship at MZMC.
It has been lovely seeing and supporting family members going through transitions. She is happy to have made this very successful move, wishing all of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean could have come along.
Circumstances took her to the midcoast of Maine in 1986, and she continued to study with Katagiri until his transition in 1990.
She went back to MZMC each year for retreats, practice periods, and priests training for ordination in 1997. Tim Burkett honored that ordination in 2004.
Bonnie’s interest in the many conflicts around life and death brought her back to Minneapolis in 2008-2009 for a two year clinical pastoral education program as chaplain training. She then served 10 years in her little town in midcoast Maine as the hospice chaplain. Tim Burkett, then Abbott of MZMC, completed Bonnie’s dharma transmission (permission to teach independently) in 2013.
In September of 2021, she realized she was too far from her elderly family members, dear “old “ friends, and zen center. Relocating back to Twin Cities has given her the opportunity to participate in programs, retreats, classes and one-to-one mentorship at MZMC.
It has been lovely seeing and supporting family members going through transitions. She is happy to have made this very successful move, wishing all of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean could have come along.
Priests-in-training
EVAN BRITZIUS
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At a young age Evan felt a casual and natural spiritual resonance within his loose Christian upbringing. During the summer following his high school graduation he started meditating with his Thai step-grandmother, a practicing Buddhist. This led to a deepening yearning and further exploration of Buddhist teachings. In college he eventually embraced a haphazard universalist approach to spiritual practice. Propelled by the teachings of Ram Dass and an unexpected mentor, Evan began practicing yoga regularly and was eventually initiated into the Himalayan Yogic Tradition in 2013. Following a move from Duluth to Minneapolis, Evan began attending Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. The center and its teachers struck Evan as refreshing contemporary examples of embodied spiritual practice. Evan also found MZMC’s emphasis on transforming suffering through compassionate awareness, combined with the student teacher relationship, to be both immensely healing and grounding. Giving himself to practice and his aspiration, he received Lay Initiation in 2017 with Ben Connelly and was Ordained as a Priest in Training with Ted O’Toole in the backyard of MZMC in November of 2020.
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MArk Turbak
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Mark began exploring Zen Buddhist practice while a college student at the University of Minnesota. He came to MZMC in 2011 and received the precepts in 2013. Mark was ordained by Ted O'Toole in 2015. Mark is drawn towards the practicality of everyday Zen. Mark is particularly interested in exploring engaged mindfulness, non-violent communication, and the interplay between the 12-steps and Zen practice. He draws great inspiration from people who give their entire hearts to the most simple of activities, be it sitting zazen, eating oryoki, or ringing a meditation bell. Mark began his career in the nonprofit sector in 2002 with the American Red Cross. Since then, he has worked in a variety of capacities including emergency response, environmental education, and grassroots advocacy. Mark currently works as a fundraising officer for a national health organization. In his free time, Mark enjoys creating music, writing creative fiction, and exploring the outdoors.
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JEY EHRENHALT
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Jey Ehrenhalt (they/them), originally from the Washington D.C. area, trained for over two years at San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Monastery. They received lay ordination from Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts in the Suzuki Roshi lineage in 2016, and were ordained as a priest-in-training with Ben Connelly in 2022. Jey works as a freelance education writer and a teacher organizer with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, playing music, Ashtanga yoga, and romping with their pup. They are deeply grateful for this practice and to be a part of the MZMC community.
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ALAN EUSTACE
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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. |
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Matt Streit
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Matt Streit was ordained as a priest-in-training with Ben Connelly in November 2022. Matt has been practicing with MZMC since 2020. Before then, Matt practiced at Dharma Field Zen center for twelve years and received lay initiation from Steve Hagen in 2019. MZMC is Matt’s primary sangha, but he is active in many Zen communities throughout the United States, including Ancient Dragon Zen Gate in Chicago and Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, Indiana. Matt is also a certified facilitator with Joanna Macy’s environmentalist “Work That Reconnects” network. Being a part of multiple sanghas, inside and outside the Zen tradition, helps keep him grounded and rounded.
Matt has been a public school teacher since 2004. He has taught middle school with Minneapolis Public Schools since 2009. He has two children who are active in the MZMC youth program. In his spare time, Matt likes to read books about Dogen, coach baseball and basketball, and shovel snow. |
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Ruzan (Phil) Johnson
Ruzan (Phil) started his spiritual journey in 1992, when he began practicing aikido in Duluth, MN. It was there he was exposed to aspects of zen and koans as part of his training. In 1996 he moved to the Twin Cities and began teaching in multiple locations.
After moving, he always felt like part of his practice was missing but didn’t know what it was. After searching and giving up multiple times, he found MZMC in 2019 and met with his teacher Tim Burkett shortly after. He received jukai in 2021 and was ordained by Tim in 2023.
He finds nourishment in practicing zen and aikido in everyday activity and encouraging others to find their deep stillness to cultivate love and compassion for self and others. He views daily practice as the penultimate exercise of his goals and has a deep yearning to be conscientious in his expression of his zen.
By day, he leads teams of software engineers and sees it as a prime opportunity to practice the bodhisattva ways. He resides in Burnsville with his amazing wife Paige, three boys, and at least 10 animals, but he keeps losing count.
After moving, he always felt like part of his practice was missing but didn’t know what it was. After searching and giving up multiple times, he found MZMC in 2019 and met with his teacher Tim Burkett shortly after. He received jukai in 2021 and was ordained by Tim in 2023.
He finds nourishment in practicing zen and aikido in everyday activity and encouraging others to find their deep stillness to cultivate love and compassion for self and others. He views daily practice as the penultimate exercise of his goals and has a deep yearning to be conscientious in his expression of his zen.
By day, he leads teams of software engineers and sees it as a prime opportunity to practice the bodhisattva ways. He resides in Burnsville with his amazing wife Paige, three boys, and at least 10 animals, but he keeps losing count.
Monica ReedE
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As the third child of a scientist and an artist, Monica developed an interest in consciousness, creativity, healing and compassion at an early age. She was attracted to Zen for its ability to hold the infinite complexity of the whole within the simplicity of an in-breath and an out-breath.
She began studying and practicing Soto Zen in the early 1990’s at MZMC with Karen Suna. She received Jukai in 2005 from Tim Burkett and was ordained as a priest in 2022 by Ben Connelly. During her many years with MZMC Monica was involved in everything from maintaining the gardens, overseeing the extensive library, participating in and leading study groups, teaching classes, giving talks and being a member of the board of directors. |
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In 2015 she relocated from Minneapolis to Ojai, CA and has been fortunate to find a second zen community with the Santa Barbara Zen Center.
Monica worked as a professional artist for over 20 years before transitioning into a career as a holistic healer. She is passionate about integrating creativity and mind-body-spirit awareness into the full expression of Zen practice. She continues to draw inspiration from all of those who have walked this path before her, beside her, and those who will follow. She enjoys exploring the Dharma with all beings including plants, animals, rocks, trees, clouds and humans.
Monica worked as a professional artist for over 20 years before transitioning into a career as a holistic healer. She is passionate about integrating creativity and mind-body-spirit awareness into the full expression of Zen practice. She continues to draw inspiration from all of those who have walked this path before her, beside her, and those who will follow. She enjoys exploring the Dharma with all beings including plants, animals, rocks, trees, clouds and humans.
Meredith Seaborn
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Bodhi Svaha Meredith Seaborn
Meredith began coming to the Zen Center in 2014, got lay ordained in 2019 and ordained as a priest-in-training in 2023. She's inspired by her teacher, Tim Burkett, who's candidness, psychological orientation, humor and Taoist influence resonate deeply. She works in the medical device industry and has an amazing teenage daughter. |
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Lay Teachers
DEB MIELKE
Deb has been a member of MZMC since 2012 and received the precepts from Guy Gibbon in 2013. She became interested in Zen Buddhism in the 1970s when taking an after-school class on meditation and Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind in Duluth from Tim Burkett. After many years of exploring various traditions, casual meditation, and reading Buddhist literature, she joined the Sangha with her partner Benton Jackson. She enjoys the many class opportunities, practice periods, and retreats, which support her practice and daily life. She has served on the board and continues to participate on the membership committee, as a tea-cook, and on the flower crew. Her interests are health care for underserved populations, nature, walking, quilting, reading, and meditation.Deb finds MZMC the place where she is able to continue working on her understanding the Bodhisattva Vows and taking refuge in Buddha, Sangha, and Darmha — and just be around a lot of really amazing people.
WAYNE MOSKOWITz
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Wayne began his Zen study and practice at MZMC in 1993. His understanding and practice of Buddhism have been informed by the many teachers he encountered at MZMC, including Shohaku Okumura, Steve Hagen, Norm Randolph, and Tim Burkett. Wayne lives in Minneapolis with his wife, is a retired lawyer, and is the parent of two adult daughters. He is grateful for the Minnesota-style Zen he gets to practice with his dharma brothers and sisters.
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Randy Wedin
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Randy began meditating when in college in the mid-1970s and continued off and on until he came to MZMC in 2010. He took the precepts in 2013 and became a lay teacher in 2021. He has served at MZMC on the board and the membership committee and as a teacher in the Introduction to Zen Meditation program. With a Ph.D. in chemistry and a career as a science writer, he finds many parallels between the worlds of science and Zen Buddhism. He enjoys weaving these parallels and related metaphors into his dharma talks and classes. His other enjoyments include choral singing, camping, and spending time with his five granddaughters.
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