Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi

Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1944, and grew up in Long Beach, California. He received a bachelor's degree from California State University at Long Beach in 1966 and a masters degree in education from the University of Southern California in 1968. From an early age, he was active in competitive swimming and water polo, and was named All-American in those sports. Genpo Roshi taught school in Los Angeles and Long Beach from 1966 to 1971.

After spending a year in the mountains of California in solitary retreat, Genpo Roshi started formal Zen training under Maezumi Roshi at the Zen Center of Los Angeles in 1972. He was ordained by Maezumi Roshi in 1973 and given the title Hoshi (Dharma-Holder) after completing koan  study in 1979. In 1980 Genpo Roshi received Shiho (Dharma Transmission) from Maezumi Roshi, followed by Zuisse in Japan in 1981. In the following year he began to conduct sesshins in several European countries, and in 1984, he left Los Angeles to devote himself completely to the international community of students he named "Kanzeon Sangha." This Sangha now includes over 1,000 members in the United States and Europe.

In 1988, Genpo Roshi completed Shinsanshiki (installation as abbot) at Hosshinji Temple in Bar Harbor, Maine. In 1991 he moved to Oregon and in 1993, at the invitation of the Wasatch Zen Group, he relocated Hosshin-ji (Kanzeon Zen Center) to Salt Lake City, Utah. Genpo Roshi received the certificate of Dendokyoshi Kenshuso in 1995 at Green Gulch Farm in California. In October of 1996, he received Inka from his elder Dharma brother, Tetsugen Glassman Roshi, in New York City. Tetsugen Roshi had received Inka from Maezumi Roshi shortly before the latter's death in May, 1995.

To date, Genpo Roshi has given Shiho Transmission to Catherine Genno Pagès (1992), the late John Shodo Flatt (1994), Anton Tenkei Coppens (1996), Daniel Doen Silberberg (2003), Nancy Genshin Gabrysch (2006), Diane Musho Hamilton (2006) Michael Mugaku Zimmermn (2006) Rich Taido Christofferson (2007) Michel Genki Dubois (2007) and Tamara Myoho Gabrysch (2008) and gave Transmission to Malgosia Jiho Braunek (2003) Nico Sojun Tydeman (2004). He has also granted Denkai (lineage holder) and Hoshi (dharma holder) to a number of his students, some of whom function as teacher-in-training. Recently Genpo Roshi has given Inka, the final seal of approval, to Genno Pages Roshi and Tenkei Coppens Roshi as well as several of Maezumi Roshi's direct successors. For more specific information please visit the Kanzeon website .

Genpo Roshi is the author of four books, "The Eye Never Sleeps" (Shambhala), "Beyond Sanity and Madness" (Tuttle), 24/7 Dharma (Shambhala), and "The Path of the Human Being" ( Shambhala). 

As already mentioned under the heading White Plum & Kanzeon, Genpo Roshi has developed a new and interesting way of presenting the dharma called Big Mind. He will be leading his annual Great Sangha Gathering & Big Mind Retreat on the island of Ameland off the Northern coast of Holland in January 2009

Revised August 08