Stuart Soshin Gray

As a Dharma Holder, Stuart Soshin Gray brings a rich and deeply grounded perspective to Zen practice. He began his path in 1980 and soon entered residential training with John Daido Loori at the newly founded Zen Arts Center, which later became the precursor to Zen Mountain Monastery in New York. In 1982, he received Jukai from Taizan Maezumi Roshi, marking an important milestone in his spiritual journey.

Alongside decades of dedicated practice, Stuart’s professional background reflects a wide range of lived experience, including work as a newspaper and magazine editor, a fire service responder and administrator, a commercial photographer, and an adjunct high school teacher. In 2019, he began monastic training with Chozen and Hogen Roshi, was ordained in 2022, and became a Dharma Holder in 2024. His teaching is informed by both long-term Zen training and a life of service, creativity, and leadership.