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Appalachian Zen:
Journeys in Search of True Home,
from the American Heartland
to the Buddha Dharma

GOLD PRIZE WINNER,
"SPIRITUALITY/MEMOIR" CATEGORY,
2023 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS

"BEST SPIRITUAL MEMOIR" OF 2022 NOMINEE, OMTIMES MEDIA AWARDS​
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 "Brilliant and lyrical...an important commentary on American Zen"
(Lion's Roar)
***
"Amazing and intense"
(Sumi Loundon Kim)
***
"Destined to become a classic among spiritual memoirs"
(Willa Blythe Baker)
***
"Exceedingly intelligent and full of lucid insights"
(Kirkus Reviews)
***
"A powerful synthesis of American Zen philosophy and cultural analysis" (Publisher's Weekly)
***
​"A wonderful, wise, fierce book"
(Andrew Harvey)
***  
A "beautifully written memoir...Insightful, accessible, and emotionally transparent, this epic spiritual journey...will open your mind and widen your heart"
(Mark Matousek)
***
"An intimate memoir; I strongly recommend it"
(James Ishmael Ford)
***
 "An engrossing read"
(Norman Fischer)
***
"Captivating"
(Library Journal)
***
"A stirring religious memoir"
(Foreword Reviews)
***
It "soars on Ruhl’s eloquent and profound word-pictures...Take the trip!"
(Bruce Watson)
  
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Enlightened Contemporaries:
Saint Francis, Dogen, and Rumi:
Three Great Mystics
of the 13th Century
and Why They Matter Today
​ is " a treasure and inspiration for our time" (Roshi Joan Halifax); "superbly written, stirring" (Roshi Eve Myonen Marko); "fascinating" (Dr. Anne Monius, Harvard University); "a book to be treasured" (Rabbi Rami Shapiro); "insightful....excellent" (Publishers Weekly).
​--
Paintings of Rice Cakes Satisfy Hunger:
​Poems
"A mature work by an important American Buddhist poet. Lyrical, tough, and illuminating...."  (Leslie Staub)

The Constant Yes of Things:
Selected Poems, 1973-2018
Customer reviews: "A stunning poetic landscape, exquisitely crafted"; "breathtaking"; "a truly original voice, poignant, fresh, and inspiring."

​GET PERSONAL
​ZEN TRAINING
AND SPIRITUAL
GUIDANCE

Kanji trains Zen students to "be clear, be kind, be present" through koan practice, precepts work, and meditation practice offered through his Touch the Earth online sangha. He serves as a guide who helps people discover their own innate wisdom and compassion.
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​   Kanji also offers one-on-one spiritual counseling for individuals looking to deepen their spiritual lives. A longtime adviser for the Yale Buddhist Student Community at Yale University, and the Buddhist Spiritual Life Adviser at Deerfield Academy, as well as a former core faculty member in the Spiritual Guidance program at The Rowe Center, Kanji has supported many people through difficult times in their lives. 

   A Zen Buddhist minister ordained through the Zen Peacemaker Order, and authorized as a Dharma Holder and Preceptor in the White Plum Asanga, Kanji has 30 years' experience of Zen training and practice in Japan and in the United States.
   
​A core faculty member and dean of students for the Shogaku Zen Institute, Kanji also ordains qualified Zen Dharma Holders with Master of Divinity degrees to serve as Zen Buddhist ministers in the Touch the Earth Order of Zen Ministry.


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GET WORKSHOPS
​ AND PUBLIC DHARMA TEACHINGS

Kanji is an ordained Zen Buddhist minister with a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University.

  He has been a guest speaker or workshop facilitator at Yale Divinity School, the Omega Institute, Harvard's Center for World Religions, the International Conference on Socially Engaged Buddhism, Deerfield Academy, The Rowe Center, Harvard Divinity School, Grace Farms, Evergreen State College, the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine, and elsewhere.

​ Kanji also has been interviewed in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and in EnlightenNext magazine; on the "Called to Be Multiple" and "Everyday Buddhism" podcasts; on 11:11 Talk Radio, streamed globally; and in numerous video interviews, including the "No BS Spiritual Book Club" and the "Mindrolling" series of the Ram Dass Foundation. (To listen and watch, open the "more..." tab above and click on "Videos & Podcasts.")
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   His magazine articles have been published in Tricycle, Parabola, and elsewhere.

​ A lively, compelling, and lucid presenter, Kanji engages audiences on a personal level, speaking not only from intellectual knowledge and spiritual experience but from his heart, addressing a wide variety of topics related to Buddhist philosophy, history, and practices as they relate to 21st-century American lives.

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A LIFE WORTH LIVING: A CONVERSATION AT YALE