Kanji is a Zen dharma holder and preceptor authorized by Roshi Eve Myonen Marko of the Zen Peacemakers Order of the White Plum Asanga in the Maezumi lineage; he also is a Zen Buddhist minister with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist ministry from Harvard Divinity School and ordained by Roshi Bernie Glassman, founder of the Zen Peacemakers Order. Now working independently, as a dharma holder he's authorized to teach Zen students, provide meditation instruction, and give dharma talks and offer private interviews focused on koan training and issues related to practice. As a preceptor he's authorized to offer training in Zen's ethical precepts and conduct jukai ceremonies. As a Zen minister, Reverend Kanji is authorized to provide pastoral care and counseling in a Buddhist context and conduct ceremonies, including weddings, funerals, and life passage ceremonies. In addition to his training in the Zen Peacemakers Order, Kanji also has trained with Watanabe Roshi at Taiyjo-ji Zen Temple in Kanegasaki, Japan; with John Daido Loori Roshi at Zen Mountain Monastery; with Roshi Dai-En Bennage at Mt. Equity Zendo; and with Toni Packer at the Springwater Center for Meditative Inquiry.

As a Zen-based dharma teacher, Kanji helps you develop your natural ability to "be clear, be kind, be present," and helps guide you in accessing your innate wisdom and compassion, also known as your "buddha nature." His approach is authentic, innovative, and flexible in using skillful means. "Be clear" means being free of delusions about the nature of reality; the primary training module is Zen koan work. "Be kind" means being free of self-centeredness; the primary training module is Zen precepts work. "Be present" means being free of distractions; the primary training module is Zen meditation. All three trainings  fully interpenetrate and harmonize as you awaken to your life.  For example, one of the effects of meditation training is to naturally, over time, diminish self-clinging and open the heart to greater love, which in turn enhances the ethical precepts training in kindness and adds a compassionate dimension to koan training.
​
Kanji offers Zen training in one-on-one sessions, either in person if you live within convenient traveling distance of his home in western Massachusetts, or via his Touch the Earth cyber-sangha if you live farther away and have access to Skype. Sessions generally last 1.5 hours and are scheduled twice a month, with numerous opportunities for 10-minute koan check-ins online. The regular 1.5-hour sessions also can be scheduled for less than twice a month, or more frequently, depending on your needs and convenience. When possible, Kanji also schedules monthly group dharma discussions on Skype, in which people within the Touch the Earth cyber-sangha can listen to Kanji's introductory dharma talk on a designated topic and then open into a shared conversation, one that honors the rich collective wisdom of the group while helping to destabilize any tendencies of students to view the teacher as all-powerful "guru."

Please contact Kanji at stevekanjiruhl@post.harvard.edu to discuss standard                                                                    fees and sliding scale.

Kanji also trains students as a faculty member of the Shogaku Zen Institute.  Please click on the link below for more information:
​