Christopher Keevil, Host teacher
Christopher Keevil has been practicing Zen since 1991 and teaching since 1998 in the lineage of his teacher, Zen Master Bo Mun (George Bowman), who is a dharma heir of the Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn. Chris received Inka, the formal recognition of his teaching role, in 2022 from Zen Master Bo Mun.
Chris has published a book titled Finding Zen in the Ordinary, a collection of vignettes, stories, and reflections. Chris is also the Managing Director and founder of Wellspring Consulting, a national firm that helps nonprofit leaders develop strategy for the future.
Chris lives in the New Haven, Connecticut area, in the United States. His Twitter handle is @chriskeevil.
Lineage teachers
George Bowman
Zen Master Bo Mun (George Bowman) has practiced Zen since 1968. His primary teachers are Zen Master Seung Sahn and Joshu Sazaki Roshi. He also practiced with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Taizan Maezumi Roshi, Eido Roshi, Aitken Roshi and Kobun Chino Roshi. Zen Master Bomun has studied and taught in China, Korea, Japan, Europe, Canada, and the United States. He is the founder and guiding teacher of the Single Flower Sangha.
Bo Mun received Inka from Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1977, and dharma transmission in 1992. From 1977 through 1990 he was the guiding teacher of the Providence Zen Center, and from 1991 through 1999 the Guiding Teacher for The Cambridge Buddhist Association, where he was also the Founder and Guiding Teacher of the Institute for the Study of Meditation and Psychotherapy and worked as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Bo Mun is also trained as a Co-Active Life Coach through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI).
Zen Master Bo Mun currently resides at the Furnace Mountain Zen Retreat Center in Kentucky.
Seung Sahn
Zen Master Seung Sahn was a Korean Zen master of the Jogye Order and Founder of the Kan Um School of Zen. He came to Providence, Rhode Island in 1972 after rebuilding the Jogye Order in Japan and founding Korean Zen temples in Tokyo and Hong Kong. As one of the first Korean Zen masters to settle in the United States, he influenced many students with his direct teaching style.
Zen Master Seung Sahn wrote or co-wrote over ten books, including The Compass of Zen, and Wanting Enlightenment is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn, both from Shambhala Publications. The Kwan Um School of Zen now has nearly 100 locations worldwide.