Richard Reishin Collins — Abbot
Richard Collins was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1952. He earned a BA from the University of Oregon and an MA and PhD from UC Irvine. A Fulbright scholar and former dean at California State University, Bakersfield, he taught literature at universities in the United States, Wales, Romania, and Bulgaria.
He began Zen practice with Robert Livingston in 2001, received monastic ordination in 2010 and permission to teach in 2012. With Livingston Roshi's retirement in 2016, he received shiho and became the second Abbot. He currently resides at Stone Nest Dojo, Sewanee, and returns to New Orleans periodically to teach.
Tony Bland — Mississippi
Tony Bland is a Zen monk and authorized lineage holder who has been practicing since 1984 and teaching since 1995. He trained under Robert Livingston Roshi at the New Orleans Zen Temple, receiving lay ordination in 1985, monastic ordination in 1992, and shiho (Dharma transmission) in 2004 — becoming a fully independent teacher in the lineage of Kodo Sawaki and Taisen Deshimaru.
A native of Starkville, Mississippi, Tony leads two practice groups: a home dojo near Cumberland (approximately 25 miles from Starkville) and a group in Jackson. He holds a master's degree in counseling from the University of Arkansas and has spent most of his career as a counselor and psychotherapist. He also offers periodic sesshins and an occasional Introduction to Zen Buddhism workshop.
Preston Thomas — New Orleans
Full biography coming soon.