Venerable Eshū Martin – Just after Buddha’s Awakening Day (December 8) and the Winter Solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, Venerable Eshū of the Zenwest Buddhist Society will speak about the Buddhist concepts of enlightenment and awakening.
Eshū is a fully ordained temple priest (Osho) and authorized Zen teacher (Zenji) in the Hakuin lineage of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. He began practising Zen in 1994, was ordained as a novice in 1999, and was affirmed as a teacher in September of 2013.
Locally, Eshū is the Abbot and teacher of the Zenwest Sang-ha, which is a thriving community of Zen practitioners on Vancouver Island. Offering practice opportunities in Victoria and Sooke for all levels of interest from absolute beginner to those who wish to investigate the path of ordinations themselves. Zenwest also sponsors the Buddhist Chaplaincy at the University of Victoria, a post currently held by Reverend Soshin McMurchy. Zenwest is in the process of developing a residential monastic training program, slated to begin in early 2014.
Eshū Osho’s background in theatre arts, performance, and technology, combined with his Zen training, have led to the development of a robust program of resources being made available to people all over the world via the internet. Instruction through the zenwest website, as well as podcasts, video teachings and live support via Skype, are helping to make Zen practice and Buddhism more accessible to people globally, regardless of how remote a person might be.