Finding God in the Zendo with Amy Kisei

QUICK SUMMARY

What if the path to awakening was simpler than you think and closer than you imagine? In this episode, hosts Dave Plisky and Father John Gribowich sit down with Sensei Amy Kisei, a Zen Buddhist priest and teacher with 12 years of full-time monastic training. Amy unpacks the core of Zen practice, the radical simplicity of sitting, and explores how stillness, suffering, compassion, and community weave together into a life of genuine awakening. Whether you’re a long-time meditator, spiritually curious, or wondering what Buddhism and Christianity really have in common, this conversation will leave you quieter inside.

 IN THIS EPISODE WE EXPLORE

• “You are Buddha. You have the wisdom and compassion within you. All you need to do is sit and connect to it.” — Amy on the radical simplicity at the heart of Zen (00:07:00)
• How a Thich Nhat Hanh book given to a teenager during 9/11 became the spark for a lifelong Zen path (00:03:30)
• What sitting meditation actually is — and why it’s harder than it sounds (00:08:00)
• The posture question: how to sit in a way that supports both alertness and relaxation (00:15:30)
• How to work with the “monkey mind” — using breath-counting as an anchor (00:19:00)
• Sitting alone vs. sitting in community — what changes and why it matters (00:21:30)
• Meditation as a purificatory experience: how difficult emotions surface and integrate (00:23:30)
• What “awakening” really means in Zen — and how healing fits into it (00:25:00)
• Common misunderstandings Christians have about Buddhism (00:26:30)
• The Buddhist teaching on suffering (dukkha), the Two Arrows, and why desire is misunderstood (00:36:00)
• Compassion as the bodhisattva ideal — and why it includes self-compassion (00:55:00)
• Life after the monastery: discerning when to leave and what comes next (00:44:30)
• How Amy structures her day — personal practice, spiritual counseling, and sangha (00:47:30)
• A closing meditation on listening — and how to practice it anywhere, anytime (00:59:30)

MEMORABLE QUOTE

“Meditation is like an acupuncture needle — it allows the unhealed parts of us to come up and be included, be felt, and integrated.” — Amy Kisei Sensei, on her teacher’s analogy for sitting practice

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Thich Nhat Hanh — Peace in Every Step and Living Buddha, Living Christ
  • Peace in Every Step (Parallax Press)
  • Living Buddha, Living Christ (Parallax Press)
• Robert Kennedy, S.J. — Jesuit priest and Zen teacher; author of Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit
• Mud Lotus Sangha — Columbus, Ohio sitting group guided by Amy Kisei
• Zen Community of Oregon — zendust.org
• Earth Dreams — Amy’s Substack for Dharma talks and writings: substack.com (search “Earth Dreams Amy Kisei”)
• Father John Gribowich’s Substack — Going Analog: johngribowich.substack.com
• Kaira Jewel Lingo — featured in the previous Buddhism episode (Season 2, Episode prior)
• Michael McCord — Zen priest, featured in the next episode