Meet Spirit of Life

In Savannah:

Ancient Oaks is a Savannah based Zen training center and community of The Zen Garland Order for Zen practice, education, healing, and service. Zen Garland currently has centers in the USA, Germany, and South Africa. Ancient Oaks is home base to the founders of The Zen Garland Order, Roshi Paul Genki Kahn, Roshi Monika Genmitsu Kahn, and other assistant teachers from the Order. Ancient Oaks provides a warm, safe, and welcoming learning and practice environment. We are actively working to develop a multicultural and diverse community here in Savannah.

Our Practice

Ancient Oaks brings the Zen Garland Way to Savannah, a thorough, holistic, and modern approach to Zen training. Our teachers guide each student to apply Zen skills and perspectives to their personal lives – their goals, motivations, relationships, work, and play. Our teachings are carefully crafted and integrated, reflecting the venerable tradition of Zen complemented by modern psychology, science, and philosophy and expressed in language and practices appropriate to our present moment.

Ancient Oaks Teachers

Roshi Paul Genki Kahn

One of the living Zen masters of our time, Roshi Genki augments traditional Zen practices with modern psychology, philosophy, science, and socially engaged service to marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Roshi Genki is a Dharma Successor and full Zen Priest in the Japanese Soto Zen lineage of Taizan Maezumi Roshi and Zen Master Bernie Glassman. He served as personal attendant (Jisha) to both.

Roshi Genki has developed a thorough and profound holistic approach to Zen practice that offers personal and inter-relational development for skillful living in the world with love, service, and joy. Roshi Genki describes this approach to spirituality as The Practice of Presence and Reclaiming the World As Sacred. Roshi Genki emphasizes that the Zen training hall is our daily life, our way of being in the world with ourselves, our intimate circle, our work, and our communities.

Dharma Successors of Roshi Genki in ZGO

Roshi Monika Genmitsu Kahn
Co-Founder of The Zen Garland Order and Ancient Oaks Zen in Savannah, GA. Master Zen Teacher, Board Member of the Zen Garland Order

Grandfather Shoko Sings-Alone, Roshi
Master Zen Teacher, Founder of Red Path Zen

Roshi Paul Kisho Stern
Master Zen Teacher, President of the Zen Garland Order & Spiritual Director of Dharma River, Winona, Minnesota

Sensei Wolfgang Okami Schmachtenberg
Zen Teacher & Spiritual Director of Eternal Way in Germany

Sangha Coordinators with Roshi Genki

David Rosenstein
Senior Practitioner & Coordinator of Spirit of Life, Cape Town, South Africa

Dharma Holders of Roshi Genki

Rev. Yves Keichi Calderone
Dharma Holder & Zen Priest, Memphis, Tennessee

Rev. Iain Tucker Sansui Brown
Dharma Holder & Zen Priest, Savannah, Georgia

Rev. Joanne Kyouji Cacciatore
Dharma Holder & Zen Priest, Cornville, Arizona

Zen Priests with Roshi Genki

Thomas Kian Senegeto
Senior Practitioner & Zen Priest, New Jersey (deceased)

Dharma Successors of Roshi Genki outside of ZGO

Roshi Eran Junryu Vardi
Master Zen Teacher and Founder of the Eiryu-Ji Zen Community in Wyckoff, NJ. Junryu holds the rank of 6th degree black belt, and is a senior instructor under the United States Aikido Federation.

Roshi Greg Zenshin Noble
Master Zen Teacher, Founder of the Zenshinkai Association. Zenshin https://www.zenshinkai.org/holds the rank of Rokudan (6th degree black belt), awarded by Aikikai Foundation in Tokyo, Japan.

Roshi William Jikai Greenberg
Retired Master Zen Teacher and Priest.

Sensei Kathleen Kanno Dowd
Retired Zen Teacher and Priest

Roshi KC Zero Sato (received Inka from Roshi Genki)
Master Zen Teacher and Priest.

*Roshi Ann Ankai Wagner
Master Zen Teacher & Spiritual Director of Christian Zen (deceased)

Roshi Monika Genmitsu Tara-Singer Kahn is a Zen Master Teacher and Zen Buddhist Priest ordained and empowered by Roshi Paul Genki Kahn, in the lineage of Taizan Maezumi Roshi. She is Co-founder and Secretary of the Board of Directors of The Zen Garland Order and co-Founder of Ancient Oaks Zen, Savannah, Georgia. As Tara-singer, Roshi Genmitsu is Spiritual Director of Red Path Zen, successor to Grandfather Shoko Sings-Alone, Roshi, a Lakota trained Medicine Ceremonialist and also Dharma successor to Roshi Genki. She works as a professional Compassionate Bereavement Care Counselor and Family Services Coordinator for the MISS Foundation and the Selah Carefarm, providing services and aid to traumatically bereaved families in their difficult grieving process. Roshi Genmitsu is a former Alpine mountaineer and Co-Directed two government supported schools in Switzerland for 24 years training young adults for farming and trade careers.

Roshi Monika Genmitsu Kahn

Dharma Successors of Roshi Genmitsu

Sensei Trish Baishin Johnson
Zen Teacher & Priest, Co-Founder of the Dharma River Zen Community in Winona, MN, Board member of the Zen Garland Order

 

Sangha Coordinators & Priests of Roshi Genmitsu

Rev John Mitsudo Mancuso
Dharma Holder & Zen Novice Priest. Founder of the Dokan Sangha in Fishkill, NY

Rev. Susan Kijin Bruce
Dharma Holder and Zen Novice Priest. Princetown, NJ

Kai-Uwe Reishi Trollmann
Senior practitioner and Founder of the Dharma Herz Zen Community in Duisburg, Germany

 

Rev. Iain Tucker Sansui Brown

Rev. Iain Tucker Sansui Brown was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He has a P.h.D in pastoral care and clinical mental health counseling. He began practicing meditation during college. After earning his Ph.D. in 2012, Sansui and his wife, Yushin, accepted an invitation to join an interfaith community in New Mexico. They became AmeriCorps volunteers in Las Cruces and joined The Order of Clear Mind Zen (OCMZ).

After a time of moving around with his young family and In the search of a new spiritual home, Sansui discovered the Zen Garland order.

He began studying with Roshi Genki in 2019 and received Denkai in 2020 (i.e., a public ceremony was held in 2023). He was Shuso for the spring ango and sesshin in 2021. Sansui currently serves as a priest and assistant teacher of the Ancient Oaks Zen Community in Savannah, Georgia where he also works for the VA and as a Chaplin for the military. Rev. Tucker Sansui Brown is in charge of the introduction to Zen Meditation at Ancient Oaks.