Garden Oak Sangha
The Garden Oak Sangha is a meditation community in the Zen tradition. We gather virtually and in person to support each other in spiritual practice and insight. Hosted by Christopher Keevil, the style is warm and inclusive while also being grounded in the centuries-old lineage of Zen. Everyone is welcome to participate with any experience or background.
Christopher Keevil, Host teacher
Christopher Keevil is a recognized Zen teacher, having received Inka from his Teacher, Zen Master Bo Mun (George Bowman). He has been practicing Zen since 1991 and teaching since 1998 in the lineage of his teacher, who is a dharma heir of the Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn. Chris leads meditation gatherings and retreats virtually, and in the New Haven, Connecticut, area where he lives. Chris is the founder and host teacher of the Garden Oak Sangha. He posts a monthly blog of Zen poems and posts daily on TwitterX, Mastodon, and Blue Sky Social. He has also written a book titled Finding Zen in the Ordinary which offers honest and thought-provoking spiritual insights drawn from daily-life experiences
Chris is also the founder and a Senior Advisor at Wellspring Consulting, a national firm that helps non-profit leaders develop strategy for the future. He has provided guidance to several hundred organizations in the social sector in fields such as religion and spirituality, education, environmental advocacy, social services, and the arts. Previously, Chris was a Partner at The Boston Consulting Group, an international management consultancy that advised businesses and multi-national corporations. Earlier he worked as a carpenter and as a folk-dance musician and caller.
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, all from Shambhala Publications. The Kwan Um School of Zen now has nearly 100 locations worldwide.