Nine Bows to Everyone,
I am pleased to share with you a bit
about myself. My name is RT Good. I am a lifelong resident of the Shenandoah
Valley in Virginia where my husband and I share a home. We are both practitioners of the way. I am also an educator and administrator at
Shenandoah University where I have been employed for 23 years.
Fourteen years ago I stumbled onto the
Zen Buddhist path during a men’s retreat hosted by the Bodhi Manda Zen Center
(BMZC) in Jemez Springs, New Mexico.
Immediately, the Dharma within me was lit and has grown brighter ever
since. I have returned to sit sesshin at
BMZC as well as with Zen Mountain Monestary in Mt. Templer, New York. In the local area, I have sat with the
Delaplane Sangha and the ZCB Clare Sangha.
I have also gone on pilgrimages, the most transforming of which was to
Bodhi Gaya, India. I knew after that
journey that it was time for me to ask for the teachings so that I might mature
in my practice. Like my first discovery
of the Zen Buddhist path, the universe suddenly revealed to me the writings of
Koro Kaisan Miles. I knew immediately
upon reading his teachings that I would go to him and ask for his
guidance. In August 2013, Sensei Miles
accepted me into apprenticeship and I have had the privilege to attend several
sesshins at Open Gate Zendo under his tutelage.
Coinciding with my affiliation over the
last couple years with the Boundless Mind Zen School I have also had the good
fortune of building and leading a community of practice at Shenandoah
University. For the past two years I
have introduced students and colleagues to Zen Buddhist practices. Recently, on December 8, 2014, the community
at Shenandoah University held its first Bodhi Day ceremony on campus, an
auspicious event that was very well received by everyone.
It is with humble gratitude that I
affiliate with the Order of the Boundless Way and join a Sangha that is my
spiritual touchstone. While I live a
considerable distance away, I keep the Sangha close at heart. I also hope that I am, in some small way,
planting the seeds of Boundless Mind Zen to sprout here in the Shenandoah
Valley.
In gassho,
RT
