Bodhin Kjolhede
Bodhin Kjolhede is an American Sōtō/Rinzai Zen roshi and Abbot of the Rochester Zen Center, a position he assumed when Philip Kapleau retired from teaching in 1986. He founded the “Cloud-Water Sangha”, an international community of Zen centers led by teachers in his lineage.
Zen training
Kjolhede was ordained as a priest in 1976. In 1986 he was formally installed as Kapleau’s Dharma-successor and Abbot of the Rochester Zen Center. He has additionally been offered transmission in a Sōtō lineage, but has thus far chosen to decline.Lineage
Kjolhede has authorized ten of his disciples as teachers, some of whom are independent teachers with their own dharma successors:- Gerardo Gally
- Robert Goldmann
- Donna Kowal
- Kanja Odland
- Sante Poromaa
- John Pulleyn
- Sevan Ross
- Rick Smith
- Richard von Sturmer
- Amala Wrightson
Cloud-Water Sangha
The is formed of centers led by Kjolhede's students and their disciples:- Auckland Zen Centre
- Berliner Zen-Gruppe
- Casa Zen Mexico
- Cleveland Zazen Group
- Louisville Zen Center
- Madison Zen Center
- Rochester Zen Center
- Zenbuddhistiska Samfundet