Kosen Greg Snyder, Brooklyn, New York
While he is currently living in New York City, Rev. Kosen Gregory Snyder was raised in an Appalachian mountain valley along the banks of the Susquehanna River where his Pennsylvania Dutch family have lived and farmed for many generations. Since 2016 he has been the Senior Director and Assistant Professor of Buddhist Studies at Union Theological Seminary, where he directs the Thích Nhất Hạnh Program for Engaged Buddhism. He is also the co-founder and retired Senior Dharma Teacher of the Brooklyn Zen Center where he served for 20 years. Kosen received priest ordination and dharma transmission from Soshin Teah Strozer, BZC’s honorary founding teacher, and is a lineage holder in the Suzuki Roshi lineage of Soto Zen. Kosen’s academic and spiritual practice interests include socially engaged Buddhism, the intersections of contemplative interreligious dialogue and social action, and the relationship between Buddhist liberatory practices and social transformation.