Yokoji-Zen Mountain Center

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Jokai Blackwell Sensei

Vice Abbot

Jokai Sensei began studying Zen Buddhism in England in 1998, becoming a formal student of Tenshin Fletcher, Roshi in 1999. He was a resident of Yokoji from Spring 2000 until Winter 2004, during which time he completed his term as Shuso (head trainee). After four years living and working in Los Angeles, Jokai Sensei returned to full-time study at Yokoji. He received Tokudo (priest ordination) in 2010 and completed koan study in 2013. Jokai Sensei continues his studies under the guidance of Tenshin Fletcher, Roshi

Recent Posts by Jokai Sensei

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Jim Yugen Lakey Sensei

Jim started Zen practice in Liverpool (UK) in 2005 with Keizan Scott Roshi. He moved to California in 2008 to train full-time with Tenshin Roshi at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, completing his formal training in 2014 and receiving Dharma transmission in 2021. In 2015, Jim moved to Joshua Tree with his wife, Melissa, and runs a local sitting group, Mojave Zen. Jim and Melissa work together making wedding films as The Quail & The Dove.

Recent Posts by Yugen

  • No Change

    Today the center was pretty much as we had left it—it seems the storm that hit yesterday either missed the valley or simply had little effect.


  • The Next Day

    Yesterday was bad, but today was almost unbelievable. The road is barely even recognizable as a road at this point, with channels many feet deep criss-crossing it at various points and many parts totally washed out exposing culverts and previously buried phone wires.


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