Philippe Goldin, Ph.D. brings scientific expertise and deep spiritual knowledge to the subjects of mindfulness, meditation, and cognitive science. Goldin spent 6 years in India and Nepal studying various languages, Buddhist philosophy and debate, and serving as an interpreter for Tibetan Buddhist lamas. He then returned to the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in psychology and train as a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist. Goldin is currently working in the Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory. His National Institute of Health-funded clinical research focuses on cognitive-affective mechanisms in adults with anxiety disorders, the effects of mindfulness meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy and aerobic exercise on brain-behavior, and training children in mindfulness skills to reduce anxiety and enhance compassion and self-esteem.
RYUSHIN PAUL HALLER, a Soto Zen roshi, has been Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center since 2003. A native of Belfast, Ireland, Haller spent time in Russia, Afghanistan, and Japan before traveling to Thailand where he was ordained as a Buddhist monk. He entered Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in 1974 and was ordained as a priest in 1980. Haller received shiho from Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1993, giving him authority to teach. Since 2000 he has also served as teacher at the Black Mountain Zen Centre in Northern Ireland.