Teachers & Staff

Koshin Christopher Cain
Koshin Christopher Cain is Abbot of the Puget Sound Zen Center. Koshin was born in 1965 and grew up in London, England, and Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a BA in American Studies in 1987. In 1990 he moved to Mt. Baldy Zen Center in California, he ordained in 1991, and trained at Mt. Baldy as a monk from 1991 to 1999. In 1999 Joshu Roshi made him an Osho, or teacher. From 1999 to 2002 he served as Vice-abbot of Mt. Baldy Zen Center. In 2003 he moved to Vashon Island and became the founding teacher of the Puget Sound Zen Center.

Since 2009, Koshin has been the formal teacher of the Rinzai Zen Center in Oslo. He is responsible for the direction of the Zen practice there, with the board and lay monk handling daily operations of the Center.  Koshin goes to the  Rinzai Zen Center in Oslo twice a year, once in winter -for about 10 days – and once in summer for two weeks. Koshin is married to Soshin Lidunn Cain, and they have a son, Lars, born in 2001, and daughter Eva, born in 2004.

As of May 2012, Koshin Cain’s office hours are:

Wednesday from 8am to 12pm
Monday, Thursday and Sunday from 7 to 9pm

Soshin Lidunn Overdahl Cain
Soshin Lidunn Cain was ordained in 1999.  She leads the Zen Center’s family and children’s education program, “Family Zen”.  She was born in 1962, and raised in Trondheim, Norway. In 1990 she graduated from the Oslo school of Architecture. In the 1990s she practiced Zen under Genro Osho, a student of Joshu Roshi’s, and she served on the Board of Directors of the Rinzai Zen Center in Oslo. In 1998 she moved to Mt. Baldy Zen Center, and was ordained there in 1999. Soshin and Koshin Cain founded the Puget Sound Zen Center in 2003.

Jodo John Candy
John is a 30 year Vashon community member. A long time student of Joshu Sasaki Roshi, he was ordained as a lay monk in 2005.

The Board of Directors

President: Chris Ezzell
Secretary: Elizabeth Fitterer
Treasurer: Jeremy Sappington

Moira Gray
Kaj Wyn Berry

Past Presidents:

• Renee Marceau (2009-2011)
• Van Crozier (2007-2009)
• Elaine Hanowell (2006-2007)
• David Steel (2005-2006)
• David Scheuneman (2003-2005)