Dennis Merzel

Dennis Merzel is an American Zen and spirituality teacher. He was a student and is heir of the Japanese-born Zen teacher Taizan Maezumi. Merzel obtained a Master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Southern California and went on to become a school teacher.

Today he is known as a revolutionary in the tradition of the old Zen Masters who so embodied Buddhist teaching that they were able to revitalize and transform it for their own day and age. As Buddhism moved from India to China to Japan and other Asian cultures, it found unique expression in each culture that made its fundamental teachings resonate for a new time and place. Dennis is working to transmit the essence of the Buddha’s teachings in a way that is readily accessible to Westerners and relevant to everyday life.