Location and About

Heartland Zen​ discontinued in-person services in March 2020 and currently meets via Zoom every Saturday at 10:30am.

Services are primarily led by Will (Genro) Holcomb, with members of the sangha and guest speakers providing occasional dharma talks. Dr. Holcomb is a lay meditation teacher in the Soto Zen tradition and is a member of the Lay Zen Teachers Association.
     He began practice at the Missouri Zen Center, leading to lay ordination with Rosan Yoshida Roshi in 2002. He continued his practice at Shinzo Zen Meditation Center and received lay entrustment through Reverend Shoken Winecoff, abbot of Ryumonji Zen Monastery in Decorah, Iowa in 2015.
     Will has led weekly meditation and discussion sessions since 2010 and has contributed to publications and projects dedicated to prison outreach. In 2022 he retired from his career in obstetrics and gynecology. He held faculty positions at Washington University and at St. Louis University in the specialty of high risk obstetrics.

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​​​Rev. Shoken Winecoff is founding teacher and abbot of Ryumonji Zen Monastery. He is a Dharma Heir of the late Dainin Katagiri Roshi, founder of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. Shoken also received formal training at Zuioji Zen Monastery and Shogoji Zen Monastery in Japan for three years from 1989 to 1992. Since that time he has worked to establish a Soto Zen monastery in the Midwest.

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Rosan Osamu Yoshida founded the Missouri Zen Center in 1979. He received Dharma transmission from Rev. Dainin Katagiri Roshi in 1989 and from Rev. Tsugen Narasaki Roshi in 1993. He was certified by Soto Shu (School) of Zen as an international teacher in 1994. Rosan earned his Ph.D. and M.Phil. from Columbia University, M.A. from Tokyo University, and B.A. from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He participated in the Parliament of World Religions and promoted Global Ethic, founding and being Advisor of Japan Global System & Ethics.

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