I’m a California native, born in Marin County and raised in Southern California.

In midlife, yearning for a peaceful mind, I began meditating. I met my teacher Myogen Steve Stücky in January of 1994. I made jukai (took my lay vows) with Myogen at Dharma Eye Zen Center in 1996, was priest ordained by Zenkei Blanche Hartman at San Francisco Zen Center in 2003, served as Shuso (head student) with Myogen at Tassajara in 2008, and received dharma transmission from him at Tassajara in April of 2013.

I lived at Zen Center for seven years and then, after I moved back out into the world, worked as a hospice chaplain until I retired in 2022. I’ve been affiliated with Norman Fischer and Everyday Zen since 2012.

I've written two books, Entering the Monastery, a record of my time at Zen Center, which was published in 2008; and Love and Fear, reflections on chaplaincy, which was published in 2020. Both are available on Amazon.

I am also a photographer. Please see my flickr page for more images.

This is a recent interview for Plutopia: https://plutopia.io/renshin-bunce-no-gaining-idea/

Here’s a talk I gave last year at Valley Streams Zen Sangha in Sacramento: https://valleystreamszen.org/august-8-2022-dharma-talk-by-rev-renshin-bunce/

Here’s an interview with Berry Crawford for Simplicity Zen: https://youtu.be/aAc8jwQe-fo

Here’s an interview about my book Love and Fear: https://youtu.be/2xnYzYaesRU