Alex Carroll

Alex is the Founder and Practice Leader of Dohasa Zen Group and is currently training to become a monk in the Korean Zen tradition. He began practicing Zen as a teenager in the United States under Josho Pat Phelan Roshi, in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi, and continued in this tradition for many years. He also has experience in the Rinzai and Theravada traditions, which broadened his understanding of the Buddhist path.
 

A chance viewing of a video featuring Korean monks Subul Sunim and Haemin Sunim discussing ganhwa seon (hwadu or gong’an meditation) sparked a deep question within him that would not leave him until it was resolved. This practice changed his life, inspiring him to dedicate himself fully to the Buddhist path through monastic training. Out of gratitude for this transformative practice and those who have preserved it over the centuries, he founded Dohasa Zen Group to share it with others and to help make this practice more accessible in the West.
 

Alex has studied ganhwa seon with Martine Batchelor, in the lineage of Kusan Sunim; Zen Masters Rebecca Nie and Matthew Sullivan, in the lineage of Ven. Hwasun Yangil Sunim; and Guo Yuan Fashi, in the Dharma Drum lineage of Sheng Yen. Ven. Haemin Sunim also serves as a mentor and guide.

 

Alex is an enthusiastic advocate of ganhwa seon and gladly shares it with those who feel drawn to it. At the same time, he recognizes that no single approach suits everyone and draws on his decades of meditation experience to help others explore the many forms of practice within the Korean Zen tradition and discover what resonates most deeply for them.
 

In addition to his practice, Alex has pursued Buddhist studies at the graduate level and maintains a strong interest in Buddhist scholarship. He is an occasional contributor to the New Books in Buddhist Studies podcast, where he speaks with scholars and teachers about contemporary scholarship.