Support @ One River Zen
One River Zen has a trained and dedicated team devoted to supporting you on your practice-journey
Every journey requires the support of a nurturing community. At One River Zen, we understand the importance of having an extended family to guide and uplift you along your spiritual quest. Our interdisciplinary team of seasoned practitioners is here to provide the care, training, and encouragement you need to flourish on your practice journey. Meet the compassionate guides dedicated to nurturing your growth and awakening at One River Zen:
Our Founders
Sensei Michael & Hōshi Vanessa
One River Zen began with a shared vow — that awakening must be lived right in the heart of ordinary life.
From a simple living room practice to a vibrant community temple, Sensei Sōen and Hōshi Vanessa nurtured a space where Zen training and family life, work and service, stillness and compassion could fully belong together.
Today, One River Zen continues to flourish through the dedication of many hands and hearts, yet it remains rooted in the founders’ original intention: to make the Dharma available to anyone ready to walk the Way with sincerity and courage.
Sensei Michael Brunner
Abbot and Guiding Teacher
Meet Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner, founder and guiding teacher of One River Zen. He is a transmitted Sōtō Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Dainin Katagiri Roshi, having accomplished his advanced study and teacher formation under Rev. Dr. Sojun Diane Martin.
Sensei’s journey into Zen began in 2006 and quickly became the central thread of his life. A profound experience early in koan study opened a path he couldn’t have imagined, leading to formal training starting in 2009 and ultimately to full transmission as a Zen teacher. His formation reflects years of dedicated sitting, koan practice, service, and deep immersion in the classical teachings of Sōtō Zen.
Alongside his wife and co-founder, Rev. Jinsen Vanessa Roddam (Hōshi Vanessa), Sōen brings nearly twenty years of training, study, and community leadership to One River Zen. Before entering full-time religious life, he worked as a senior sales and marketing executive while navigating the joys and challenges of raising a family—experiences that inform his grounded, compassionate approach to practice.
Sensei Sōen’s teaching is rooted in making the ancient wisdom of Zen accessible to modern life. His focus is on helping students meet their lives with clarity, honesty, and spaciousness, while cultivating the confidence to walk the path of awakening in the midst of work, family, and relationship. His invitations are simple and sincere: return to this moment, trust your lived experience, and step into the fullness of your own life.
If you’re ready to begin or deepen your spiritual journey, we welcome you to study with Sensei. For over 1,500 years, the path has quietly called to those willing to go beyond the surface. Personalized training lies at the heart of this transformative process.
Sensei Shuhō Robert Steele
Chief Priest
Meet Rev. Shuhō Robert Steele, Chief Priest of One River Zen. He is a transmitted Sōtō Zen Buddhist priest and teacher in the lineage of Dainin Katagiri Roshi, having completed his formal training and teacher formation under Rev. Dr. Sojun Diane Martin.
Shuhō’s encounter with Zen began in the cultural current of the late 1960s and early 70s — a time when teachers like Alan Watts, Ram Dass, and others were introducing meditation and Eastern philosophy to the West. The teachings struck something deep within him, planting a seed that remained alive as he continued independent study and practice for decades. That seed fully took root when he met Rev. Diane Martin and entered formal training in 2009, ultimately receiving full Dharma transmission in 2019.
Today, Shuhō supports the flourishing of the One River Zen Sangha through his steady presence, thoughtful instruction, and wholehearted devotion to practice.
A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, he has spent many years in service to individuals, families, and the broader community.
He lives in Granville, Illinois with his wife, surrounded by the joys of children and grandchildren — the continuing expression of a life grounded in family, relationship, and the Dharma.
If you’re looking for guidance in developing a consistent, grounded practice — one that can be carried with you into work, home, and relationship — Rev. Shuhō is here to help you take the next step on the path.
Hoshi Jinsen Vanessa Roddam
Co-Founder and Zen Teacher
Introducing Hoshi Vanessa, the co-founder of One River Zen. Vanessa's journey into the realms of yoga and meditation began in 2007, driven by a curiosity that swiftly blossomed into a passion. Through dedicated practice, she witnessed the transformative power of yoga, not just on a physical level, but also on mental and spiritual planes, deeply shaping her life's trajectory. She was ordained a Zen Priest and Dharma Holder by Sensei Michael Brunner.
In addition to her work at the Center, Vanessa has a distinguished career in consumer insights, serving as an executive within the wine industry. She intimately understands the delicate balance required to nurture a vibrant spiritual practice amidst the bustling demands of motherhood, career, teaching, and her role as a Zen Priest.
Over the past 15+ years, Vanessa's yoga journey has taken her across continents, enriching her practice through immersive experiences in the United States, South Korea, India, and Spain. These global encounters have instilled in her a fundamental belief that yoga and meditation transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries, offering a universal path accessible to all.
At One River Zen, Vanessa, known as Hōshi, shares her expertise through a unique style of yoga that seamlessly integrates physical practice (asana) and breathwork (pranayama) to support students in their Zen meditation journey. Her dedication to yoga culminated in her attainment of a 200-hour yoga teaching certification in Spring 2023, earned in Barcelona, Spain.
Embark on your own journey of self-discovery alongside Vanessa and the One River Zen community. Experience the synthesis of yoga and Zen meditation under her compassionate guidance.
Shuso Genpo Seth Myers
Buddhist Priest & Zen Teacher
Meet Shuso Seth Myers, Buddhist Priest and Zen Teacher at One River Zen. Reverend Myers embarked on his meditation and mindfulness journey in 2004, laying the foundation for a profound spiritual odyssey that led him to the doors of One River Zen in 2022, where he embraced his role as a Zen Student with open arms. He was ordained a Priest in 2025 by Sensei Michael Brunner.
Beyond his spiritual calling, Seth serves as a Lieutenant in the Inverness Fire Protection District, demonstrating unwavering dedication to public service. As a loving father and husband, Seth understands the delicate balance required to navigate the complexities of family life alongside his professional and spiritual commitments.
Genpo-shuso’s passion lies in bridging the gap between meditation and mindfulness practices and the demands of everyday life, offering invaluable guidance to fellow practitioners seeking integration and balance.
At One River Zen, Seth plays a pivotal role in teaching the Entering the Way curriculum, sharing his insights and expertise to empower others on their own journey of self-discovery and awakening. Through his guidance and unwavering dedication, Seth inspires others to embrace the transformative power of meditation and mindfulness in their daily lives.
Kōsei Urasaki LaRose
Buddhist Priest-in-training
Kōsei Larose is a priest-in-training at One River Zen, and is currently preparing for Shukke Tokudo — priest ordination — by Sensei Michael Brunner on January 18, 2026.
Her path toward Zen opened through deep engagement with Shinto spirituality. In Japan, where Shinto and Buddhism are often practiced together, the transition into Zen felt natural and intuitive– “it just fit,” she says, describing a turning point where no other path made as much sense.
Kōsei sought a Zen community rooted in tradition while remaining genuinely welcoming; a place where people feel embraced from the moment they arrive. She found that warmth at One River Zen, drawn to a practice environment she describes as grounded, practical, and like coming home.
She lives in Highland Park with her husband and two sons, and is the mother of an adult daughter and grandmother to two. Raising a son on the autism spectrum at a time when resources and understanding were scarce has shaped her practice and her vow to serve others. From years of advocacy and learning, she brings deep empathy to families navigating neurodiversity. Her experience reflects a reality lived from the inside — not theoretical, but earned through love, persistence, and listening. She also continues to explore women’s roles in practice and opportunities for engaged Buddhism within the broader community.
As her ordination approaches, Kōsei remains committed to teaching the Entering the Way curriculum, and encouraging others to feel seen, supported, and at home in the Dharma.
ESTEEMED ANCESTORS & LINEAGE
Rev. Dr. Sojun Diane Martin, Roshi
Honorary Founder
Sojin Diane Martin, Roshi, is the honorary founder of One River Zen. A Buddhist teacher and Jungian psychoanalyst with over 50 years of experience, she has dedicated her life to the integration of psychological and spiritual practice. Roshi has trained and empowered 12 Dharma successors and founded a Chaplaincy Program to expand the reach of compassionate service in the world.
Roshi resides with her husband, Tom, at the Indian Creek Zen Farm Hermitage in Ottawa, Illinois. She continues to offer teachings and oversee the Buddhist Education Institute. Her leadership and vision have inspired generations of practitioners, ensuring that the Dharma remains accessible and vibrant in today's world.
Dainin Katagiri Roshi
(1928–1990)
Dainin Katagiri Roshi was a foundational figure in the establishment of Soto Zen in the United States, deeply influencing the development of American Zen practice. After training at Eiheiji Monastery, founded by Dōgen Zenji, he came to the U.S. in 1963, bringing his deep commitment to practice and teaching.
Katagiri Roshi initially worked with the Soto Propagation and Research Institute and later for the Soto Headquarters Office in Tokyo before moving to the United States. He practiced and taught at Zenshuji Soto Zen Mission in Los Angeles before joining Sokoji Soto Zen Mission and then San Francisco Zen Center, where he became a major collaborator with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. His presence and dedication helped shape the early years of Zen practice in America, offering guidance to many Western practitioners.
In 1972, he became the first abbot of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, where he continued to cultivate a vibrant Zen community and extend the Soto Zen tradition in the West. His teachings, deeply rooted in the practice of wholehearted presence, continue to inspire generations of practitioners.
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
(1904–1971)
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi was a pioneering teacher who helped establish Soto Zen practice in the West, profoundly shaping American Zen. Trained at Eiheiji and Sōjiji, two of Soto Zen’s most important monastic centers in Japan, he arrived in the United States in 1959 to serve as the head priest of Sokoji Soto Zen Mission in San Francisco.
Rather than focusing solely on the Japanese-American congregation, Suzuki Roshi responded to the deep interest in Zen among Western students, offering direct, accessible teachings that emphasized zazen (seated meditation) as the heart of practice. This led to the founding of the San Francisco Zen Center, which became one of the most significant Zen training centers in America.
Suzuki Roshi worked alongside other Japanese teachers, including Dainin Katagiri Roshi, with whom he helped shape the early landscape of Zen in America. Their efforts laid the foundation for a new generation of Western Zen practitioners. In 1967, Suzuki Roshi established Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the first Soto Zen monastery outside of Asia, providing a place for rigorous residential training.
His teachings, later compiled in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, continue to influence countless practitioners. Suzuki Roshi’s legacy is one of warmth, humility, and profound commitment to the practice of just sitting. His work helped root Soto Zen firmly in the West, paving the way for the generations of teachers and students who followed.