I am a Zen Buddhist monk. I have a shaved head. I wear a lot of black, and I have a habit of talking about how awesome meditation is. Basically, I’m Mr. Miyagi—that’s what the deli guys downstairs from our Zen Center call me, anyway.

To me, some of the best practice lies within service. That’s ironic for me to say because I use to believe that service was for lower rank practitioners. That is false because ultimately there are no ranks. Moreover, being of service has allowed me to deepen my practice in ways I could not have fathomed.