About
John Pulleyn is a Zen teacher and co-director of the Rochester Zen Center. He trained under Roshi Philip Kapleau beginning in 1968 and was sanctioned as a Zen teacher by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede in 2021. Pulleyn worked as a painting contractor, software developer, and pediatric nurse before rejoining the Center's staff in 2003 as Head of Zendo, a position he held for 15 years. During that tenure he gave Dharma talks, provided private instruction, and led meditation retreats.
Teaching focus
John Pulleyn's teaching focus, drawn from the source profile, sits in the Zen tradition. Several threads come up: steady attention to body and breath; the relationship between ethics and meditation; and short, direct teachings rather than long talks. On talks, the style is closer to thinking-along than presenting. John Pulleyn works with whatever shows up in the room rather than reading from notes, which is part of why these talks land as conversational instead of scripted. Short pauses, longer sits, and questions that come back to direct experience are usual. Listed specialties on the source profile include retreat, advanced practice. The bigger move John Pulleyn keeps making is back toward attention itself: what's happening, how it's being held, and what gets in the way. That keeps the teaching close to practice rather than drifting into commentary about practice. For talks, schedules, and longer essays, the affiliated organization's page is where the live material lives. John Pulleyn's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on. John Pulleyn's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on.
Background
John Pulleyn teaches in the Zen tradition. The teaching home is Rochester Zen Center. From the teacher's own profile: Sensei John Pulleyn is a Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center. Together with Sensei Dhara Kowal, he provides Zen training and spiritual guidance to the Center’s members worldwide. Born in St. Paul, Sensei Pulleyn was raised in Minnesota and Ohio, and graduated from Oberlin College with a BA in history. In 1968 he came to Rochester to join the Center’s staff and train under Roshi Philip Kapleau, at a time when the Arnold Park buildings were under reconstruction. Later, he worked as a painting contractor and a software developer while raising two children with his wife Chris. A DWI arrest in 1990 inspired him to evaluate his life and resulted in an increased commitment to Zen practice. He also returned to school for a BS in nursing and worked as a pediatric nurse for 10 years. In 2003, Sensei Pulleyn rejoined the Center’s staff as Head of Zendo, a position that he held for 15 subsequent years. During that time he gave numerous Dharma talks, provided private instruction, and regularly led meditation retreats (sesshins). On August 20, 2021, he was sanctioned as a Zen teacher by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede. In a Zen container, what John Pulleyn offers is steady, mostly silent practice with short pointed teachings. The form is the teaching as much as the words are. Sitting, walking, work practice, and the relationship with a teacher all carry weight. John Pulleyn's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. John Pulleyn's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. John Pulleyn's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. John Pulleyn's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. John Pulleyn's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography.
Lineage
John Pulleyn teaches as a lay teacher in the Zen tradition. The institutional home, per the source listing, is Rochester Zen Center, and that's where most of the public teaching schedule and any retreat offerings will be posted. The Zen lineage frame here, where stated, is what authorizes a teacher to lead practice, and the source page usually names the dharma teacher or root teacher when relevant.
What to expect
On a class or retreat with John Pulleyn, the basic shape is short instruction, longer sittings, and some Q&A. Retreats are part of the offering, usually a few days to a week, mostly silent. The container is shaped by Rochester Zen Center, so format details, fees, and access policies follow that organization's norms. Expect plenty of silence, less talking-at-you than you might think, and an emphasis on letting the practice do its work rather than chasing experiences. For exact dates, registration, and any sliding-scale or scholarship information, There's usually a short Q&A window and, on retreats, optional teacher interviews where students can bring specific questions about their practice.
