About
Kanji Argetsinger is a Zen priest ordained in 2022 in the lineage of teacher Amala Wrightson-roshi. She is based at Rochester Zen Center, where she serves as Head of Zendo and offers private instruction. Her engagement with Zen began at Ryoan-ji temple in Japan and deepened through practice at Rochester and Auckland Zen Centers since 2001. In addition to Zen training, she has completed solo retreats in Dzogchen with Alan Wallace and studied Centering Prayer. She is co-author with Wrightson-roshi of Finding Your Seat: A Zen Handbook. She plays various Zen ceremonial instruments.
Teaching focus
Kanji Argetsinger's teaching focus, drawn from the source profile, sits in the Zen and Dzogchen traditions. Several threads come up: Dzogchen-style recognition of awareness;. On talks, the style is closer to thinking-along than presenting. Kanji Argetsinger 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 advanced practice. The bigger move Kanji Argetsinger 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. Kanji Argetsinger'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. Kanji Argetsinger'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. Kanji Argetsinger'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
Kanji Argetsinger teaches in the Zen and Dzogchen traditions. The teaching home is Rochester Zen Center. From the teacher's own profile: Kanji’s first introduction to Zen came when her university choir toured Japan and spent three days training at Ryoan-ji temple. Many years later she attended a workshop at the RZC, where she met Amala Wrightson, who soon became her teacher. After Amala-roshi returned to her native New Zealand, Kanji made many journeys across the globe, serving in a variety of roles in the Auckland Zen Centre’s early days. In 2010 she left her job teaching Latin and Greek at the University of Rochester to become a novice priest. In addition to Zen training, Kanji has also worked with Dzogchen teacher Alan Wallace, completing several solo retreats, and has studied and taught Centering Prayer. An avid amateur musician, she has a special love for learning and playing the various Zen ceremonial instruments. Kanji has practiced and served at the Rochester and Auckland Zen Centers since 2001. She is currently RZC’s Head of Zendo and offers Private Instruction. Ordained as a Zen priest in 2022, she continues her work with her teacher, Amala Wrightson-roshi. She is also the co-author with Amala-roshi of Finding Your Seat: A Zen Handbook. In a Zen container, what Kanji Argetsinger 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. Kanji Argetsinger'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. Kanji Argetsinger'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. Kanji Argetsinger'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. Kanji Argetsinger'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. Kanji Argetsinger'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
Kanji Argetsinger teaches as a monastic teacher in the Zen and Dzogchen traditions. 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 Kanji Argetsinger, the basic shape is short instruction, longer sittings, and some Q&A. 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.
