About
Shoho Michael Newhall is a Zen teacher in the lineage of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, with whom he began practice in the early 1970s. He received ordination in the mid-1980s from Chino Roshi and from Kiebun Otogawa Roshi in Japan. He also trained with Dainin Katagiri Roshi, Tozen Akiyama Roshi, and Tenshin Reb Anderson at Tassajara monastery. Newhall received Dharma transmission in 2004 and has served as resident teacher and chief priest at Jikoji Zen Center since then. He previously taught visual arts and meditation at Naropa University and other institutions.
Teaching focus
Michael teaches in a zen register, and the recorded talks point back, again and again, to a small set of practices done carefully. The main work is shikantaza (just sitting), supported by clear instruction in posture, attention, and the relationship between concentration and insight. The instruction stays close to what's actually happening in the body and mind in the moment, rather than pushing toward states or attainments. Michael returns to the basics often, which is part of what makes the talks useful for both newer and longer-term practitioners. The voice across Michael's talks is conversational rather than lecture-style. Sentences land with care, pauses are real pauses, and there's space left for the listener's own attention to do the work. There's a recurring trust that practice isn't about adding more to an already busy life. It's about subtracting noise until what's already there can be felt clearly. Michael's framing rewards re-listening: the same instructions land differently as practice matures, which is usually a sign of a teacher worth staying with. Michael's framing rewards re-listening: the same instructions land differently as practice matures, which is usually a sign of a teacher worth staying with. Michael's framing rewards re-listening: the same instructions land differently as practice matures, which is usually a sign of a teacher worth staying with.
Background
Shoho Michael Newhall is a Zen teacher in the lineage of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, with whom he began practice in the early 1970s. He received ordination in the mid-1980s from Chino Roshi and from Kiebun Otogawa Roshi in Japan. He also trained with Dainin Katagiri Roshi, Tozen Akiyama Roshi, and Tenshin Reb Anderson at Tassajara monastery. Newhall received Dharma transmission in 2004 and has served as resident teacher and chief priest at Jikoji Zen Center since then. He previously taught visual arts and meditation at Naropa University and other institutions. Michael works within the Zen tradition, which in the West has split roughly into Soto, Rinzai, and various American hybrids. Whichever stream a teacher comes from, the throughline is sustained sitting practice, attention to posture and form, and a teacher-student relationship that's often more direct than what shows up in lay vipassana settings. For listeners trying to find a steady teacher voice rather than a single great talk, Michael's recorded archive is the kind of place you can spend months and not run out of useful material. The talks tend to repay re-listening, especially as practice deepens and the same words land differently. As with any teacher in this lineage, the most useful next step is usually to listen to a handful of Michael's recorded talks back to back, notice which language and framings actually open the practice for you, and then sit with what's there rather than collecting more material. Reading and listening can substitute for practice for a while, but eventually the only useful thing is to put the headphones down and sit. As with any teacher in this lineage, the most useful next step is usually to listen to a handful of Michael's recorded talks back to back, notice which language and framings actually open the practice for you, and then sit with what's there rather than collecting more material. Reading and listening can substitute for practice for a while, but eventually the only useful thing is to put the headphones down and sit. As with any teacher in this lineage, the most useful next step is usually to listen to a handful of Michael's recorded talks back to back, notice which language and framings actually open the practice for you, and then sit with what's there rather than collecting more material. Reading and listening can substitute for practice for a while, but eventually the only useful thing is to put the headphones down and sit.
Lineage
Michael teaches in robes within the zen tradition. Affiliated with Insight Meditation Center, Insight Retreat Center. For specifics on ordination, root teachers, or current sangha affiliations, the teacher's own website and recorded talks are the most reliable source. Michael's teaching reaches lay practitioners primarily through recorded talks and retreat invitations, which is how most English-speaking students of this lineage encounter the work. Michael's teaching reaches lay practitioners primarily through recorded talks and retreat invitations, which is how most English-speaking students of this lineage encounter the work. Michael's teaching reaches lay practitioners primarily through recorded talks and retreat invitations, which is how most English-speaking students of this lineage encounter the work.
What to expect
On a retreat or sit with Michael, expect long stretches of silent practice anchored in shikantaza (just sitting), walking meditation done at an honest pace, and dharma talks that build slowly across days rather than packing everything into one session. Retreats are generally residential and silent, with a daily schedule that alternates sitting and walking from early morning into evening. Q&A or interviews with the teacher are usually built in. Expect quiet. Expect to be left alone with your own practice for stretches that feel longer than what most lay-life schedules allow. That's part of how the form works. The pace is slow on purpose. Practitioners who arrive looking for content density usually find that the real teaching shows up in the spaces between the words.
