Ama Samy
Zen master
Ama Genun-ken Samy was born to Christian parents in Burma in 1936. He came into contact with Burmese Buddhism at an early age. Driven by poverty, his parents placed him in the care of his maternal grandfather in India, who was a devotee of a Muslim saint. Soon after, his grandfather died in an accident, leaving him as a young boy without support or guidance. Nevertheless, he finished school and joined the Society of Jesus.
After becoming a Jesuit, his heart was still restless for God. He began to visit Hindu ashrams and Buddhist meditation centers. He was introduced to Ramana Maharshi by Swami Abhishiktananda and was moved by Ramana’s vision. His searching led him to become a wandering beggar for a time and to settle down as a hermit near a holy shrine where the villagers fed him. In time, it was the Zen way that drew him most. With the help of Father Enomiya Lassalle, he visited Japan and trained with Yamada Koun Roshi of Sanbo Kyodan. In 1982, Yamada Roshi authorized him to teach Zen.
Ama Samy founded the Bodhi Sangha in 1986 and opened the Bodhi Zendo Zen Center in South India in 1996. In 2022, he moved to Kanzeon Zendo, where he now lives and teaches. His teaching method embraces both Soto and Rinzai Zen traditions and draws on the resources of Christianity and other religions. Ama Samy is a member of the Society of Jesus. Since his transition to Kanzeon Zendo, however, he considers his relationship to be of a different kind.
After spending several months each year leading retreats in Europe, Australia, and the United States, Ama Samy has reduced his travel since 2024 and now teaches primarily at Kanzeon Zendo. With the help of his students, he runs Little Flower, a nonprofit organization that supports women, children, and landless people in southern India.
Listen to an interview with Fr. Ama on ABC Radio Australia.
Watch “Zen and the art of compassion,” a film portrait of Ama Samy by Dutch film maker Pat van Boeckel.
Olaf Muyōju
Zen master
Olaf Muyōju received Dharma transmission in the Bodhi Sangha lineage from Ama Samy in 2018 and was appointed as Zen master. He grew up in Germany, where he started practicing Zen with Stefan Bauberger in 2001. He has been studying with Ama Samy since 2008 in Europe, the US, and during extended stays in India.
Olaf studied physics in Germany and did a PhD in psychoacoustics in Denmark. He has lived in the US since 2009, doing research on hearing impairment and hearing aids. While living in Berkeley, CA, he also studied with Diane Eshin Rizzetto. He and his partner Nicky live in Cincinnati, where they both communicate Zen.
Nicky Westrick
Loveland Zen community leader
Nicky Westrick began practicing meditation in 2009 after attending a retreat at Grailville Retreat Center led by Zen Master Ama Samy. In 2012, Nicky became a formal Zen student and continues to study both in the US and India with Bodhi Sangha and Village Zendo. In 2013, she started the Loveland Zen community at Grailville where she is also a member of the Grail, an international women’s movement empowering women as catalysts for change.
Nicky hosts weekly meditation practice for the Greater Cincinnati area and annual meditation retreats in Ohio and Kentucky. As a volunteer, she has facilitated meditation practice at Grace Place, a shelter for women and children in the Catholic Worker tradition, and Warren County Juvenile Detention Center to support young girls. She also leads meditation practice in the corporate workplace. Nicky is a mother of two children, works as a scientist and enjoys the practice of poetry, music and gardening.