Author: Rebecca Hawes

Sensei Museidō is “Leaving (and Not Leaving) Home”

You are cordially invited to attend the Shukke Tokudo of Sensei Rebecca Museidō on May 10, 2026. This is the Zen Buddhist ceremony of Leaving Home. This is the first step on the path of a monk (or in our White Plum Asanga tradition, a “priest”).

For more details and directions see the Event Page

The Significance of Shukke Tokudo

In our Sōtō Zen tradition, Shukke Tokudo marks the moment of “leaving home,” not necessarily in a literal sense, but as a profound turning of one’s life toward the Buddha Way. It is the formal entry into priest training, grounded in the vows to awaken for the benefit of all beings.

This ceremony is not merely symbolic; it is a living transmission of intention, discipline, and lineage. It is a vocation. Through shaving the head, receiving robes, and taking vows, the ordinand embodies a commitment to practice that is at once deeply personal and inseparable from the wider sangha. It is both a beginning and a continuation—an entry into a stream that has flowed uninterrupted for centuries.

This year, Roshi Ed Sullivan Sangetsu of Red Rose Sangha and Sensei Jon Seichō Kenzen McCollum are honored to present the following candidates for Shukke Tokudo:

• Sensei Rebecca Museidō Hawes

• Dharma Holder Mike Dōshin Shanahan

• Allison Shōkyo Ehrman

• Davi Shōrei Hayes

• Len Sōkai Sitnick