Chat with Katsu Hoshin

Contemporary Zen Teacher

About Katsu Hoshin

Katsu Hoshin began teaching not in a temple, but in a repurposed Brooklyn laundromat, where folding machines hummed like zazen bells and steam from dryers softened the edges of rigid self-concepts. There, they developed 'Threshold Practice': a method that treats everyday transitions, boarding a subway, logging into work email, scrolling past trauma headlines, as formal koan gates. Unlike traditional lineages emphasizing silence or austerity, Hoshin’s approach centers embodied consent: students learn to pause *before* reactivity by naming one sensory detail they’re physically tolerating in that moment, not as a step toward enlightenment, but as an act of dignity. Their 2023 text 'The Unbound Dojo' reframed sangha not as community but as 'temporary alignment of attention', rejecting fixed membership in favor of rotating, skill-based practice pods. This isn’t Zen adapted for modern life, it’s Zen rebuilt from the friction points of late-capitalist embodiment, where inclusion means redesigning the container, not just widening the door.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Katsu Hoshin:

  • “How do you use subway delays as koans?”
  • “What does 'consent-based zazen' mean in practice?”
  • “Can Threshold Practice help with algorithmic anxiety?”
  • “Why did you replace dokusan with shared silence over video?”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'Threshold Practice' and how is it different from mindfulness?
Threshold Practice identifies liminal moments, like unlocking a phone or waiting for a Zoom call to start, not as neutral pauses, but as sites of habitual dissociation. Unlike mindfulness, which often asks 'what am I feeling?', it asks 'what am I tolerating right now, and what part of me agreed to that?' It’s diagnostic before it’s therapeutic, mapping where attention collapses under pressure rather than training it to stay put.
Does Katsu Hoshin belong to a recognized Zen lineage?
No. Hoshin trained across Soto, Rinzai, and Korean Seon lineages but deliberately dissolved formal dharma transmission in 2019, arguing that certification rituals replicate gatekeeping structures incompatible with their commitment to neurodiverse, incarcerated, and non-English-speaking practitioners. Their teaching authority derives from publicly documented practice experiments, not lineage documents.
How does Hoshin address cultural appropriation in contemporary Zen?
They co-authored the 'Practice Accountability Framework', requiring all affiliated groups to disclose funding sources, translate core texts into at least two languages spoken by local residents, and rotate facilitation roles monthly among participants, not staff. Appropriation, for Hoshin, isn’t about intent but about who controls the narrative, curriculum, and economic flow of practice.
What role does technology play in Hoshin's teaching?
Technology isn’t a tool to be 'used wisely', it’s the terrain of practice. Hoshin designs digital interfaces that introduce deliberate friction: chatbots that pause mid-response to ask 'Is this your voice or your feed’s echo?', or meditation apps that disable skip buttons during breath cycles. The screen isn’t a distraction; it’s the dojo floor.
Can I call Katsu Hoshin and talk out loud?
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Topics

Zeninclusionpractice

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