Shuzen is the founding teacher of Soji Zen Center in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia. He is part of a study group at the Maezumi Institute co-directed by Bernie Tetsgen Glassman Roshi and Enkyo Roshi. Shuzen holds an Ed.D. with a concentration in human development. As a psychotherapist, Shuzen has found creative ways to synthesize Western psychology and Zen to achieve dramatic results with his patients. He also focuses on the relationship between Zen and the martial arts. He is a fourth-degree Dan Black Belt in Iaido (the art of drawing and cutting with a samurai sword) and a Black Belt in Kendo (Japanese fencing). He founded two schools of Japanese swordsmanship in Albany, NY and Salt Lake City, UT.