Taizen Dale Verkuilen has been studying Zen Buddhism since 1968 with Soyu Matsuoka Roshi, Dainin Katagiri Roshi, and Shoken Winecoff Roshi. He and his wife, Renshin Barbara, also a Zen priest, founded the Midwest Soto Zen Community in Madison, Wisconsin in 2001. His writings include The Eightfold Path: A Contemporary Zen Perspective, and Tending the Fire: An Introspective Guide to Zen Awakening, co-authored with Renshin, Symbols and Zen: Portraying the Process of Awakening, and a number of study guide booklets.