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Chusho Eno Nathan Sheppard

NEW YORK

Chusho Nathan Sheppard came to meditation practice through his work as a classically trained musician. Originally dabbling in meditation and tai chi practice as a form of stress management and musical enhancement, Chusho first encountered Zen in a serious way at the Both Sides/No Sides sangha in El Paso, Texas (now called the El Paso Zen Center). Practicing under the late Bobby Kankin Byrd, Chusho felt like he was coming home, and he never looked back. 

A 10-year career as a musician in the US Army took Chusho around the world, from Texas to Tokyo, from Kuwait and Iraq to Korea. Chusho’s spiritual journey led him to practice in both the Soto and Plum Village traditions of Zen. After deploying to the Middle East, Chusho began to feel conflicted about how to serve in the military while honoring the precepts and so embarked on a journey to explore becoming a chaplain. While in seminary, Chusho began an internship with Hui Neng Stan Koehler Roshi, where he was introduced to Hollow Bones Zen. Chusho was ordained as a Hollow Bones priest in June 2024. 

Chusho currently serves as a hospice chaplain in New York’s Hudson Valley. His chaplaincy training was completed through the Jewish Theological Seminary, including internships at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx and The New Jewish Home, a skilled nursing facility on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Chusho has degrees in trumpet performance from the University of Tennessee and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a Master of Divinity in Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement from Union Theological Seminary in New York.