Rev. Dai En Hi Fu George Burch
Hawaii – Wild Goose Zendo
Dai En was ordained as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk on December 7, 1996 at Dai Bosatsu Mountain Monastery, Catskills New York. Rev. Eido Tai Shimano was his ordination master and has been his teaching master for over 23 years. Dai En has served primarily as a Shukaryo or business manager for the Zen Buddhist community and has raised substantial funds with effortless work to further the understanding of Buddhism in America. In 1981 he and Rev. Shimano founded Friends of Zen, Inc, a continuously active 501(c)3 public supported charitable organization. The mission of Friends of Zen is to support the development of Sanghas (Buddhist churches) by adapting the Rinzai Zen tradition to 21st century Western (US) culture. Friends of Zen is currently operated by Rev. Jun Po Kan Do (Denis Kelly). Dai En helped Rev. Jun Po establish the Hollow Bones Sangha in 1989 and has been active as its head monk and meditation master. In October 2007 Dai En received Inka, linage transmission, from Jun Po as an 84th generation lineage holder in the Hakuin line. Dai En helped establish the Buddhist Sangha at the United States Air Force Academy and also contributed to building the first Buddhist Dharma Hall in a Federal building, the cadet chapel.
George Burch is also a successful Software Industry entrepreneur and businessman. He has successfully founded and developed to maturity several major software companies. The software he developed with his employees is used throughout the world in critical mission applications for global 5,000 companies and the US Government. He is a well-known mathematician in the field of Military Operations Research and is the winner of major awards in that field including the MORS prize granted for his contribution to information warfare during the Vietnam era. He also was given the Senatorial Medal of Freedom in 2003.
He is a graduate of the first class of the United States Air Force Academy (B. Sci.1959). He completed graduate studies in Operations Research at Johns Hopkins University (Masters. Degree – 1968 ).
Dai En spends his private time writing a novel and with his four children and five grandchildren. He is a traveler, expert skier and trail hiker.