Shishin Falk was born and raised in Japan as a Pure-Land Buddhist. After receiving a B.A. from University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, she moved to the U.S. She earned her MSW from New York University. She also holds M.A.’s in Applied Linguistics and General Psychology and she taught Japanese language and culture to toddlers and children at the Sol Goldman 14th Street YM-YWHA of the Educational Alliance. Shishin completed Foundations in Contemplative Care in 2017 and is currently enrolled in the Clinical Pastoral Education at NYZC. Her clinical experiences include serving at the bedside at a major medical center and a nursing home residence. She is a Formal Soto Zen Student of Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison. She received Jukai, a dharma name and is studying Zen Buddhism and chaplaincy with Sensei Koshin. Her Zen Buddhist and chaplaincy practice are sustained and inspired by The Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts and Jizo’s Vow. Shishin is a New York State licensed social worker and a committed Zen practitioner. She lives in Manhattan with her husband Jake and her tricolor Tibetan Spaniel Tārā.