Graduate Profile: Busshin Nash, MDiv '25

Message of Thanks 

I would first like to thank my parents and brother for all of their unconditional love and support. It is a rare gift indeed to have the enthusiastic support of one’s family when pursuing an alternative faith, and I am forever grateful to my family for trusting me to find my way, however clumsily. I am especially grateful to my parents, who have both labored in their careers so that I could have the opportunity to pursue a spiritual path.

I would also like to thank my teacher and preceptor, Sensei Joshin Byrnes, as well as everyone else at Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community for their encouragement and patience as I’ve grown into this path.

Thanks to Karl Bandtel, Judy Beals, Bhantes Samitha and Kusala, and Cora McCold at the Peace House for their boundless generosity and gentle mentorship throughout the past three years.

I share my gratitude to my teachers at HDS—peers and professors alike and too many to count—especially Charles Hallisey, Janet Gyatso, David Sena, James Robson, and Jay Garfield, as well as my good friends Atul Bhattarai, Destiny Magnett, Kat Woodard, Jack Brookes, and Jordan Borgman. You all are my proof that good friends are indeed the whole of the path.

Finally, this degree is dedicated to the memories of my grandfathers, Darrell Ray and James Nash, for inspiring me to take up the ministerial vocation and for modeling true wisdom and care in my young life.

What I Hope to Be Remembered By

I hope to be remembered as someone who tried to be kind and generous even when it was difficult or inconvenient, who lived his vows imperfectly and honestly, and who strove to heed the voices of his ancestors. I hope that my failures in these endeavors—past, present, and future—can be a consolation to others.

Future Plans

I look forward to continuing to serve the communities of practice at Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Center in Middlebury, Vermont, and at Peace House right here in Cambridge, Massachusetts.