“Although I had been a practitioner at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) since 2009, it was being accepted into and later apprentice teaching in Practice in Transformative Action (PiTA), a 1-year secular mindfulness training taught and facilitated by EBMC co-founder and core teacher, Mushin Ikeda, when my practice truly developed and deepened. Through her guidance, teaching, and facilitation, I found new dimensions in my consciousness and mindfulness journey.
In the shadow of the 2020 lockdown, I eagerly anticipated every session where Mushim would be teaching, looking forward to her insightful sharing of Dharma knowledge, wisdom and practice. Later, during my 2 years and 2 months of unemployment and uncertainty, the teachings and dialogues that Mushim facilitated provided essential grounding, centeredness, and connection for me and others in our growing community.

After the PITA program went on hiatus in 2023, I proposed creating an online resource from the curriculum materials. Together, Mushim and I developed a comprehensive slide deck that now resides on EBMC’s website, serving as a valuable resource for the community.

I hold deep, deep gratitude for Mushim as a teacher, mentor, facilitator, and consultant. I feel blessed to experience her sage wisdom born of love and heart. Her discerning presence and wit are truly gifts for all entering the chrysalis of transformation, helping them emerge with wings ready to take flight.”

“Mushim Patricia Ikeda is an influential figure in American Buddhism today. Like a breath of fresh air, she brings to the Dharma a much-needed emphasis on inclusion, anti-racism work, and social justice. By weaving together meditation and activist engagement, Mushim is both infusing American Buddhism with a more compassionate ethos and transforming the way that sanghas in this country operate. ”

“THANK you so much again for a great series of classes in the basic Buddhist principles. As we left last Wednesday night some were in tears that this was the last class in the last of the series. You will, of course, see some of us again soon.

As always, you raised the bar on our understanding and participation, and I find each class and each series unique and full of special challenges.”

“Dearest Teacher Mushim, I cannot find the words to properly express my deep gratitude for your presence, wisdom and generosity during our UndocuHealing Visioning Retreat in Oakland last weekend. The community activists at the retreat were deeply grateful for your teachings and the opportunity to practice mindfulness meditation as an additional healing resource. Our vision and work toward holistic and transformative healing for the undocumented immigrant community in the U.S. was only enriched by your contribution, Teacher Mushim. You are someone who I deeply admire and it meant the world to me to have you present as one of our invited volunteer presenters. Our retreat was the opening prayer for this work, and we are now excited to see how the universe will respond to what we manifested together! Many blessings!”

“Having known Mushim for years and having co-taught several daylong retreats with her, I whole-heartedly recommend her as a teacher. She is a wonderful storyteller and has a great sense of humor. Importantly, in the tradition of Manjushri, she knows that compassion and insight can be a flaming sword as well as a flower. Whether in the dhamma hall or in the streets working for social justice, she is a person of integrity who can be trusted in the nuanced process of awakening.”

“Mushim is a knowledgeable and kind Dharma teacher. Over the past decade, I have had the opportunity to study in-depth with Mushim at East Bay Meditation Center during the Practice in Transformative Action (PITA) 3 cohort, as well as a playful course she team-taught with Master Ellis using Star Wars as a lens on Buddhism. No question is too small or big for Mushim – she welcomes them all and wants you to grow on the path. I know I certainly have grown through her generous sharing of the teachings.”

“I was accepted into the UCLA Training in Mindfulness Facilitation program! I want to thank you again for everything, especially your knowledge, wisdom and experience. Your teachings are timeless and were/are instrumental in my growth. I’m excited, as I move forward exploring what the practice of mindfulness can teach me as a facilitator. Gracias, Mushim! ”

“I finally was able to write up a short post about my experience practicing Buddhism with cancer. I have always been an incredible fan of your writing, so it would be an honor to hear your thoughts. My hope is that this feedback will help me better understand my own writing and help me both write better and more often. Your work in helping create a community of solidarity has given me the strength to finally write out some very difficult thoughts from my hospital bed—and I am so deeply grateful for it. ”

“Mushim, I am deeply grateful for your Leadership and Support! You have modeled and demonstrated some of the finer aspects of Spiritual Leadership (IMO). You are also partly responsible for nurturing, forming and reassuring my intention to aspire to Dharma Leadership! I am glad to be in Community with You and feel that I will grow and ascend only because of the work you invested in my Foundation!””

“Mushim is absolutely amazing. Her words and teachings are so simple yet profound. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and her presence at the People of Color retreat at Vallecitos Mountain Refuge makes me want to come back over and over again.”

“Mushim Ikeda is an outstanding Dharma mentor. She combines the perfect blend of asking how best to support me while also sharing her insight about what would help me when I don’t see it myself. I appreciate her ability to explain complex topics in a way I can understand. I greatly benefit from her wisdom, kindness, sense of humor, passion for social justice, and nurturing approach.”

““Getting Back in Charge” gave me a fabulous array of strategies, our “tool kit,” to deal with depression. The teachers shared their wealth of experience, professionally and personally, and I doubt anyone left the class without more hope.”

“So someone that I want to recognize [this Women’s History Month in 2025] for all of the inspiration that they’ve given me, is my teacher, my friend, my mentor, Mushim Ikeda. She is just a guiding light in the secular mindfulness field. She has been able to democratize access to mindfulness and meditation in a way that is unprecedented, and has really made the East Bay Meditation Center a home for so many people like me.”

“Charlotte Maxwell Clinic has regularly engaged Mushim as a diversity and inclusion trainer for our volunteer service providers over the past several years. Our new volunteers repeatedly comment that this session is not only a highlight of the two day workshop, but is useful in all aspects of their lives. In fact, two of the attendees at the recent Cultural Humility training for new volunteers were so moved, they spontaneously emailed us their reflections.”

“Dearest Mushim – Thank YOU so much for joining our community at the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic. You have brought a sense of peace and strength to our volunteers, staff and clients. Your knowledge and passion for Cultural Humility has helped many of us learn and grow. We are truly grateful for all you have done!”

“I have a friend on staff at the Children’s Hospital Oakland, and one of the things we’ve been discussing is how to teach parents and caregivers in that context some meditation practices that will help them become more responsive, rather than reactive. (I’ll admit, what inspired me to even begin this discussion with that hospital was your story about when you found your father when he had passed on, and how meditation helped you in that time. I began thinking, what if we taught that to parents in that same situation.) That, and my idea of volunteering to help LGBTQI youth is only one of many ideas I have, but none of these ideas would have ever been possible had it not been for the lessons I received at the East Bay Meditation Center from teachers like you.”

“Mushim’s talks support and uplift everyone who is in attendance. Her peaceful, supportive, and positive energy is so refreshing to be around. Thank you for your work, Mushim!”