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Software Company Founder, iPhone Addict, Zen Master: A Buddhist Priest On Virtues Of Not Unplugging

Gabriel Spitzer
/
KPLU
Zen selfie: Abbott Genjo Marinello and Sound Effect host Gabriel Spitzer at Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Temple in Seattle.

If you’ve ever come to, as if from a blackout, realizing you’ve just spent 90 minutes in some Internet rabbit hole or other; perhaps you’ve considered just unplugging – going cold turkey from technology for a little while and just sitting in the quiet. It sounds comforting, even Zen.

Genjo Marinello is an actual Zen priest, the abbot at Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Temple in Seattle. And you might expect him to be one of those finger-waggers who advocate throwing away your cell phone and just being in the moment.

But Genjo Marinello has an iPhone of his own, along with an iPad, a Macbook, a Facebook account and, of course, free Wi-Fi at the temple. We spoke with Osho Genjo Marinello about the virtues of not unplugging. 

Gabriel Spitzer is a former KNKX reporter, producer and host who covered science and health and worked on the show Sound Effect.