OUR MISSION

Rustbelt Zen was founded to bring the practices, dharma and benefits of zen buddhism to those with little access to, or familiarity with, the zen buddhist philosophy. We spread zen-based meditation, mindfulness and acceptance outside the temples, bringing these practices to streets and classrooms, to offices & boardrooms, to jails and prisons, rehabs & detoxes, to neighborhoods, libraries and homes in a spirit of openness and caring.

Our goal is to bring the documented positive mental and physical benefits of zen practices to a wider audience, with a special emphasis on individuals who are less served and in recovery. We help to equip anyone with the tools to transform emotions—good, bad, stressful or undefined— into states that we experience, not control us.

ABOUT RUST BELT ZEN

We are here to build the fabric of community but also to respond to the signals of our world—the joys, the sorrows, the fear, the celebration. We hold no pre-conceived notions as to what shape the world takes our practice. We are here to bring everyday activists into the practice of mindfulness and zazen mind, from the cushion to the urban streets, from the rural rivers to city jungles.

Rustbelt Zen founder Brent Haas is a Zen Buddhist practitioner for over 24 years and an ordained Zen priest, both through SFZC and The Sōtōshū. Brent is also a trained chaplain and holds a chemical dependency counselor degree. Originally from Ohio, Brent spent many years living and working in New York, Chicago, Paris and San Francisco as a hairdresser working for private clients, as well as in the design, art & fashion industry. Now in Ohio, Brent shares the dharma in the Toledo area. He founded Rustbelt Zen to bring practice beyond the temple walls and into neighborhoods and homes with the goal of sharing mindfulness and meditation to benefit all people.