September 21, 2026
Each week during our Fall 2026 Membership Drive, we’re introducing you to a sangha member reflecting on what practice and community at Brooklyn Zen Center means to them. This week we’re happy to share Paul’s story!
Missed the others in the series? Browse all Meet a Member stories →
Name: Paul Medlyn
Member Since: Jan 2022
Favorite BZC Program: Rohatsu Sesshin
BZC Roles: Attendant to Charlie-sensei, Doanryo, Governance Committee, HEAR Council
Fun Fact: Starting at 15, I had worked as a Summer Stock theater apprentice in Flint, Michigan. As a dresser and stagehand I worked over 80 hours weekly, for repertory shows starring the likes of Paul Lynde, Robert Goulet, Cab Calloway, Kitty Carlisle, and Gordon McRae. It was my first glimpse of a much bigger world – of journeyman actors, singers and dancers.
From Paul’s own voice (watch below, and read on):
My Story:
I joined Brooklyn Zen Center when they opened this Boundless Mind Temple. It had been closed during COVID, and it was open and folks were wearing masks. I started sitting here. I live far away, relatively — on the other side of New York City in the Bronx — and so I would come to sit for Saturday program. And so I started sitting then and I became a member right away. I knew this is where I wanted to be. It was never a second thought about becoming a member with Brooklyn Zen Center.
So I need to go back 30 years, to when I thought about becoming a member of San Francisco Zen Center, and I was much poorer. I was an artist. I didn’t have an income like I do now. And I think it was initially about transaction, and then I thought about how much I value the gifts that people give. It’s expressing my gratitude for being supported to do this completely mysterious, odd thing that we do in order to feel okay with ourselves. And I think that’s under the topic heading of suffering. What do we do with ourselves? And am I alone?
What being a member means to me is the interplay of the relationship. I feel fed. I feel supported in my life, and I feel gratitude that I can give. I don’t know, that sounds really pat, but it’s how I feel. I would say it feels like I’m giving to something that matters.
Join the campaign by becoming a member, renewing, or upgrading your membership!