Daigan speaks about liberation and how we access it, often beginning by listening to our inner voices, our body, and the other sense gates. He shares a poem titled “To the Soul” by W.S. Merwin that questions which of these, if any, is genuinely ourself.
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Rev. Daigan Gaither (he/him) began Buddhist practice in 1995 in the Vipassana (Insight) tradition and then began to study Zen in 2003. He received Lay Ordination in 2006 where he was given the name Daigan or “Great Vow,” and received Priest Ordination in July 2011. Daigan speaks internationally on a variety of topics, particularly around gender, sexuality, social justice, and their intersections with the Dharma. He also sits or has sat on a number of boards and committees that serve community needs and further social justice causes.

Daigan has a BA in Philosophy and Religion from San Francisco State University and an MA in Buddhist Studies (with a chaplaincy certificate and a certificate in Soto Zen Buddhism) from the Graduate Theological Union and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. You can find out more via his website queerdharma.net. He lives in San Francisco, CA and identifies as a disabled, queer, white, cis male.