Bhikkhu Sagarananda Kai-Jen Tien

Bhikkhu Sagarananda Kai-Jen Tien is the Secretary of the U.S. Zen Institute in Germantown, MD, and the Director of Amatavihāra in Boyds, MD. Born in Taiwan, he received his monastic ordination in 2010. Although he was ordained in the Theravada tradition, he considers himself a non-sectarian Buddhist monk living in modern society. In addition to his devotion to learning and practicing meditation and Buddhist teachings, he is also interested in interfaith dialogues, non-profit organization development, photography, art, and travel.

Prior to entering the Buddhist monastic order, Bhikkhu Sagarananda Kai-Jen Tien was a research faculty member at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, a licensed environmental engineer, and a recipient of the NASA Earth System Science Research Fellowship. He holds a Master's and PhD degrees in Agricultural and Biological Engineering.