Sekkei Harada is the abbot of Hosshinji, a Soto Zen monastery and temple in Japan. Born in 1926, he was ordained as a Zen priest in 1951 and recognized as a certified Zen master in 1976. Harada frequently travels abroad to teaching in Europe, the United States, and India. He also leads zazen groups within Japan, in Tokyo and Saitama.
Daigaku Rumme was born in 1950 in Mason City, Iowa. In 1976, he entered Hosshinji as a layman and was ordained by Harada Roshi in 1978. He lived and practiced at Hosshinji until 2003. On several occasions he accompanied Harada on his visits to Europe, India, and the United States, as his interpreter. Rumme has been head of the Soto Zen Mission in North America since 2010.