Franz Metcalf

Franz’s background and varied professional achievements combine the spiritual and the scholarly, religious feeling and critical thinking. He began his graduate studies of religion 25 years ago, getting his master’s degree the Graduate Theological Union, comparing Buddhist and Catholic spiritual practices. He earned a doctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago and pursued his abiding personal interest in Zen by writing his dissertation on the question, “Why do Americans practice Zen Buddhism?” He was awarded distinction on both his doctoral exams and his dissertation, receiving his PhD in 1997.

In the ivory tower, Franz is president of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region, and has participated in numerous scholarly meetings, in addition to organizing one--which is harder. He has published various articles and chapters on contemporary Buddhism and is book review editor of the Journal of Global Buddhism (http://www.globalbuddhism.org). Franz teaches religious studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

Down from the tower, Franz is a founding member of the Forge Institute for Spirituality and Social Change. He is also author of four other books, including What Would Buddha Do?, a best seller published in a dozen languages. He continues to inquire into Buddhism and psychology, both academically and personally. And he says hi to his daughter Pearl. He’s also working on a historical-spiritual detective novel. Prayers might be in order.

You can reach Franz at franz@mind2mind.net. For seminars, keynote speeches, workshops, and kvetching, you can reach both Franz and BJ at their Web site http://www.buddhaatwork.com.