Morris Sekiyo Sullivan

Sensei M. Sekiyo Sullivan is dharma teacher for Volusia Buddhist Fellowship in DeLand, Florida and minister with Bright Dawn Center for Oneness Buddhism. Rev. Sullivan first became interested in Buddhism and meditation as a teenager in the 1970s and explored Zen and other practices, but a visit to a Thai Buddhist temple in Florida led to the study of Vipassana meditation.

That tradition remains the foundation of his meditation practice, but he felt his work with Volusia Buddhist Fellowship and with Buddhist inmates at Tomoka Correctional Institution called for a more inclusive approach as a dharma teacher. That realization led to his association with the nonsectarian Bright Dawn Center.

In the 1990s, Sullivan had coordinated meetings of Rational Recovery, helping people recovering from drug and alcohol dependency learn to use Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy as a self-support tool. He became fascinated with the complimentary approaches of Buddhism and REBT and went on to develop programs to help others use Rational Buddhism as an adjunct to meditation and mindfulness practices.

This year, Sullivan published his first book, Wisdom, Compassion, Serenity: First Steps on the Buddhist Path, and is leading retreats combining Brahma-Vihara meditation with Rational Buddhism and Naikan self-reflection. A book on that topic is in the works, along with another book, a collaboration with acclaimed photographer Gary Monroe, on the Buddhist pilgrimage sites in northern India and Nepal.