Buddhist Monk Jiyu Heikyo (Jonathan Riley)
Zen Practice, Zazen, and Radical Presence
Jiyu Heikyo—known in his personal life as Jonathan Riley—is an ordained practitioner of Zen Buddhism whose featured interview for the Police Chaplain Project and contributions to the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop community offer a grounded, contemplative approach to mindfulness, self-awareness, and compassionate presence in public safety.
Zazen, Meditation, and the Path of Zen
In his reflections recorded for the Police Chaplain Project, Jiyu Heikyo shares his personal journey into meditation and Zen practice, focusing on how sitting and listening without judgment serves as a practical anchor for staying centered amidst life's challenges:
The Discipline of Zazen: Explaining how the practice of sitting meditation and non-judgmental listening fosters deep focus, inner calmness, and a clearer connection with others.
Embracing Reality and Acknowledging Suffering: Highlighting how being truly present with one's own suffering builds the necessary self-awareness and genuine compassion required to help others in moments of crisis.
Staying Grounded in Service: Demonstrating how daily meditation enables caregivers and first responders to remain grounded, maintain an open heart, and approach high-stress situations with a peaceful mind.
Fostering Genuine Connections: Showing how dropping pre-conceived judgments allows chaplains and practitioners to build authentic, empathetic relationships with those they serve.
Contributions to the Police Chaplain Community
Shared across the Police Chaplain Coffee Shop network, Jiyu Heikyo's insights provide officers, chaplains, and crisis caregivers with practical tools to cultivate stillness, embrace reality as it unfolds, and serve others from a place of deep, grounded compassion.