Thomas Perrine - Man Hae

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In 2013, while on one of my frequent business trips to Houston, I discovered the Southwest Zen Center and sat with them on many Wednesday evenings over the next few years. I met Zen Master Dae Gak while attending a weekend retreat there and was consequently introduced to Furnace Mountain Zen. 
I received my Bodhisattva vows at FMZC on March 9, 2016.

Before my introduction to Furnace Mountain Zen, I had the pleasure of serving (and still serve) as the Sangha leader for the English Language Sangha at the Vietnamese Tam Bao Buddhist Temple in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The English Language Sangha is run as an independent, non-denominational temple serving Tulsa’s diverse Buddhist community.  

In recent years, I have provided classroom instruction in Buddhism for the Interreligious Understanding program at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa and for the World Religions program of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through Oklahoma State University. I offer Buddhist and interfaith Spiritual Direction to individuals through my affiliation with the Osage Forest of Peace.
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In 2022, I founded the Prairie Wildflower Zen Sangha to provide Buddhist Chaplaincy services within the Oklahoma State prisons, offering them Refuge and Precepts, along with those “outside” who also want to take vows in our Furnace Mountain tradition.