Shinchok

Sonoma, CA

Shinchok’s spiritual journey began with questioning. Raised Roman Catholic in a traditional Italian-American community in Springfield, Massachusetts, she challenged religious expectations from an early age and eventually left the Church while retaining an appreciation for the sense of community it offered.

Her search led her through Zen, Hindu philosophy, meditation, Spiritualism, and an exploration of teachings surrounding death and consciousness. Eventually, Tibetan Buddhism opened another doorway, bringing together her longstanding curiosity about consciousness with a more disciplined contemplative path. Throughout her journey, Shinchok was less interested in accepting beliefs at face value than in discovering what could be known through direct experience.

At the heart of Shinchok’s story is a lifelong search for an inner happiness that remains present beneath the changing conditions of anger, sadness, grief, and everyday life. Encounters with meditation masters helped convince her that this clarity was not simply an abstract spiritual idea, but something that could be embodied through sustained practice.

Her journey reflects one of the central themes of Beyond the Cushion: spiritual practice becomes meaningful not simply because we inherit a tradition or believe its teachings, but because we test those teachings against our own experience and allow practice to transform how we meet our lives.

Experience

15-30 Years XP

Tradition

Vajrayana

Background

Shinchok, a woman with a strong sense of individuality, recounts her journey of spiritual exploration and personal growth. Raised in a Roman Catholic, Italian-American community in Springfield, Mass., she challenged conventions from a young age, such as being the first girl to wear a pantsuit for her first communion. Her curiosity and questioning nature led her to be expelled from catechism, but her spiritual journey continued.

In college, Shinchok explored Zen philosophy but found it too dry and restrictive. She then discovered the National Spiritualist Church, which dealt with topics like death and communicated with the spirit world. Intrigued by the experiences there, she delved into Zen, Hinduism, and spiritualism simultaneously.

Over ten years, Shinchok studied Zen, Hinduism, and the practices of mediums, finding a unique blend of understanding between the spirit world and various Eastern philosophies. She explored table-tipping, communicating with spirits, and delved into Tibetan Buddhism’s superstitions and practices.

As she reached the limits of her knowledge in Hinduism, Shinchok turned her attention to the Mahāmudrā, discovering that Buddhist teachings provided the answers she sought. Her desire for a genuine meditation master led her to a Buddhist center where she encountered the teachings of Jason Copper. Feeling a profound connection, she embraced Buddhism and its emphasis on devotion, recognizing it as a path to crack open her heart and discover her true self.

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