Six Times a Monk: The Years That Shaped Steve Pinney Jr

Steve Pinney Jr in white during an ordination ceremony as his hair is cut

Six Times a Monk: The Years That Shaped Steve Pinney Jr

Steve Pinney Jr has been ordained as a monk six times. Those years, and the discipline that came with them, are the foundation of how he teaches and coaches today.

The ordination

An ordination begins before the robes do. The candidate dresses in white, his hair is cut, and he is presented to the community he is about to join. Steve Pinney Jr has gone through that ceremony six separate times.

Steve Pinney Jr as a young monk, hands pressed together, blessing a visitor — Steve Pinney Jr as a young monk, blessing a visitor.

The alms round

Monastic life is built on small repeated acts rather than grand ones. The alms round is one of them: walking out in the morning with a bowl, receiving what is offered, and giving a blessing in return.

Steve Pinney Jr as a Buddhist monk, walking barefoot on flower petals with an alms bowl — Steve Pinney Jr walking an alms round on flower petals.

Ceremony and community

Much of the year is marked by ceremony, and a monk rarely stands alone in one. These are the parts of the life that do not show up in a biography: hours of sitting, chanting and serving alongside other people.

Monks kneeling with hands pressed together during a ceremony — A ceremony in progress.

Steve Pinney Jr as a monk in a garden with red glass sculptures — Steve Pinney Jr in a temple garden.

What he carried out of it

Steve Pinney Jr did not stay in the robes. He came back to Tacoma, to a family and a business. What he kept was the practice, and the conviction that stillness is a skill anyone can learn. That is what became Aham Prema Meditation, and it is the same steadiness he brings to coaching.

Read about Aham Prema Meditation

About Steve Pinney Jr

Steve Pinney Jr is a life and leadership coach in Tacoma, Washington, and the founder of Aham Prema Meditation. He has been ordained as a monk six times. He and his wife Parichat own the Full Throttle family of businesses.

About Steve Pinney Jr · Photos · Full Throttle Life Coaching