Yuval Ido Tal

Yuval Ido Tal has practiced meditation for close to three decades, and has taught Buddhism and Zen for more than 25 years. Between 2010 and 2020 he served as academic director of the Psychodharma school, and throughout his years there he developed and taught across its various programs — from introductory meditation courses to multi-year training programs for therapists.

Beyond teaching, Yuval is a writer, poet, researcher, and wanderer. He wrote the books Buddhism: A Short Introduction and the poetry collection My Heart Was Startled by the Moon, and translated and published a selection From the Poems of Ogawa Yukimitsu. Alongside his own writing, he translates traditional texts and books on consciousness, philosophy, meditation, and the arts of Buddhism and Zen — work that bridges scholarly depth with accessible language, without diluting the source.

Yuval currently lives between Kyoto and Kfar Saba, and alongside teaching also practices the art of calligraphy. You can hear him share this perspective, on Buddhism and on practice, in episode 36 of Psychodharma’s Hakarit podcast ↗.

How I knew him

(my own account will be added here)