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Rev. Zenji Nio
Rev. Nio is the only one selected from around the world to be profiled twice by the Olympic Newspaper in Korea for serving as the spiritual and motivational guru for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. He was also the only North American selected to serve as Full-time Chaplain for both the Rio Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. He has also made history by conducting the first marital ceremonies ever held in an Olympic Village and for creating the first Meditation and Mindfulness tent in an Olympic Village complete with rare artifacts. Nio also made history during the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games when he became the first Chaplain to join an athlete in a final race -- sailing with Mexico´s Demita Vega who won the silver. Nio is also slated to make history in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by becoming the first non-Japanese person to launch a temple and Samurai Museum near the Athlete's Village.
Nicknamed the ``Samurai`´ of the Olympic Village, Nio serves as the motivation and meditation coach to numerous Olympians including 50 medalists from around the world. He was lauded by the National Post and Vancouver Sun as "the most sought-after chaplain of the Pan Am & Parapan Am Games" - the most ambitious American sporting event in history, Nio also made history at the Pan Am Games by launching the first spiritual museum in an Athlete's Village which was visited by the Premier of Ontario and Lt. Governor on behalf of her majesty the Queen as well as cited as "the biggest attraction in the Athlete's Village" by the Canadian media. Sports Canada declared that Nio had made an "impact on athletes that has never before seen at a Games before".
Furthermore, Nio's inspirational speeches have been praised by leaders from all walks including senior associates of major icons from Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi to Barrack Obama and Bill Clinton - as well as bi-partisan support from the nation's highest leaders - from John McCallum, Minister of Citizenship, Joe Oliver, then Minister of Finance and Chris Alexander, then Minister of Immigration to Jason Kenney, then Minister of Defense and Paul Hellyer, former Acting Prime Minister under Pierre Trudeau; from Cardinal Collins, advisor to Pope Francis and James George, Canadian High-Commissioner and Liasion to the Dalai Lama to Jean Augustine, founder of Black History month and experts from the Universities of Oxford, Yale, Harvard, Berkley and George Washington.
Nio was also lauded in a UN Report as an authentic voice for the majority people of Tiger Asia Nations including Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Macau who still follow the spiritual traditions started by Nio's own ancestors centuries ago. Nio has been registered by the govt of India as the only contemporary expert from the lineage of the Buddha and as a result, Nio's team has won an award from the President of India, his family altar has been placed in the Indian Museum and his Temples have been awarded the highest distinction as "Heritage Temples of National Importance".
Furthermore, Nio is the only non-Japanese spiritual expert to build a landmark temple and museum in the holiest site near Tokyo and he is revolutionizing the self-help industry by infusing it with timeless wisdom of the Samurai and Shaolin warriors. Furthermore, the Govt. of India has recognized Rev. Nio as the only contemporary expert from the same lineage as Bodhidharma - the founder of Shaolin Kung Fu and patron saint of the Samurai and Bodhisena - the high priest of the Samurai and Head of Japanese Buddhism under the Nara Period. Nio is using the Samurai and Shaolin prototype to inspire the youth and mainstream to see that "chivalry, honor, valour and spiritual discipline can also be cool".
Rev. Nio is also the Head of the Kannon Initiative for Compassion which works in some of the poorest areas around the world to give a voice to those who have none. From fighting for social justice in Washington DC, or feeding the poor in India or battling human trafficking in Nepal, Rev. Nio's team works to promote social and global welfare for the marginalized members of society. Nio has also worked on landmark projects with Nobel-Laureate Mother Teresa and has continued to serve humanity ever since. www.RevNio.org
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"He is the only contemporary expert from the oldest lineage of Lord Buddha Himself" -- Times of India
"A world-renowned authority who travels the world... when he speaks the world listens"
Hitavada
"An authentic voice for the peoples of Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea who still follow the Buddhist traditions founded by his ancestors"
UN Report
"The world's foremost Buddhist expert and only one to possess the original manuscripts of the Buddha"
Indian Express
"The Martin Luther of Buddhism" - Rev, Johnson, Yale University, George Washington
"An eminent international level thinker" - Nagpur University
"Comparable to the Dalai Lama" - Chander Khanna, Head of Parliament of World's Religions in Toronto
Also profiled by the Olympics Media, Hello Magazine, BBC, CBC, National Post and more....
As the benefits of mantra meditation and mindfulness are increasingly championed by doctors around the world, Nio takes the practice to a whole new level. He is one of the only experts in the world to chant in Sanskrit from the world's oldest and most important texts including the iconic Lotus Sutra that inspired the majority of National Treasures, civilization, culture, art and heritage of India, Japan and China as well as empowered the likes of Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi and Tina Turner to overcome great challenges. Though born in Canada, Nio lived in the UK and then went to India where he underwent the most arduous training imaginable to be worthy of his uber lineage - from shaving his head, renouncing everything and meditating in the same caves used by the Buddha to translating the most important scriptures and then applying the teachings to overcome great challenges thus proving they actually work in real-life. What others merely read about in books, Nio has actually lived. Furthermore, Nio had to renounce all of his possessions and like the greatest Samurai heroes and monks including Miyamoto Musashi, Nichiren Shonin and Shotoku himself, Nio has even used different titles and variations of his name in accordance with the custom of "anatman" or "ego-lessness". As Nio works with people from around the world including people with disabilities, he allows people to call him what they can comfortably pronounce to highlight that it is never about his own "image" but about his message.
As a result of his unique experience and credentials, Rev. Nio has won superlative reviews for unforgettable speeches at many prestigious venues from the National Museum of Delhi and Parliament of World Religions in the US to the University of Toronto and Legislature Grounds of the Canadian Parliament. Rev. Nio also serves as the Chair of Media for the RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commanding Officer's Diversity Council alongside Canada's top law enforcement officers and National Security Experts. He is also working with the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center to combat anti-Semitism and his work during the World UN Interfaith Harmony Week helped Canada be chosen as among the Top 3 countries by the UN. Rev. Nio has recently received the backing of major players in Asia to launch many more projects that can make a difference all over the world and more details will be launched soon.
What makes Rev. Nio stand out even more is that he presents such timeless wisdom in a cool new way for today's mainstream audiences and younger generations. Be it through powerful motivational speaking or historic art exhibits or even a sleek feature film in production to uphold the tenets of the Bushido, Rev. Nio has a proven track record of helping athletes and patients, CEOs and students overcome great odds - from career-setbacks and crises to even cancer and health challenges. As more and more people are turning to Eastern practices such as yoga, meditation and Karma, Rev. Nio is in a unique position to spread a message of inspiration and empowerment on a global scale.
To learn more about our work or to book Rev. Nio for a speaking engagement, please send us a message from the contact page of this website. We look forward to hearing from you