Charlie Korin Pokorny grew up in Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago. He was ordained as a priest by Reb Anderson in 1999 and received Dharma transmission in 2018. He practiced as a resident at Tassajara and Green Gulch Farm and studied koans with Daniel Terragno. Together with his partner Sarah, Charlie served as head priest at Stone Creek Zen Center 2014–2022, and they have been teaching together at Brooklyn Zen Center since 2022. He also teaches at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, including courses on Zen, Buddhist philosophy, history, meditation, and ritual practice.