Brad Warner (born March 5, 1964) is an American Sōtō Zen teacher, author, blogger, documentarian and punk rock bass guitarist.

His family traveled for his father's job and Warner spent some time in Nairobi, Kenya,[4] but grew up mainly near Akron, Ohio,[5] and attended Kent State University.

After the financial failure of his Dimentia 13 albums, Warner got a job in Japan with the JET Programme, and then later in 1994 with Tsuburaya Productions, the company behind Ultraman.

[citation needed] Warner began practicing Zen Buddhism under his first teacher, Tim McCarthy.

[6] While in Japan, he met and trained with Gudo Wafu Nishijima, a student of Rempo Niwa Zenji, who ordained him as a priest and named him as his dharma heir in 2000.