Kristian Merckoll / Kugai
Retreat Co-Host and Integral Master Coach
Kugai Kristian Merckoll has been practicing meditation for about 3 decades. On a spiritual journey to India in 2003, to deepen his insight and practice, he came across the work of Ken Wilber. It had a profound impact on him and led him to study advanced Integral at Fielding University, becoming an Integral Master coach, an associate Lectical coach and leading an integral salon in Oslo. From 2020 to 2022, he co-led a 20-month ego development program for a group of Zen practitioners.
His path has been mainly Zen, but over the last years also Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Kugai Kristian was ordained a priest in the order of Rinzai Zen in 2014. He has served as the officer coordinator and been in charge of Mondo Zen facilitation in several weeklong Zen retreats.
Kugai Kristian has a professional background as a research scientist with a master’s in mathematical statistics. He works as a private consultant and has also done professional work into the nature of assessment criteria for ego-developmental sentence completion technology.
He spends his time between the Wild Ivy house in Spain and his house in the Norwegian mountains. Loving being outdoors year-round, he finds calm, joy and nourishment in the pristine nature in Spain and Norway.
