Dermott J. Walsh is a Phd. Candidate in Buddhist studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.  His dissertation traces the impact of Chinese Chan, Tiantai and Vinaya school precept discourse on the formation of early Japanese Zen.  More broadly, Dermott's research interests focus on philosophical and religious issues surrounding the relationship between moral theory and moral practice.  Dermott received a BA in Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Japanese studies from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and has published several articles on the Kyoto school of Japanese Philosophy.  In his spare time, Dermott enjoys Judo, motorcycling and watching 1930's movies.