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Shunryu Suzuki-roshi, a Japanese Zen priest belonging to the Soto lineage, came to San Francisco in 1959 at the age of fifty-four. Already a respected Zen master in Japan, he was impressed by the seriousness and quality of "beginner's mind" among Americans he met who were interested in Zen and decided to settle here. As more and more people of non-Japanese background joined him in meditation, Zen Center came into being and he was its first abbot. Under his tutelage, Zen Center grew into City Center, Green Gulch Farm and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He was undoubtedly one of the most influential Zen teachers of his time. Some of his edited talks have been collected in the books Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness: Zen Talks on the Sandokai. Suzuki-roshi died in 1971.


Zentatsu Richard Baker-roshi was second abbot of Zen Center, serving from 1971 until 1983. He was instrumental in the purchase of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and Green Gulch Farm. He was also the leading force in setting up Zen Center's financial base of support, including Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason and Tassajara Bakery in San Francisco. Although the circumstances leading to his resignation as abbot in 1984 were difficult and complex, in recent years, there has been increased contact; a renewal of friendship and dharma relations. In his teaching, Baker-roshi emphasized Zen's yogic teachings and the relevance of Zen to contemporary philosophical and social issues. He is presently the spiritual head of Dharma Sangha, with locations in Crestone, Colorado, and the Black Forest of Germany.


Dainin Katagiri-roshi came to the United States in 1963 after training at Eiheiji Monastery and working with Soto Propagation and Research Institute and then for the Soto Headquarters Office in Tokyo. He practiced and taught at the Zenshuji Soto Zen Mission in Los Angeles, later moving to Sokoji Soto Zen mission and then to San Francisco Zen Center, where he assisted Suzuki-roshi. In 1972 he became the first abbot of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis. He returned as abbot of San Francisco Zen Center betwen 1984 and 1985, then returning to Minneapolis. His book Returning to Silence was published in 1988 (Shambhala, Boston & London, 1988). Katagiri-roshi died in 1990.


Tenshin Reb Anderson was born in Mississippi in 1943 and grew up in Minnesota. He came to Zen Center in 1967 and was ordained as a priest in 1970 by Suzuki-roshi, who gave him the name Tenshin Zenki ("Naturally Real, The Whole Works"). He received dharma transmission in 1983, served as abbot from 1986 to 1995, and is currently senior dharma teacher. He lives with his family at Green Dragon Temple (Green Gulch Farm). Please click here to see a list of Reb's lecture schedule.


Sojun Mel Weitsman began practice at the old Sokoji Temple in San Francisco in 1964 with Suzuki-roshi. He received priest ordination from Suzuki-roshi in 1969 at Berkeley Zendo which he founded in 1967 with Suzuki-roshi's blessing. He was shuso at Tassajara in 1970 with Tatsugami-roshi and director of Tassajara in 1972-1973. In 1984, he received dharma transmission from Suzuki-roshi's son Hoitsu. In 1985, he was installed as abbot of Berkeley Zen Center; in 1988 he was installed as co-abbot of San Francisco Zen Center. His tenure as abbot ended in January 1997. He is currently a senior dharma teacher.


Zoketsu Norman Fischer began his Zen practice under Sojun Mel Weitsman at the Berkeley Zen Center in 1970. He enrolled as a student at Tassajara Zenshin-ji monastery in 1976, lived there for five years, and then practiced for twenty years at Green Gulch Green Dragon Temple and Farm. Ordained by Zentatsu Richard Baker in 1980, he received Dharma Transmission from Sojun in 1988. He served as co-abbot of Zen Center from 1995 to 2000.

A poet and writer, he is the author of numerous Buddhist essays, a memoir, and nine books of poetry, the latest of which is Success, (Singing Horse Press, Philadelphia, 2000). In 2002 Putnam Penguin published his Opening To You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms.

In February of 2000 Zoketsu began the Everyday Zen Foundation: http://www.everydayzen.org, dedicated to "Changing the world and being changed by it and sharing Zen teaching and practice as widely as possible and in a variety of formats".

Zoketsu now lives with his wife Kathie in Muir Beach, near Green Gulch Farm. They have two grown twin sons, Aron and Noah.


Zenkei Blanche Hartman began sitting in 1969 at the Berkeley Zen Center with Sojun Mel Weitsman and in San Francisco with Suzuki-roshi. She was priest ordained in 1977 by Zentatsu Baker-roshi and received dharma transmission with Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1988. Zenkei was abbess of San Francisco Zen Center from 1996-2003. She is married to Shuun Lou Hartman, They reside at City Center, where she is Senior Dharma Teacher. They have four children and five grandchildren.


Jiko Linda Cutts came to San Francisco Zen Center in 1971, where she practiced with Suzuki Roshi, Zentatsu Richard Baker, and Tenshin Reb Anderson. She was ordained as a priest in 1975, and has lived at Tassajara and the City Center. Married to Steve Weintraub, she and her family have lived at Green Gulch Farm since 1993. She received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1996 and was co-Abbess of Zen Center from 2000 - 2007. She was appointed Abiding Abbess of Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in 2010 and continues to teach and lead practice periods and retreats at Tassajara, Green Gulch, and elsewhere.


From Belfast, Northern Ireland, Paul Haller left home in 1971, lived in London for a year, then traveled throughout Europe, the middle east, Russia, and Afghanistan. He ended up in Japan, where he lived for a year and was introduced to Zen. Then he traveled throughout southeast Asia. He was ordained a Buddhist monk in Thailand, where he spent six months sitting in a remote cave.

Moving to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in 1974, Paul was ordained as a priest by Zentatsu Richard Baker in 1980, who gave him the name Ryushin Zendo, "Dragon Heart, Zen Way". In 1993 he received Dharma Transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman.

Founder and formerly Director of Outreach at SFZC, Paul is interested in finding ways of expressing our practice in society, both as compassionate service and making it available to as many people as possible. He became co-abbot of Zen Center in 2003. He stepped down in February 2012.

photo by Renshin BunceMyogen Steve Stücky brings to the Abbacy his many years of practice, as a resident of Zen Center from 1972-80, as founder and Head Priest of the Dharma Eye Zen Center in San Rafael (1995 to present), and as co-leader of the San Quentin Buddhadharma Sangha. For many years he has supported a family as a self-employed landscape designer/contractor. He has three adult children and one grand-child and currently lives with his spouse, Lane Olson, in Rohnert Park. Over the past several years, Steve has been in training as an Internal Family Systems Therapist and Pastoral Counselor, and was a previous board president of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. Steve received Dharma Transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1993. He became co-abbot in February 2007 and Central Abbot in 2010.

ChristinaKiku Christina Lehnherr has a degree in Clinical Psychology and worked as a psychotherapist in Switzerland. She has been a Zen student since 1976 and began residential practice at San Francisco Zen Center in 1988. Ordained as a priest in 1993, she received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 2005. From 2003-2006 she served as Head of Practice (Tanto) at the City Center.

Christina became City Center Abbess on February 12, 2012.