The land where Green Gulch Farm is located is in Marin County, the ancestral home of the Coast Miwok people. In 1972, SFZC purchased a 115 acre dairy, horse, and cattle ranch near Muir Beach, CA from a private owner in a transaction facilitated by the Nature Conservancy. Along with the land came a commitment to care for it in harmony with the surrounding preserve—a tradition of ecological stewardship that continues to guide Green Gulch Farm today. With this purchase, GGF became SFZC’s third practice center, joining Beginner’s Mind Temple in San Francisco and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in the Ventana Wilderness.
Green Gulch Farm serves many important functions: it is a Soto Zen training temple, an intentional community of around 60 residential and countless visiting practitioners, an organic farm and garden, a bakery, a conference center, a memorial site for our deceased teachers, and an active “good neighbor” of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It is also the place where many of our long-term residents choose to raise their families. GGF represents a rooted, land-based expression of our Buddhist way of life, where students train in and deepen their practice through daily zazen and service, classes, and relationships with teachers and sangha members.
Much of the day is devoted to work practice where people may work on the farm, chop carrots in the kitchen, or clean the conference center.
The farm was certified organic in 1984 and since 1994, its signature Farm Apprenticeship Program has been training the next generation of farmers, educators, and policymakers who are advancing regenerative agriculture practices, innovating equitable food systems, and pursuing pathways to healing and justice for all living beings.
While there have been some recent renovation and building projects, the majority of GGF’s 40 buildings are 50-75 years old and many are in need of deferred maintenance. The grounds present a significant challenge with aging trees, drainage issues, and retaining walls. As a working farm, a watershed, a temple, and a home for dozens of dedicated practitioners, Green Gulch Farm’s infrastructure has several unique challenges. The work here is ongoing as we uphold our vow and commitment to live in harmony with the surrounding preserve and bring our practice into being, touching the lives of all who find themselves on this land.
