Dan Gudgel

Dan Gudgel has been practicing in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki since 2006, when he was introduced to the Mountain Source Sangha in Marin County, CA. After many years of neighborhood, householder practice with the teachers and members of Mountain Source, Dan entered residential practice with San Francisco Zen Center in 2019, first at Green Gulch Farm and then Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. In December, 2019, Dan was ordained as a priest by Shinko Rick Slone. During three years at Tassajara, Dan practised primarily in the kitchen, first as a crew member and fukuten, and then tenzo (kitchen manager) during 2022. Informed by both residential, monastic Zen and parish church Zen, Dan's current practice is focused around activating the teachings in everyday life and imbuing everyday life with the spirit of ceremony. Dan currently serves as Director of Online Content for San Francisco Zen Center. Photo of Dan by Kika Hellein.