Sessei Meg McNeil currently serves as head of practice (tanto) at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. She has practiced Soto Zen for 35 years and has lived in residence at all three San Francisco Zen Center temples. She held the position of Head Priest at Stone Creek Zen Center in Sebastopol, California from 2022-2025 before heeding the call to return to Green Gulch Farm and Tassajara to live and practice. She received ordination as a Zen priest in 2003 from Tenshin Reb Anderson and trained as Shuso (Head Student) in 2007.
Alongside her Zen practice, Meg has maintained an active professional career, teaching mindfulness-based emotional intelligence and leadership through the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) and supporting leaders as an executive coach. She holds an AB in English Literature from Stanford University and an MA from the University of Texas at Austin.
Her broader interests include ecodharma and exploring how Buddhist teachings and practice can help humans more consciously navigate the increasing influence of AI.