So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson

Greeting the world with a warm bow, Rev. So On Eli Brown-Stevenson serves as the Acting Tanto of Green Gulch Farm and the Belonging and Inclusion Liaison at San Francisco Zen Center, where he also serves on the Board as Governance Committee Chair. His work supports the rhythms of practice and community life, helping to cultivate an environment where sincere practice can take root and flourish.

Eli’s teaching emphasizes direct, embodied engagement with the present moment, encouraging a deep study of the conditioned self and a return to what is most immediate and true. He is especially interested in how Zen practice supports a felt sense of connection and ease within the complexity of modern life.

Eli received priest ordination from Rinso Ed Sattizahn in 2019 and has trained at all three of SFZC’s temples. He resides between Green Gulch and City Center with his daughter, Maya, and has shared mindfulness practice with 1st and 2nd graders for over half a decade. He is also one of the guiding facilitators for the Young Urban Zen program.