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Welcome to the Mountain Source Sangha Web Site

Teacher's Greeting

Greetings fellow wayfarers,

There is a story that Mitsu Suzuki, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s wife, tells of Suzuki Roshi and his time at Tassajara towards the end of his life.

He loved working in his garden outside his cabin, but Mitsu did not like to see him working so hard when he was already sick with cancer. She would scold him when she caught him. So he posted a student to be on the lookout for her while he worked away. When the student spotted her, Suzuki would quickly exchange places with the student and pretend to be taking it easy while the student worked... (more)

Read the rest of the April Teacher's Greeting by Shinko Rick Slone

 

Save the Date
All Mountain Source Sangha members are invited to join us for
Sangha Week: May 10 – 15 (Sunday – Friday)
at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.
About Mt. Source Sangha
(l) Sessei Meg Levie, teacher at Bolinas; Kiku Christina Lehnherr, teacher at San Rafael; Shinko Rick Slone, teacher at California Street in San Francisco; and Luminous Owl Henkel, past teacher at Bolinas.
(l) Sessei Meg Levie, teacher at Bolinas; Kiku Christina Lehnherr, teacher at San Rafael; Shinko Rick Slone, teacher at California Street in San Francisco; and Luminous Owl Henkel, past teacher at Bolinas.
 

In January, 2007 Mountain Source Sangha's Founding Dharma Teacher, Taigen Dan Leighton, relocated to Chicago to lead the Ancient Dragon Zen Gate. Mountain Source Sangha now has three teachers and priests, Christina Lehnherr in San Rafael, Rick Slone at California Street in San Francisco, and Meg Levie in Bolinas.

We are a community of people practicing in the world, while communing with the deep spirit of zazen (sitting meditation) in the Soto Zen Buddhist teaching tradition. We wish to make accessible this meditation practice, and invite everyone to join with us. The Dharma informing our buddha work is that of Dogen Zenji, Suzuki Roshi, and the long tradition of buddha ancestors and bodhisattvas, including those both celebrated and unknown. In this new millennium we live in a world where the darkness of greed, hatred, and confusion is widely evident around us, and can seem overwhelming in its power. And yet right amid the corruption and cruelty of our particular time and place there is a wonderful opportunity for us to make a difference to the world by sharing the radiance of good will, uprightness, clarity, and kindness. Finding our own inner joy and integrity in Dharma practice, we accept our interconnectedness with all beings, and the actuality of clear, responsive presence. Thus we can express our sense of wonder and fresh possibility with the world around us. This website offers a variety of ongoing Dharma articles and teachings, as well as information about occasions for joining with us in practice and teaching events. We look forward to offering the teachings and our practice opportunities more widely through this website.

KIKU CHRISTINA LEHNHERRKIKU CHRISTINA LEHNHERR, a former physical therapist and psychologist from Switzerland, began her Zen practice there in 1976, moved to San Francisco Zen Center in 1988 and was ordained as a priest in 1993. In 2005 she received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson. During the years at Zen Center she also became a sewing teacher for Buddha's robes. She is now living in Mill Valley where she continues to practice and teach the Dharma.
San Rafael Schedule and Information
Teaching Schedule

SHINKO RICK SLONESHINKO RICK SLONE has been in residence at Zen Center since 1993.  He was ordained as a priest in Suzuki Roshi's lineage by then Abbot of Zen Center Zoketsu Norman Fischer in 1997, and was Shuso (head monk) at Tassajara Zen Mountain center in 2001.  In addition to his Zen training, he has been an intern with the Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra, a lay Franciscan community that serves the homeless and disadvantaged in Salinas, California.  He continues to believe that interfaith dialogue and relationship is important for religious organizations for them to be vital agents of peace and reconciliation in our difficult times.  Rick now works in the guest program at Green Gulch Farm, where he lives with his wife Iva and 7-year-old son Jacob.
California Street Schedule and Information
California Street study of Shunryu Suzuki's Blue Cliff Lectures
Dharma Talk: audio recording

SESSEI MEG LEVIESESSEI MEG LEVIE has lived and practiced at the San Francisco Zen Center since 1994 and received ordination as a Zen priest in 2003 from Tenshin Reb Anderson. She recently served as shuso, or “head monk” at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, where she lives with her family. A graduate of Stanford University, she also holds a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Texas at Austin. Currently she enjoys offering the insights of practice to the wider world through professional coaching and teaching mindfulness in business environments. The Dharma name given to her by her teacher is Myoju Sessei—Bright Pearl, Embracing Life.
Bolinas Schedule and Information
Teaching Schedule
Dharma Talk: audio recording

We invite all of you to come and help in the continuity and new unfolding of Mountain Source Sangha.

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad beings come forth and experience themselves is enlightenment. Those who are greatly enlightened about delusion are buddhas. Those greatly deluded about enlightenment are deluded beings. -Dogen Zenji

Site updated on April 5, 2009

 
      
    ©2009 Mountain Source Sangha