Our Teachers

Reverend

Endo John Kirk Phillips

I began a formal meditation practice in 1987 after meeting Issan Dorsey at the Hartford Street Zen Center and Maitri Hospice during the height of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. The twining vines of my spiritual journey have been formal meditation practice, advanced practice nursing, and 12-step recovery programs. Issan’s presence awakened in me a desire to take refuge in Buddha.

I was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest by Darlene Cohen in 2009 at Russian River Zendo in Guerneville, California. I worked as a Nurse Practitioner in the Adult Primary Care Clinic at Kaiser South San Francisco for 23 years. I shifted into the Department of Surgery for the last 13 years before retirement from Kaiser in 2021. I am deeply interested in human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and the science of caring for others.

In 2023, I received Dharma transmission from Peter van der Sterre at Oak Street Zendo in San Francisco and then established the Sellwood Soto Zen Meditation Group with Reverend Cynthia Ziegler. I am motivated to learn to embody an awakened heart that is supported by formal Zazen meditation practice.

Reverend

Shoshin Cynthia Ziegler

I was first exposed to Soto Zen in the late 1980’s and began to study formally with my first teacher, Ryotan Cynthia Kear, in 2010 at Great Spirit Sangha in San Francisco. I received lay transmission (Jukai) in 2011 and was originally Priest ordained in 2017 at Jikoji Zen Center in Los Gatos, CA. my hometown.

I am involved with the Meditation & Recovery Program at SF Zen Center and Hartford St. Zen Center. I am a former resident of San Francisco Zen Center. My practice was and is centered around offering meditation instruction and a compassionate heart to those seeking a spiritual connection in recovery and freedom from all forms of suffering as well as formal Buddhist study with everyone.

After moving to Portland, Oregon in 2018, I began to study with Ensho Peter van der Sterre, the Oak St. Sangha. I was Shuso for the spring 2022 Practice Period and received Dharma Transmission in May of 2023. Also in 2023, Endo Kirk Phillips and I established the Sellwood Soto Zen Sangha where we find refuge in the vitality of our beautiful community.

For the last 40+ years I have worked as a Research Librarian in University libraries and most recently, law firms. My devotion to research has led to a deep and fulfilling study of the dharma from a heart-centered perspective. I am grateful to be able to humbly offer Buddha’s teachings and to help others to awaken to the present moment. I am motivated to create a safe and nurturing space for all who want to explore freedom from suffering through the Dharma.

Reverend

Jundo Steve Given

My motivation for sitting began during the Vietnam War. I was a conscientious objector, who not only actively opposed the war, but was also involved with the resistance to the development of nuclear arms and nuclear power.

I began sitting zazen in 1980’s at Dharma Rain Zen Center, in Portland Oregon. In 1989, while in graduate school, I sat with Dr. Soyu Matsuoka in Long Beach California. After graduate school I became a licensed acupuncturist, specializing in treatment of patients struggling with addiction, including serving as clinician and data manager for a large research protocol funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse. I also had a large HIV practice supported by the Ryan White Care Act. I continued this practice through the 1990’s and 2000’s, eventually accepting an appointment as Dean of Clinical Education at an institution in San Francisco, where I taught classes and supervised a clinical teaching program.

I received Jukai from Anshin Rosalie Curtis at San Francisco Zen Center, and then moved on to Dragon’s Leap Zen Center where I was ordained by Dairyu Michel Wenger. I served my shuso practice period with Michael at the end of 2018, and moved to Portland, Oregon, where I practice with Sellwood Soto Zen. I also serve as tenzo for Seattle Soto Zen’s fall sesshin.

My practice is informed by my desire to help those who suffer. I saw this suffering in the antiwar and antinuclear movements, and later in my clinical practice. As a clinician, I learned that my clinical skill, while helpful, was limited to the treatment of the manifestation of suffering.

Understanding the root of suffering helped inform my Buddhist practice, and depend my understanding of how we suffer.

Brian Gollar

I started sitting Zen Meditation in the 1970s on my own without personal instruction. I’m not sure just what brought me to that. Perhaps it was need. I had a personally significant experience with an early translation of the Book of Tao (Daodejing) and read Alan Watts, The Way of Zen. In the first chapter Watts describes how Taoism shaped and influenced early zen. But as far as actually practicing sitting zen, I just started on my own. Around this time I encountered Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. That book really became my teacher and is still dear to my heart.

One summer in the later 70s I visited San Francisco Zen Center as a guest student determined to learn how zen was practiced there. I enjoyed the schedule, sitting several times a day, meeting other guest students, and going over to Green Gulch on Sunday for dharma talk, tea, and usually some work. Green Gulch was in very early days at that time.

Returning home to the mountains of Idaho I was determined to establish a daily sitting practice. I had left my seasonal life as a forest service employee and ski bum and begun a career as a public school teacher.

I continued to return to City Center in San Francisco as a guest student over the years and eventually began to attend workshops at Green Gulch with Reb Anderson. This led to receiving jukai from Tenshin Anderson on December 31, 1994 and to practicing with Reb during shesshin, January Practice Period, and a pilgrimage trip to China led by Andy Ferguson and Reb Anderson.

My practice here in Idaho has been deeply influenced by visiting teachers in the Soto tradition. Layla Smith came to Boise in 1998 and returned many times over decades to lead retreats and perform jukai ceremonies for Bob Smith and John Connors. Layla became a dear friend as well as Zen Teacher. Leslie James also visited Boise twice yearly for many years. Andrea Thach led retreats and formed lasting relationships here as well. In 2016 Peter van der Sterre opened a zendo on 7th St. where we continue to practice.
My life and practice has been as a layperson. I have never really been a temple resident or much shaped by temple practice.

A turning point in my life and practice came recently when Shoshin Cynthia Ziegler offered Lay Entrustment to me. Cynthia’s reaching out to me took me quite by surprise but came at an important time in my spiritual life. I happily accepted and we performed my Entrustment Ceremony at the 7th St. Zendo, June 20, 2025.