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 caused those tendrils to naturally unfurl inside of me. There was something about the way he offered the incense, that caused the river to change its course. In other words, one wholehearted action 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. My career was originally devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and the relief of suffering. I shifted into the Department of Surgery for the last 13 years before retirement from Kaiser in 2021. I am currently a professor of Nursing in Portland, Oregon. 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 in 2011 and was originally Priest ordained in 2017 at Jikoji Zen Center in Los Gatos, CA. my hometown.
I was involved with the Meditation & Recovery Program and SF Zen Center and Hartford St. Zen Center My practice was and is centered around offering formal meditation and a compassionate heart to those seeking a spiritual connection in recovery and freedom from all forms of suffering. After moving to Portland, Oregon I began to study with Ensho Peter van der Steere, the Oak St. Sangha and my dear dharma brother, Kirk Phillips. I was Shuso (head-student) for the spring 2022 Practice Period and received Dharma Transmission in May of 2023.
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.