White Paper #1: a quiet, yet powerful force is a zen master arriving at the airport

The First in a Series of White Papers on the Future of the San Francisco Zen Center

Dear Good Friend of Zen Center,

I am writing you now to begin an important conversation about the future of the San Francisco Zen Center. As one of the largest Buddhist communities outside Asia, the Zen Center — Tassajara, City Center, and Green Gulch Farm — now approaches its 48th year, deeply committed to finding vital ways of offering the centuries-old practice of Zen Buddhism in the midst of a complicated and fast-changing world. In doing so, our community faces daunting challenges and timely opportunities, which I would like to begin to discuss with you today.

This letter is the first in a series of six “white papers” that I will be writing and sending to you over the course of the coming year. In these papers I hope to offer you: a) a picture of where the San Francisco Zen Center is today; b) a roadmap for where we are going over the course of the coming years, plus how we think we’ll get there; and c) a sense of why we see this effort at this time to be urgent and significant, not just for Zen Center, but for the greater community. The contents of this first introductory paper are presented here in four sections:

1. The beginning: everything changed
2. A true story: a quiet, yet powerful force for good
3. Looking forward: understanding our fundamental needs
4. How to participate: an invitation to join the conversation

With this series of white papers I will explore the context for necessary change, development, and investment. I will share with you our thinking and our plans to purposefully meet the challenges and opportunities we face as a community and as an organization making its best effort to fulfill the promise of a profoundly important mission: “…to embody, express, and make accessible the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha…” I look forward to your joining me in what I hope will be a meaningful, creative, and provocative exploration of the future of the San Francisco Zen Center and Zen Buddhist practice here in the 21st century.


the beginning: everything changed

To begin, we need to take a step back. Almost forty years to the day after the arrival of a Zen Master at a U.S. airport, I overheard this remark in the same U.S. airport. A 60-ish American man looked around at the crowd of people and with a boastful satisfaction in his voice said to a young Asian woman: “You have to understand, it didn’t used to be like this — in America everything changed in the 1960s.”

This is true. Everything did change in the America of the 1960s. A larger-than-usual generation of people came of age in a post-war climate of opportunity. Many of them idealistically set their sights on questioning the status quo, opening up to new possibilities, and working to make the world a wiser, more just place for everyone. For some people, the landscape-altering changes of the 1960s, however we may view them today, included one very significant, and sometimes easily overlooked, event: Twenty-five centuries after the Buddha, the practice of the monastic Buddhist community, or “sangha,” took root in America.

The 1960s were a time when many people in the West would discover the profound truth and beauty of Asia’s great spiritual traditions. They heard and read about “the dharma,” “enlightenment,” and the Buddha’s “four noble truths.” They travelled to the East, met spiritual guides and teachers, and found groups of like-minded explorers. In 1959 a Japanese Zen priest by the name of Shunryu Suzuki arrived in San Francisco. Soon, a few people began to sit together. In 1967 a Zen Buddhist monastery was established at the end of Tassajara Road, deep in a rugged mountain wilderness near the Big Sur coast. In 1969 an urban Zen temple emerged at the epicenter of a “flower-powered” San Francisco. A community of American Zen practitioners, stirred by the guiding presence and teachings of a Zen Master, had started something new: a Zen Center.

Without any real plan or roadmap and few significant resources to speak of, the disparate gang of way-seekers was setting itself up as a Buddhist community. They had the trust of their teacher and eventually his assistant priests who would arrive from Japan, Rev. Dainin Katagiri and Rev. Kobun Chino, as they endeavored to take up the deepest questions we as human beings can ask ourselves. These questions are familiar to us all: How will I make the best use of this precious opportunity, my life? How will I find my true home, my community of like-minded friends? How will I learn what I need to understand, grow, gain confidence, and realize the full potential of my being? How will I find a path to live in deep harmony with all beings, help those in need, and become a positive force for a better world?

As if a pebble had been dropped into the still waters of a deep pond, the ripples of the Zen Center community naturally spread, widening outward, one ring, one person at a time, face to face and warm hand to warm hand. For the next five decades, people from all walks of life would sit down together, pay attention to their breath, watch their mind, learn to chant, ring bells, bow with palms together, offer incense, study sutras. They would bake bread, repair pipes, move rocks, soak in hot baths, plant trees, shave their hair, tend gardens, chop vegetables, laugh and cry together, harvest fields of greens, talk to large crowds. They would plane wood, build buildings, pay bills, attend classes, ask questions, raise children, and sit with the addicted, the dying, and the incarcerated. They would turn compost, explore sameness and differences, sew Buddha’s robe, make beds, forgive each other, take walks to the ocean, clean toilets, translate esoteric texts, write books, boil water, and serve many cups of tea. They would do all of this and more with an intention to cultivate “beginner’s mind” and a sincere vow to practice together and be of benefit to all beings. And, of course, they would make their fair share of mistakes along the way.

In retelling this story, I recognize that it is incomplete and without acknowledgment for many important individuals. However, my intention is to appreciate all of those who have made and continue to make such a story possible. It is because of the innumerable efforts and contributions of countless people over many years, including you, that the San Francisco Zen Center community stands here today, carrying on Suzuki Roshi’s way and sharing the traditional practice and teachings of Zen Buddhism with others.



a true story: a quiet, yet powerful force for good

The unlikely story of the arrival of a Japanese priest and the eventual flowering of a major cultural institution we call the San Francisco Zen Center is important to tell because it is a true story. It is a real-life story with real people. It is an inspiring story of dignity, love, patience, beauty, humility, perseverance, integrity, and personal vow. It is also a story that continues to evolve, unfolding in new ways in each moment.

We look around today and see the word “Zen” showing up across our consumer-driven culture in many ways that have little or nothing to do with anything approximating Buddhist practice. But this hardly diminishes the fact that in the five decades since the founding of the San Francisco Zen Center many of the practices, principles, and tenets of Buddhism are now commonplace, woven into the fabric of contemporary mainstream culture. Fostered by the spread of Zen Center teachers and those of other Buddhist schools and lineages, the practice of meditation and mindfulness now informs the lives of doctors, therapists, management consultants, students, athletes, coaches, songwriters, teachers, parents, and countless others.

I recently heard a story about a woman with terminal cancer who recently came to Green Gulch Farm. Her son brought her there for a two-day stay, and though she was not a Buddhist practitioner, she immediately declared, "I totally get the zazen thing." She then settled into a very peaceful place, resting among the large trees and the coastal air, with the support of the practicing community, while the events of her life and a picture of the end of her life gradually came into clear focus. She left Green Gulch ready to face the remaining days of her life in a way that she would not have been able to without that experience. She died two months later as, according to her son, a calm and composed, "flag-waving Buddhist!" This is only one of countless stories that could be told of people who have come to Zen Center and Buddhist practice and somehow have found their lives changed forever.

But despite all of the lives that have been changed and the good that has been done, it is fair to ask, “Where has all of this gotten us?” For, even with pronouncements that everything changed in the 1960s, we can see that the suffering of the world hasn’t changed. There are still far too many people who go hungry, get sick, and die because they can’t get the care or help they need. It is still too common for people to oppress, persecute, torture, and kill each other. Our vehicles and factories are spoiling the air of our cities, toxic wastes ruin our rivers and lakes, and entire species of plants, animals, and insects are fading from the face of the earth. On a spiritual level, vast numbers of people have lost their sustaining connections and find themselves separated from the origins of their basic support, from their families and their religions, from the farms that grow their food, and from the oceans, rivers, mountains, and forests of the world that sustain life on this planet.

It is important to note that just like we are, the Buddha himself was distressed by the problems of life and sought out a way to help. Giving up the comforts of his palace, he made great efforts for six years to discover the origins of this suffering, and his example of wisdom and compassion is the result of this inner exploration. It is said that he became like a doctor who had come to heal the troubles of the human race. His prescription was simple: to practice his way together and help each other. According to the Buddha, like-minded friends and good communities of dharma friends are the most important factors to help us align our lives with our deepest intentions, manifest our desire to be of benefit to all beings, and encourage others in the direction of peace, wisdom, and compassion.

This is the simple, yet profound gift that Suzuki Roshi left with us, and the legacy that the San Francisco Zen Center carries forward today: a sharing of community life based on the intimacy of Zen practice with dharma friends. This is the path of practicing together with all beings, of waking up from our delusion, of seeing all beings as like ourselves: part of a larger, endless, interconnected web of life. This intimacy of practice within a widening community of dharma friends is itself a quiet, yet powerful force for good and practical medicine for today’s troubled world.



looking forward: understanding our fundamental needs

In 2001, with the encouragement of the Zen Center Board of Directors and the support of a long-time benefactor, the San Francisco Zen Center leadership launched a broad community-wide, multi-year planning process to gain a piercingly clear understanding of Zen Center’s fundamental needs at this point in its evolution, as well as the changes that would be required to put it on a firm path toward long-term sustainability.

The result was the development of a ten-year vision that clarified and articulated Zen Center’s organizational priorities in the form of goals, objectives, and strategies. This plan identified key areas of need that now fall into five categories: Long-Term Financial Sustainability; Core Zen Training and Developing Teachers; Well-Being of the Residential Practice Community; Providing Access, Connection, and Support for the Wider Community; and Facility Infrastructure and Environmental Sustainability.

Over the course of the next five papers, I will focus on each one of these needs, which from the perspective of the Zen Center strategic plan are presented as organizational “goals.” I will present them in detail, beginning a discussion with you about the motivating conditions for each area of need and the strategies we feel will yield the best possible long-term results. I will share with you significant background information regarding particular areas of change and highlight key initiatives that will be receiving particular attention and resources in the coming years.

Below is a snapshot of each of the five areas of need and a brief summary of the corresponding white paper.



#1. We need to establish the long-term financial sustainability of the organization.

When the San Francisco Zen Center was founded, very few people in America even knew what Buddhism was, and thus unlike the Buddhist countries of Asia, there was relatively modest donor support. This required the Zen Center to establish a number of businesses and build an admirable track record of creative entrepreneurship and financial independence, early on crafting a business model that for the most part provided annual operating income from earned revenue. The Tassajara Bakery and Greens Restaurant, both launched in the 1970s, are notable examples.

Currently the San Francisco Zen Center continues to generate nearly 80 percent of its nearly $5 million annual budget from earned revenue. However, despite the relative strength of Zen Center’s earned-revenue activities and its capacity to maintain efficient business practices and low personnel costs, the organization has struggled for decades to break even on its annual budget. In recent years this situation has grown much more critical as income remains relatively flat while basic expenses such as food, utilities, insurance, and maintenance continue to rise steadily — and sometimes quite dramatically. With the revenue and cost gap continuing to expand at an alarming rate, it has now become imperative for the San Francisco Zen Center to adjust its outdated business model in ways that will reverse the trend, ensure that we can generate revenue sufficient to meet or exceed expenses, and thereby secure the organization’s long-term financial sustainability for generations to come.

In the second white paper I will present a blueprint for San Francisco Zen Center’s long-term financial sustainability. This will include a $17 million capital campaign and details of our plans for increasing revenue-generating capacity in two key areas: a) offering an increasing array of Zen Buddhist-oriented programs to the wider community and b) developing private philanthropic support systems by promoting community-wide member and alumni participation, planned giving, and major donors.



#2. We need to ensure the vitality of our core Zen training program and its capacity to develop and establish Zen teachers.

The San Francisco Zen Center of today is the contemporary evolution of a rigorous, centuries-old Soto Zen Buddhist tradition in which individuals engage wholeheartedly in the intimacy of community practice. In planting the seeds of Zen practice here in America, Suzuki Roshi knew that one mark of Zen Center’s long-term success would be the ability to develop and establish future generations of Zen teachers.

Today there are hundreds of ordained priests and over sixty teachers who have received Dharma Transmission and in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, transmitting the teachings of Zen and the essence of Suzuki Roshi’s spirit of practice to today’s practitioner. Looking forward, the San Francisco Zen Center will need to ensure the continual development and evolution of its core Zen practice programs, providing the uniquely demanding conditions necessary to successfully prepare committed practitioners and develop teachers. By doing so, it will support new generations of practitioners to bring the practice of Zen Buddhism into their lives and the lives of others.

In the third white paper I will share with you our thoughts about how Zen Center plans to provide resources to support our core Zen Buddhist practice and training programs, establish new teaching positions, and create innovative opportunities to develop and support Zen teachers as they make the practice of Zen available to the wider community of practitioners.



#3. We need to maintain and support the well-being of our residential practice community.

The San Francisco Zen Center is no longer in its “start up” phase. It has fully established itself in the world and is a maturing organization evolving to meet the needs of a changing world. The fact that the Zen Center follows a traditional model of community life, reinterpreted for today, presents a number of unique and significant challenges. Over the coming years the Zen Center must continually adjust its cultural paradigm, developing a “Zen Center 2.0” that can effectively address present and future needs and provide for the health and well-being of a diverse residential practice community of 150 to 200 people. To accomplish this we will need to address needs in the following key areas:

• Improving the experience for all people (any color, disability, sexual orientation, age, ethnic origin, class, and religious background, etc.) to enter, explore, and participate fully in practice life.
• Providing better training, transparency, accountability, and decision-making in all areas of the residential work-practice training program.
• Supporting people to successfully transition out of residential practice and become of greater benefit to the wider community.
• Providing for the development of leadership skills and supporting the maturation and succession of future community leaders.
• Creating a framework of support and care for our most senior practitioners to maintain an integrated, healthy presence within the residential community.

In the fourth white paper I will share with you how the San Francisco Zen Center is effectively addressing the areas above and continually evolving to provide an inclusive, supportive, and sustainable residential practice life that develops leadership and encourages beneficial action.



#4. We need to improve our ability to provide access, connection, and support for the wider community of practitioners.

The San Francisco Zen Center’s mission is to make the practice of Zen accessible and available; this is the legacy of Suzuki Roshi — to connect people’s everyday lives with the teachings of Buddhism and the true spirit of Zen practice.

An increasing number of people around the world are incorporating meditation and dharma teachings into their lives. The vast majorities of people who participate in Zen Center programs do not live at one of our three centers, but instead live and practice as part of the wider Zen Center community. For most of these practitioners, community connection and the deepening of their practice takes the form of weekend or week-long retreats; joining a class, workshop, or small group; in one-on-one discussions with a teacher; or through the internet via online newsletter, the website and dharma talks.

In the coming years the Zen Center will need to improve its capacity and ability to support the practice of those in the wider community. To do this, the Zen Center will enhance access to Zen teachings and create new ways of providing support for daily practice and dharma education in the places, the formats and at the times that work for people today: on demand, via the internet, in their community, at their workplace, and in a variety of different formats, platforms, and technologies.

In the fifth white paper I will share with you how the San Francisco Zen Center is working to better carry out its mission and extend the boundaries of the Zen Center community beyond the walls of its three practice centers. I will provide details of key initiatives to more purposefully offer programs that make the practice of Zen accessible to the wider community.

#5. We need to focus on sustainable long-term solutions to improve Zen Center’s infrastructure and technology systems and provide much-needed new facilities.

The San Francisco Zen Center is the steward of three practice centers, each one of which is remarkable for its beauty and power as a place of Buddhist practice and community life. Our deepest intention is to ground our practice in ecological values that create healthy and sustainable practice environments and that align with the Zen Center’s intention to live and practice in accordance with its Buddhist values. Fundamentally this means being aware of our actions and their impact, making an effort to live lightly on the earth, in harmony with all beings.

However, to do this is very challenging, for each of our three centers has its own complex building, land, ecology, technology, and infrastructure support systems (energy, water, etc.). We are very concerned that for too many years we have not made sufficient investments to maintain the core operational functionality of these systems. Consequently our facilities are becoming vulnerable in terms of long-term sustainability. It is now imperative that we craft and implement environmentally sustainable solutions to address deferred facility maintenance, urgent watershed management issues, and a broad range of issues relative to the efficient functionality of our core operational systems.

In addition, for the Zen Center to continue to provide environments of peace and beauty and ensure its ongoing ability to offer high-quality Zen Buddhist practice programs, other progress is critically important. We must enhance guest room, retreat, and other program facilities; provide adequate residential staff housing; and improve communication and information technology systems.

In the sixth white paper I will share with you our thoughts about how the San Francisco Zen Center is working to put into practice the traditional Buddhist values of simplicity, non-violence, and living in harmony with others and the environment. In this context we are envisioning and implementing urgent and much-needed long-term sustainable solutions for land and ecosystem stewardship, built structures, core infrastructure, and IT systems at the three practice centers.



how to help: an invitation to join the discussion

The distillation of the five broad Zen Center organizational needs that I have highlighted above results from the work of many people over the last eight years. The San Francisco Zen Center board, officers, directors and staff, as well as committees and task forces of different kinds, have each contributed to a deepening understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the Zen Center at this critical point in its history.

In many ways, this is just a start. Now it is time for us to be in dialogue with you; now is the time for all of us to look forward together, seeing clearly where the Zen Center needs to stay the same and where it needs to change. Together we can help make sure that the Zen Center will be here to accomplish its important mission for another fifty years.

But we must remember, there is no special way to do this. Suzuki Roshi once said, “There is no special way to help others. Let them know our human nature and let them know how we have a problem. Encouraging people by your own practice — that is the best way to help people. Learning will not help. But when you understand what “human being” is and what is the way for human beings to follow the Buddhist way, this is how to help people.”

With an open and sincere invitation, I ask you to join us in this ongoing discussion about the future of the San Francisco Zen Center.

Thank you very much.


P.S. If you’d like to receive more information about the campaign, please contact Campaign Manager, Kate Frankfurt, by phone at 415-354-0435 or email kate.frankfurt@sfzc.org.