Who We Are

The Santa Cruz Zen Center began in 1971 with Kobun Chino-Roshi and his students. He left the area in the early 1980's.

Our current Abbot, Katherine Thanas, has been teaching here since 1989. She trained for more than 20 years at the San Francisco Zen Center with Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi, Dainin Katagiri-Roshi, Richard Baker-Roshi, and Tenshin Anderson-Roshi.

She was ordained as a priest in 1975, and received Dharma Transmission in 1988. In November, 1988, she founded the Monterey Bay Zen Center and has taught in Santa Cruz and Monterey since then.

In July 2002, she was installed as the first Abbot of the S.C. Zen Center. The Center is staffed, maintained, and financially supported by the volunteer efforts of its members and friends.

Kobun Chino Roshi
Founder SCZC
2/1/38 - 7/26/02

Kokyo Henkel joined us in October, 2009 as the new Head Teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center. He has been practicing zen since 1990 in residence at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (most recently as Head of Practice), Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, No Abode Hermitage in Mill Valley, and Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan.

He was ordained a priest in 1994 by Tenshin Anderson Roshi. Kokyo's interests include looking at how the classic original teachings of Buddha-Dharma from ancient India, China, and Japan are still very much alive and useful in present-day America to bring peace and harmony to this troubled world.

Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
Founder San Francisco Zen Ctr.
5/18/04 - 12/4/71