Who We Are

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

K. ThanasOur 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 took 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.

Talks By Katherine Thanas
     The Bodhisattva's Life
    The Oneness of Two
     Just Sitting, Just Meeting
     We Live in the Lives of Others
     Mind Covers the World
     Loving the World As It Is

KobunKobun Chino Roshi
2/1/38 - 7/26/02