San Francisco Zen Center

Last Updated September 8, 2026

San Francisco Zen Center, established in 1962 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and his American students, offers daily meditation, monastic retreats, classes, lectures, and workshops at three practice centers: Beginner's Mind Temple, Green Gulch Farm, and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. The center welcomes a diverse population of students, visitors, lay people, priests, and monks, guided by teachers who follow Roshi's warm hand and heart style. The center also supports the community, helping prisoners, the homeless, and those in recovery, protecting the environment, and working for peace. Suzuki Roshi's disciples and students now lead dharma groups around the country. The center operates with a government structure, ethical principles, board of directors, and inclusion policy. The center is connected to various Zen Buddhist and interfaith organizations and offers nourishing and supportive programs for personal and spiritual development.