Teaching Council

Monterey Bay Zen Center is fortunate to have a teaching council of four who work together to offer Buddhist teachings to the sangha, present a range of styles and experience from which to meet with individual students, and rotate through the year in the role of Guiding Teacher.

The sangha is likewise blessed with two resident priests who also offer leadership and teachings.

The teachers and directors of MBZC are making more individual practice opportunities available to the sangha. Please use this page to get to know our teachers a little better and please contact them if you would like to discuss your practice.

Practice Discussion

Face-to-face practice discussions with our resident teachers (10 minutes to 1 hour) are available in-person during Zazen meditation on Tuesday evenings or other mutually arranged times, including online via Zoom. Scheduling (and offerings) are made directly with each teacher.

May we, with all beings,
realize the emptiness of the three wheels:
giver, receiver and gift.

Resident Priests

Biographies for our TC (in alphabetical order), followed by those of our resident priests:

Shogen Danielson

SHOGEN NYOHO Luminous Night :: Tender Release

Inspired by a trip to India and Nepal in 1996, Shogen, then Andy, picked up a copy of Huston Smith's ‘The World's Religions’ only to discover that he was a Buddhist. After his first stint in the US Peace Corps in Africa, where he began sitting and studying Buddhist teachings, he resettled in the San Francisco Bay Area seeking the Treasure of Sangha. He found it at the San Francisco Zen Center in 2001 where he met his teacher, Teah Strozer. He ordained as a priest with her in 2008, was head monk at Tassajara Zenshin-ji in 2013 and received Dharma Transmission from Teah Roshi in 2022. His formal education includes a B.S.in Engineering Physics with a minor in Astronomy and a M.S. in Physics and Astronomy. He loves the Buddhadharma, nature, music and sharing life with his children.

Sara Hunsaker 

JOSEI MYOKO  Riding Spirit :: Wondrous Light

While in India in 1972, I did several 10-day Vipassana retreats with Goenka-ji, and thus began my Buddhist practice. In 1988, under the guidance of Sobun Katherine Thanas-Roshi, I began sitting with Monterey Bay Zen Center and received jukai in 1992. A month with Hoitsu Suzuki-Roshi in Yaizu, Japan, deepened my path. From 1996-1997 I trained at Tassajara and Green Gulch. Myoan Grace Schireson-Roshi became my teacher, and I received priest ordination in 2008. At Empty Nest Zen Center I enjoyed the 3-year SPOT leadership training, many of the Women’s Retreats and was shuso there for 2010 practice period. Dharma transmission was bestowed in 2014. I had the privilege of studying Zen sewing with Zenkei Blanche Hartman-Roshi. Carmel Valley has been my home since 1980 and wherever I am is a temple.

Robert Reese

GOTSUSAN JUNDO Steadfast Mountain :: Pure Hearted Way 

Robert has been practicing In the Soto Zen Lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi for twenty years. An ordained Soto Zen Priest, he has been teaching classes and workshops at the Monterey Bay Zen Center in Carmel and received Dharma Transmission in 2010 from Sobun Katherine Thanas-Roshi.