Zen Bridge

Keido Fukushima Roshi trained under Zenkei Shibayama Roshi, one of the most famed Rinzai Zen masters of the twentieth century. Fluent in English, Fukushima Roshi had a special rapport with Western students, many of whom have become Zen teachers as well. He became head abbot of Tofukuji in Kyoto, making him the leader of one of the main Rinzai sects in Japan. He passed away in 2011. Grace Schireson is a Dharma teacher in the Suzuki Roshi lineage empowered by Sojun Mel Weitsman, abbot of Berkeley Zen Center. She has also been empowered to teach koans by Keido Fukushima Roshi, chief abbot of Tofukuji Monastery in Kyoto Japan. Grace is the head teacher of the Central Valley Zen Foundation and has founded and leads three Zen groups and a Zen retreat center, in California. Grace is also a clinical psychologist who has specialized in women and families. Married for over forty years, she has two sons and three grandchildren. She lives in North Fork, CA. Peter Schireson studied koans with Fukushima Roshi and is a Dharma Heir in the Suzuki Roshi Soto Zen Lineage. He has had an active career in education and business and is a published poet. He lives in California.