In a significant milestone for the Berkeley Zen Center, a Soto Zen Buddhist practice center in the San Francisco Bay Area, Shinchi Linda Galijan will be installed as its first female abbot on 1 March, marking a new chapter in the temple’s nearly six-decade history.
The appointment represents both continuity and change for the Berkeley Zen Center (BZC), which was founded in 1967 by Sojun Mel Weitsman* alongside his teacher, the renowned Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, author of the influential text Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.
Galijan, who was ordained as a Zen priest by founding abbot Sojun Weitsman in 2004 and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2012, will become the center’s third abbot. She assumes leadership following the death of Hozan Alan Senauke, who served the center from 2021 until his passing in late 2024 after a prolonged illness.** Senauke had been personally selected by Weitsman years before taking office.
The incoming abbot brings extensive experience in both Buddhist practice and healing professions. Her background spans work as a professional musician performing classical, swing, and world-beat music, as well as careers in massage therapy and licensed clinical psychology.
After establishing her practice at Berkeley Zen Center, Galijan deepened her training at San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (TZMC), where she held significant leadership positions including president of SFZC and director and head of practice at TZMC. She has conducted meditation intensives and taught at Zen centers throughout the United States.
“Returning to my home temple during Hozan’s illness, I was expecting to stay for just a few months to support the community,” Galijan explained. “When Hozan ultimately passed and BZC needed a new abbot, I wanted to stay and support BZC during the next chapter. As abbot, my intention is to provide a sense of continuity between the strengths and values of BZC’s past and the possibilities for renewal and growth, which includes finding ways to respond to these turbulent times grounded in wisdom and compassion.”
Unlike some traditional temple succession models, Galijan’s appointment followed a democratic process. The center’s board issued an invitation, and the membership voted to select her as their new spiritual leader. According to BZC Board President Colleen Busch, the transition demonstrates the temple’s resilience.
“So many organizations struggle after the founder is gone. But BZC is thriving,” Busch noted. “Women have always held leadership and practice positions at BZC, but never abbot. Linda has a naturally open, encouraging, settled presence that I know will bring benefit, not only to BZC but to the wider community.”
While women have long held various leadership and practice positions at Berkeley Zen Center, the role of abbot has until now been filled exclusively by men. Galijan’s installation reflects broader changes in American Zen, where female teachers and abbots have gradually assumed leadership roles in institutions historically led by male practitioners.
The installation ceremony, scheduled for 1 March at the center, will not be open to the public but will be livestreamed via the center’s website.
Rooted in the Soto Zen lineage brought to America by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Berkeley Zen Center offers zazen meditation, retreats, classes, Dharma talks, and a residential program. The center serves both beginning and experienced practitioners seeking to integrate Buddhist practice into their lives, is dedicated to supporting individuals walking the path of liberation through zazen and sangha life.
* American Buddhist Pioneer and Berkley Zen Center Founder Sojun Mel Weitsman Dies Aged 91 (BDG)
** American Soto Zen Priest and Engaged Buddhist Hozan Alan Senauke Has Died, Aged 77 (BDG)
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