Reb Anderson
Tenshin Zenki Reb Anderson trained under Shunryu Suzuki and received dharma transmission from Richard Baker Roshi in 1983, becoming Baker's first dharma heir. He served as abbot and later co-abbot of San Francisco Zen Center from 1986 to 1995, overseeing its three training centers, and continued teaching there until his retirement in 2025.
His record includes two documented incidents from the 1980s involving a firearm: in 1983 he found a body in Golden Gate Park and kept a revolver found nearby rather than turning it over to police, and in 1987, after being mugged near the Zen Center, he retrieved the gun from his attacker and pursued him, leading to both men's arrest. The Zen Center's board placed him on a six-month leave of absence; he has since written and spoken openly about the episodes as evidence of what he calls his own vulnerability to 'arrogance and inflation' regarding spiritual authority.
He now leads No Abode Hermitage in Mill Valley, California, founded in 2001, offering ongoing teachings and meditation retreats both in person and online.
“Zazen is not learning meditation. (from a dialogue with Jack Kornfield, published as "Stillness and Awareness" in Inquiring Mind, https://inquiringmind.com/article/1301_11_fronsdal_anderson_kornfield/)”Reb Anderson
Meet Reb Anderson in person.
Talks, day programmes and retreats currently listed in the Paths Are Many calendar.
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