Berkeley, CA – February 12, 2026 – The Berkeley Zen Center (BZC) is excited to announce a
historic moment in its nearly sixty years of practice with the installation of its first female abbot
on March 1st, 2026.
The new abbot, Linda Galijan, was ordained as a priest and given authority to teach and ordain
others by BZC’s first abbot Sojun Mel Weitsman. Weitsman founded BZC in 1967 along with
his teacher, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, author of the classic collection of essays, Zen Mind,
Beginners Mind. Hozan Alan Senauke succeeded Weitsman in 2021, having been picked by
Weitsman years before. Senauke died after a long illness in late 2024.
The BZC Board invited, and its membership chose, Galijan to be the Center’s third abbot. She
takes on the role after decades working in a range of healing capacities—as a professional
musician in classical, swing, and world-beat bands, a massage therapist, and a licensed clinical
psychologist. After establishing her Zen practice at BZC, Galijan lived at San Francisco Zen
Center (SFZC) and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (TZMC), serving as President of SFZC, and
Director and Head of Practice at TZMC. She has led meditation intensives, given Dharma talks,
and taught classes at Zen centers around the country.
“Returning to my home temple during Hozan’s illness, I was expecting to stay for just a few
months to support the community. That stay was extended, bit by bit, and when Hozan ultimately
passed and BZC needed a new abbot, I wanted to stay and support BZC during the next chapter,”
says Galijan. “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.”
A humble but venerable home for Soto Zen practice in the Bay Area, BZC aims to welcome all
who come through the gate, inviting beginners and mature students to delve into practice and
take the teachings into their everyday lives.
“So many organizations struggle after the founder is gone. But BZC is thriving,” said Colleen
Busch, BZC Board President. “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.”
The installation ceremony will be held at BZC. It is not open to the public, though it will be
livestreamed through the website: www.
About Berkeley Zen Center
Rooted in the Soto Zen lineage established in America by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Berkeley Zen
Center offers a variety of programs, including zazen (meditation), retreats, classes, Dharma talks,
and a residential program. The Center is dedicated to supporting individuals to walk the path of
1liberation through zazen and sangha (community) life, encouraging practitioners to build a solid
foundation and bring their practice into their lives.
For more information, please visit www.berkeleyzencenter.
Contact:
Colleen Busch
Board President
Berkeley Zen Center
(510) 845-2403
