The Women in Zen working group was formed in 2024 by Traven Fusho Rice, Jean Yugetsu Carlomusto, Sarah Joren Drury, Sal Gessho Randolph and Ara Fitzgerald, all longtime members of the Village Zendo in New York. Our goal has been to study and document the lives and work of Zen women pioneers, especially the first generation of women Roshis in the United States.
This website is the expression of a first pilot project, offering a portrait of Roshi Enkyo O’Hara, co-founder and Abbot Emerita of the Village Zendo.
In the coming years, it is our aspiration to expand our work to include some of the many other Zen women pioneers, and to connect with and support others working on similar projects.
This pilot project has been supported by a grant from the Lenz Foundation’s Women in Buddhism program.
