From The Road Back

I think I learned about Big River Farm from a note on the bulletin board at San Francisco Zen Center. An idyllic rustic zen meditation commune just inland from Mendocino, I stayed there for a few days a couple of times. There I met Bob Walter, who had been Soen Roshi’s personal attendant in Japan. Knowing I was looking for a zen teacher and that I was from Los Angeles, he strongly recommended Maezumi Roshi. Bob felt like the magical ally encountered toward the end of my wanderings.

Pictured above is the roof of the original house on the property, which the owner made into the zendo. The tower to the right is the guest room, where I stayed when I was there. I got the picture from the internet because the place is now a Bed and Breakfast.