Mel Weitsman Biography

Sojun Mel Weitsman (born 1929), born Mel Weitsman, is the founder, abbot and guiding teacher of Berkeley Zen Center located in Berkeley, California. Weitsman is a Soto Zen roshi practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, having received Dharma transmission in 1984 from Suzuki's son Hoitsu. He is also a former co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center, where he served from 1988 to 1997. Weitsman is also editor of the book Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness: Zen Talks on the Sandokai, based on talks given by Suzuki on the Sandokai.