The way The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen Hakuryu Sojun Mel Weitsman (July 20, 1929 – January 7, 2021), born Mel Weitsman, was an American Buddhist who was the founder, abbot and guiding teacher of Berkeley Zen Center located in Berkeley, California.

[1] Interested in religion from an early age, he started practicing at the San Francisco Zen Center under Shunryū Suzuki in 1964.

Suzuki ordained Weitsman as a priest in 1969, and arranged for him to be Shuso (Head Monk) in 1970 under Tatsugami Roshi at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.

[1][2][3] He co-founded the American Zen Teachers Association (AZTA) with senior American Dharma teachers Tetsugen Bernard Glassman, Dennis Genpo Merzel and Keido Les Kaye in 1995.

Weitsman has entrusted the Dharma to over twenty individuals, including Zenkei Blanche Hartman (1988)[4] and Zoketsu Norman Fischer (1988).