The Women in Zen Working Group was formed in 2024 by Sensei Traven Fusho Rice, Jean Yugetsu Carlomusto, Sarah Joren Drury, Sal Kenzen Randolph and Ara Fitzgerald, all longtime members of the Village Zendo in New York.
Their goal is 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 their intention to expand the work to include some of the many other Zen women pioneers, and to connect with and support those working on similar projects.
This pilot project has been supported by a grant from the Lenz Foundation’s Women in Buddhism program.
