Ezra Bayda, Teacher

Ezra Bayda was initially trained in the Gurdjieff tradition, and began practicing Zen meditation in 1970.

In 1998 he received authorization to teach from Charlotte Joko Beck, in the Ordinary Mind and White Plum lineages. He presently teaches at Zen Center San Diego.

He also founded the Santa Rosa Zen Group and continues to lead it, visiting several times a year. He and Elizabeth have led retreats at other centers and internationally, and currently lead a yearly retreat in Paris.

Ezra writes many of the articles for the ZCSD newsletter, as well as being a regular contributor to meditation and Buddhist magazines.  He is also the author of six books - Being Zen: Bringing Meditation To Life (2002), At Home in the Muddy Water (2003), Saying Yes to Life (Even the Hard Parts) (2005), Zen Heart (2008),  Beyond Happiness: The Zen Way to True Contentment (2010), and The Authentic Life: Zen Wisdom for Living Free From Complacency and Fear (2014).