About Dr. Lucy Xiao
Lucy (玄道) is the founder and guiding teacher of Harmony Zen.
Born and raised in Guangzhou, China, Lucy was immersed in the rich tapestry of Eastern traditions from a young age. Despite her years in the United States, her Chinese heritage remains a wellspring of inspiration and connection.
She began practicing at the San Francisco Zen Center in 2000, received priest ordination In 2010 and served as the head monk at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in 2014. Her training spans both China and the US, where she had the good fortune to learn from Zen masters such as Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi and Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi.
As both a Zen priest and a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Lucy's spiritual and healing paths are deeply intertwined, enriching her understanding of the interconnected nature of life. She teaches in the Bay Area and beyond, finding joy in sharing the wisdom passed down by her ancestors with those who journey alongside her.
If you study with her and wish to follow Chinese customs, you may call her "lǎo shī", a term commonly used in China to address a teacher.
In midlife I came to cherish the Way,
and at old age I found a home near Zhongnan.
I go to the mountain alone anytime the urge strikes,
and delight in the marvels of things.
Walking along the stream till it ends, I sit and watch the clouds rise.
If by chance I meet an old woodsman,
we talk and laugh, forgetting to go home.
- "Retreat at Mt. Zhongnan", Wang Wei (Tang Dynasty)
中歲頗好道，晚家南山陲。
興來每獨往，勝事空自知。
行到水窮處，坐看雲起時。
偶然值林叟，談笑無還期。
- 《終南別業》, 王維 (唐)
