About Dr. Lucy Xiao
Lucy (玄道) is the founder and guiding teacher of Harmony Zen.
Born and raised in Guangzhou (Canton), a port city in Southern China, Lucy was exposed to the rich tapestry of eastern spiritual teachings and studied classical Chinese when she was young. Despite having resided in the United States for many years, she remains deeply connected to her Chinese heritage and takes great joy in sharing the teachings of her ancestors.
She started practicing at San Francisco Zen Center in 2000. In 2010, she received priest ordination and in 2014, she served as the head monk at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Lucy's training extends across both China and the US, where she had the privilege of learning from Zen masters such as Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi, Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi, and Ven. Hongjue.
She holds a Doctoral degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM), and divides her time between teaching activities and her holistic health practice in San Francisco.
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)
