Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler

About Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler

Jiryu Rutschman-Byler is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, with dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman. Since 1996, he has trained in Zen temples as a residential monk, and he now serves as co-Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center in his role as Abiding Abbot of Green Gulch Farm Zen Center.

Publications and Writing

Jiryu co-edited Becoming Yourself, a new collection of talks by Suzuki Roshi. He is also the author of Two Shores of Zen, which reflects on his years from 2002 to 2004 as an American-trained monk living and practicing in Japanese Zen monasteries. His writing has also appeared in Buddhist publications in both print and online formats.

Community Leadership and Mentorship

Jiryu serves as a mentor and preceptor to the Montaña de Silencio Sangha in Medellín, Colombia, and for many years was the head teacher of the Buddhadharma Sangha at San Quentin State Prison. He earned a master's degree in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley in 2014, where he studied Buddhist texts in classical Chinese and modern Japanese with the Group in Buddhist Studies. His thesis examined the development of Soto Zen in Japan during the Meiji Period (1868-1912).