Gendo Lucy Xiao is a Dharma Heir in the Shunryu Suzuki Roshi lineage. She began practicing at San Francisco Zen Center in 2000, studied with former abbot Ryushin Paul Haller, and received priest ordination in 2010 and Dharma Transmission in 2025. After many years living and practicing at City Center and Tassajara, she now serves as a non-residential teacher.
Born and raised in Guangzhou, China, Lucy draws ongoing inspiration from her Chinese heritage. Her teaching weaves together Eastern and Western perspectives, reflecting both her Zen training and her work as a Doctor of Chinese Medicine. These two paths inform one another, deepening her understanding of life as interconnected, changing, and alive.
She is the guiding teacher of the Harmony Zen sitting group in San Francisco and the Original Mind sitting group in Guangzhou, China, both devoted to meditation, Zen study, and bringing awareness into daily life.
Lucy has long explored how ancient Zen wisdom can be expressed in the context of modern life. Her teaching is clear, practical, and especially supportive for household practitioners seeking to bring meditation into everyday experience. With years of Zen practice and medical experience, she offers thoughtful support for healing and personal growth.