Picture this a serene hillside just outside Santa Fe. Nestled among juniper and piñon trees stands Mountain Cloud Zen Center. This isn’t just any building. It’s a testament to the enduring spirit of Zen Buddhism in America. Built in the mid-1980s by members of Philip Kapleau’s Rochester Zen Center it beautifully blends traditional Japanese zendo design with local Southwestern architecture. Exposed viga beams and adobe walls create a unique harmony. The center was originally intended as Kapleau’s retirement haven. However his stay was shorter than planned.
One reason for his departure was a shift in leadership at the Rochester center. Another was the unique character of the Santa Fe sangha. Imagine a welcoming picnic a pivotal moment for the center. A sangha member boldly declared their love and support for Kapleau but with a crucial condition they didn’t want to be told what to do. Kapleau quietly accepted this.
Will Brennan a man who found his spiritual home in Zen after a Peace Corps stint in the 1970s played a vital role in Mountain Cloud’s story. He discovered the Santa Fe Zen Center almost by chance a sign in a Chicago Zen basement led him to New Mexico. He found a vibrant community a stark contrast to the more austere groups he’d known before. He instantly felt at home laughing smiling faces met him. He even convinced his girlfriend Lucie to join him in their Volkswagen.
However by 1985 many of the original members had left. Will and Lucie along with a few others kept the center alive. They rented space to a local Vipassana Meditation Group generating crucial income. This unlikely partnership ensured Mountain Cloud’s survival.
Then Henry Shukman entered the picture. Invited by Will he became the center’s teacher in 2013. He discovered a group that had persevered for almost three decades meeting faithfully every Wednesday night. The arrival of Henry revitalized Mountain Cloud. He wasn’t alone in guiding the community. Valerie Forstman an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen Lineage became the Guiding Teacher in 2023. She carries on the legacy.
Today Mountain Cloud Zen Center thrives. It offers daily sitting weekly events and retreats. It’s a place where people of all faiths and backgrounds come to cultivate wisdom and compassion a testament to its resilient history and its vibrant present. It’s a place where the spirit of Zen and the beauty of New Mexico come together in perfect harmony a unique and inspiring community.