The East-West Meditation program at Mercy Center was founded in 1984 by Father Thomas Hand, S.J. During the years that he lived in Japan, Fr. Hand led retreats, taught haiku poetry, and studied meditation with Yamada Koun Roshi, a teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan Zen lineage who encouraged his Western students to learn Zen in order to deepen their Judeo-Christian faith. Mercy Center Burlingame's approach to spiritual practice honors both Christian contemplation and Zen meditation. Practicing meditation together leads us to a whole new way of seeing Reality, and to a richer life.

Following Hando's passing, the community was blessed to welcome a new resident teacher, Fr. Gregory Mayers. A priest in the Redemptorist order, Fr. Greg studied Zen meditation with the German Benedictine monk Willigis Jäger, a Roshi in the Sanbo Kyodan Zen lineage.

Wednesday evenings from 7:00–9:00 p.m., and during his intensive retreats and sesshins, Fr. Greg leads the community in dialogue on the immediate experience of meditation, offering new visitors and long-time meditators a safe space in which to explore the spiritual path. Fr. Greg is the award winning author of Listen to the Desert, a meditation on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the early Church. He is equally conversant in the mystical language of Christian spirituality and the wordless essentials of Zen practice.

Please read this recent article by Fr. Greg on the subject "What is Kensho?"

East-West Meditation 2009 Retreats

Zazen-Kai 2009 Schedule

Center Day 2009 Schedule

Mercy Center Ongoing Meditation

Haiku-Kai Poetry Group