Norman Fischer is a respected Zen priest, poet, and renowned Buddhist teacher known for making ancient wisdom accessible to contemporary audiences. He is the founder and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation, an organization dedicated to adapting Zen Buddhist teachings to modern life, and he served as the former co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center, one of the leading Zen institutions in the United States.

A student of the late Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s lineage, Fischer trained extensively at Zen Mountain Center (Tassajara) and Green Gulch Farm Zen Center before being ordained as a Zen priest. His teachings emphasize compassion, mindfulness, and finding spirituality in everyday experience.

In addition to his Zen work, Fischer is an acclaimed poet and author. His many books include Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong, When You Greet Me I Bow: Notes and Reflections from a Life in Zen, Experience: Thinking, Writing, Language and Religion, and The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. He frequently blends Buddhist philosophy with Jewish contemplative traditions, interfaith dialogue, and the arts.

Norman Fischer teaches internationally at meditation centers, synagogues, churches, and community settings, inspiring students of all backgrounds to live more peaceful, compassionate lives.

Learn more: https://everydayzen.org/