Great Tree Abbess: Rev. Teijo Munnich
Disciple and Dharma heir of Dainin Katagiri Roshi, Rev. Teijo Munnich studied with him from 1975 until his death in 1990.
She received formal training at Hokyoji (Catching the Moon Zen Mountain Center) in Minnesota, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California and Hosshinji in Obama, Japan.
In addition to her work in developing Great Tree, Rev. Munnich is Dharma teacher for the Zen Center of Asheville along with Charlotte Zen Meditation Society in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rev. Munnich was ordained as a Zen priest in 1981. About 1983, she began to envision a residential practice center and community and at its heart, a zen residential practice for women. This came to be Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple, incorporated in 2004. After an exacting search, a location was found with suitable space, and Great Tree opened her doors in 2005.
Zen Lineage
Dainin Katagiri Roshi (1928-1990): Katagiri Roshi was born in Osaka, Japan.
A student of Daicho Hayashi Roshi, he trained at Eiheiji Monastery for three years under the guidance of Eko Hashimoto-Roshi and graduated from Komazawa University.
In 1963, he came to the Zenshuji Soto Zen Mission in Los Angeles, later moving to Sokoji Zen Mission and San Francisco Zen Center, where he assisted the late Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi.
In 1972, he became the first abbot of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, where he oversaw the development of the city center as well as Hokyoji, a country retreat in southeast Minnesota.
His book Returning to Silence was published in 1988. Katagiri Roshi died in 1990. His books You Have to Say Something and Each
Moment Is the Universe were published posthumously.
— Calligraphy by Katagiri, “Great Appreciation”