On Saturday, April 11, Kosho McCall, an SFZC alumnus and former head of practice at Tassajara, was installed as abbot of Austin Zen Center in a Mountain Seat Ceremony. Kosho has been leading the Branching Streams affiliate for six years now. The ceremony was attended and celebrated by a strong contingent of San Francisco Zen Center official representatives and alumni, some of whom are shown in the photos below, as well as Suzuki Roshi’s son and grandson from Japan.

Kosho McCall in a new robe sewn for the occasion; Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi and Shungo Suzuki (Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s son and grandson).

From left: Senior Dharma Teacher Sojun Mel Weitsman, SFZC Branching Streams Liaison Steve Weintraub, and SFZC Central Abbess Eijun Linda Cutts attending the ceremony. (Back: Shungo Suzuki; Daiyu Judith Randall.)

Mako Voelkel (former Tassajara director), Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi, Graham Ross (alum), and Ryushin Paul Haller (Senior Dharma Teacher) during off time in Austin. Mako and Graham are now co-tantos at Austin Zen Center.
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Photo credits: ceremony photos by Richard Whittington; hat photo by Daigan Gaither.