Yvonne Rand – Winter 2020
Yvonne Rand
Jikai Myo-ōn / Ocean of Compassion, Luminous Sound
September 23, 1935 – August 19, 2020
no wind, yet the windbells
keep on ringing
—Kokan Shiren
Yvonne Rand (née Boye), a significant member of the first generation of American Zen teachers, died on August 19, 2020, shortly before her eighty-fifth birthday. Her life was as rich as it was long, and lived at full intensity. She brought to the world a wide range of gifts and a compassionate mind.
With Suzuki Roshi
She grew up in California and graduated from Stanford University in 1957, having already turned her attention to Eastern religions. A young, pioneering Yvonne began to study the teachings of the Buddha Dharma in 1954 and soon entered Soto Zen study and practice. She became a close student of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966, served as his secretary and personal assistant and, with his wife Mitsu Suzuki, cared for him through his dying and death in 1971. She was a founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, was ordained there, served on the board of directors for many years, and continued to practice and teach there for many years, primarily at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center.
Contributions in Yvonne Rand’s memory may be made to The Callipeplon Society, 645 J Street, Davis, CA 95616, or to The Trust for Public Land, P.O. Box 399336, San Francisco, CA 94139. Both are 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organizations.
A memorial service will be held when it becomes safe to congregate.
