Bobby Chowa Werner

Bobby Chowa Werner is a lay Zen teacher in the White Plum Soto Zen lineage, originally transmitted to the West by Taizan Maezumi, Roshi. First arriving to practice with Seisen Saunders, Roshi in 2005, Chowa is currently the Abbot of Sweetwater Zen Center in San Diego, CA, where he manages both the spiritual and operational aspects of a residential Zen training center. He first discovered Zen and started diligently practicing within different Zen lineages at the age of 12. He is intimate with what it means to grow into adulthood in a modern world, in tandem with a dedication to Buddhist practice. Chowa is passionate about the Zen path of experiential awakening, particularly through traditional Koan practice. He is committed to ushering the Dharma into the context of ordinary life—in a way that aims to reach communities and demographics that are woefully underrepresented in American Buddhist communities and leadership.