Do you ever feel stymied about how to be in relationship with the world? Many of the conversations needed today are not about having the right answers. They are about learning together and evolving our lives through the right kind of questions. Join Caverly and David, in dialogue with Tia Rich, PhD, as they reflect on how contemplation and wisdom perspectives can support us in engaging in fruitful queries—queries that can ultimately transform our experience of the world and guide our actions with greater clarity and compassion. 

Using a traditional Zen ‘koan’ or teaching story to frame our conversation, we’ll engage in a lively exploration of some of the questions the koan invites us to take up, including: 

- Who are we and on whose behalf do we act?
- What are we individually and collectively calling or understanding as “the world”? 
- With what mind or perceptual lens are we addressing the issues at hand?
- What is the place of earnest discussion in light of the often pressing need to take substantial action?
- And how might we meet our experiences of the world and this very moment (for many, uncertain and difficult) in history from a  place of genuine openness, inquiry, and responsiveness?

This conversation will not only be an opportunity to lean into inquiry together, it also will provide time to share practice together.

Tenzen David Zimmerman is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist priest and teacher in the lineage of Shunryū Suzuki Roshi, with dharma transmission from Sōshin Teah Strozer. He has been practicing the Buddhadharma since the early 1990s and has lived and practiced at the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) for over 25 years, including eight years at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the oldest Zen monastery in the United States. He was one of five monks who saved the monastery from a massive wildfire in 2008, as recounted in the book "Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire." Before his current role as Central Abbot, David served in various spiritual and administrative roles at SFZC, including as Abiding Abbot of Beginner’s Mind Temple, Programs Director, and Tassajara Director. David has a Certificate of Zen Ministry through the Shogaku Zen Institute/Priest Training Seminary, and is a co-facilitator of Queer Dharma. He regularly leads retreats, workshops, classes, and online programs at SFZC and other Dharma centers, including on transforming depression and anxiety.

Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher who blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach, drawing from her eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. She is the author of The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together as well as A Kids Book About Mindfulness. Caverly is the founder of Peace in Schools, a nonprofit that created the nation’s first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. She is also the founder of Realizing Freedom Together, a non-profit organization dedicated to making practices that lead to liberation for all, accessible to all. She has been teaching contemplative practice since 2001. Caverly leads meditation retreats, workshops, and online classes internationally.

Tia Rich, PhD is the founder and director of Stanford's Contemplation by Design academic and co-curricular programs, including the annual Contemplation by Design Summit. She is the lead instructor for the Master of Science (MS) in Community Health and Prevention Reserch's Contemplation by Design Applied Contemplative Science academic program offered by Stanford's School of Medicine.

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 15-27, 2025.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stanford-contemplation-by-design-summit-2025-online-oct-15-27-registration-1520413249959