Dan Zigmond is a coach, technologist, and Zen teacher.
Dan has been a Zen Buddhist priest since 1998, ordained by the late Kobun Chino Otagawa Roshi at Jikoji Zen Temple in the hills above Silicon Valley. For more than a decade, he has taught meditation and mindfulness to students around the world, receiving full transmission as a Zen master in 2020. In 2025, he became one of the few American teachers also recognized as an osho in Japan. Dan currently leads retreats at Jikoji and the Esalen Institute, and has also taught at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the Omega Institute, and San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.
Dan also serves on the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Zen Center and Naropa University, and is the past treasurer of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. His most recent book is Buddha's Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well.
A path that bridges two worlds.
Dan’s training bridges ancient wisdom and modern leadership. Rooted in decades of study within the Zen lineage of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, he has also led high-performing teams at some of the world’s most innovative technology companies and trained extensively in contemporary approaches to leadership, psychology, and coaching. This rare combination allows him to translate Buddhist insight into practical strategies for modern professionals – helping leaders cultivate clarity, compassion, and resilience amid the complexity of today’s work and life.
In 2025, Dan was formally recognized in Japan as a Zen master (osho), one of only a few Americans to receive that distinction. His teaching reflects both the rigor of traditional Zen practice and the openness of modern inquiry, offering a path that is at once grounded, relevant, and deeply human.
Finding balance with work and family.
Alongside his Zen teaching, Dan raised two daughters and built a successful career in Silicon Valley. He has led teams at some of the world’s most influential technology companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. After decades of balancing these many roles, he now writes and teaches about work-life balance—the central theme of his book Buddha's Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well. As an executive coach, Dan helps leaders at organizations of all sizes apply his timeless wisdom to navigate the realities of modern work and life.
