History

Hidden Valley Zen Center was founded in 1968 as The Order of the Ancient Wisdom, by American Tien-li Lola Lee, Osho, a long-time student of Dr. Henry Chikuen Kugai Platov, whose primary teacher was Sokei-an [Shigetsu Sasaki, founder of the First Zen Institute of America in New York City]. The land was donated by Rosalind E. Sarver, (1905-1998), who grew world famous cannas in her plant nursery under the ancient oaks and was a student of Lola Lee.

The present kitchen/dining hall was built first, and as the group continued to grow, it was followed by the present zendo (Meditation Hall).

When Mrs. Sarver died in 1998, she donated the rest of her property to HVZC and the Sarver Children’s Park was established and dedicated to her memory. Later the labyrinth was built. The Kannon-do, originally a rental residence, is used to house residential trainees and also sesshin participants. A smaller building on the property called “The Casita” is also sometimes used.

In 1996, her health deteriorating, Lola Lee, Osho, requested that her students search for a new teacher. Mitra-Roshi was asked to visit and lead a retreat, at the end of which Lola Lee, as well as her students, asked Roshi to take over as the Center’s teacher. Thus, the tradition of practicing Rinzai Zen found a continuation in Mitra-Roshi and, since 2013, also with Sozui-sensei, at what is now known as the Hidden Valley Zen Center.

Rosalind Sarver first bought the property deeded to HVZC in her will when she and her husband moved to the area from Virginia in order to establish a plant nursery. There they grew cannas and developed new varieties of the flowering plants which they sold all over the world. Rosalind’s husband died not long after, and for decades she ran the nursery herself, with local staff. Well before she died she donated three acres to the Center; the present zendo and dining hall are built on that plot.
Lola Lee Osho and Shinzen Niemai, a Shogenji monk
The labyrinth was built with the help of Three Treasures Zen Community Sangha.
Here, Rosalind Sarver, already of advanced age, offers one of her prized canna blossoms.
This photograph was taken following the 1993 Rohatsu sesshin at Sogenji Monastery in Okayama, Japan. Front and center in the first tow is a young Harada Shodo Roshi; to his left in the front row is Mitra-roshi, and behind him to his right is Sozui-sensei.
A much more recent photo following a sesshin with Harada Shodo Roshi at Tahoma Zen Monastery. Mitra-roshi is at Harada-roshi’s right side; to his left are Gensho, who was senior koban, and Sozui-sensei, who served as second koban. Koban are the assistants to the jikijitsu, which in this case is Harada Roshi himself, but in essence it is the koban who lead the zendo.