Layla Smith – Gyokujun Teishin
For many years, Layla Smith, Gyokujun Teishin (« Pure Forge, Pervading Heart »), has traveled regularly from her home in the San Francisco Bay Area to lead Zen retreats in Montana.
In recent years, other sangha members and leaders have also increasingly taken on teaching responsibilities.
Early Life and Education
Layla Smith studied psychology for three and a half years at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, before leaving to join the San Francisco Zen Center.
She spent eighteen years living at Zen Center’s three practice places: Tassajara Monastery (Big Sur), the City Center in San Francisco, and Green Gulch Farm Zen Temple on the Marin coast.
Ordination and Training
She was ordained as a priest in 1974 by Zentatsu Richard Baker.
Over the years, she studied with many teachers, though Shunryu Suzuki Roshi remains her root teacher.
In 1998, she received Dharma Transmission in the Suzuki Roshi lineage from Zoketsu Norman Fischer.
Teaching and Leadership
Layla Smith leads a sitting group in Larkspur, California, which meets twice a week for zazen and occasionally for retreats (www.mountainroot.org).
Since 1998, she has traveled regularly to Montana and Boise, Idaho, to guide Zen retreats and support local communities of practice.
Personal Life
Layla is married and has a daughter.
Born in Miles City, Montana, and raised in Cut Bank, she maintains deep roots in Montana, where her entire birth family still lives.
Her abiding love for her home state inspires her dedication to making Zen practice opportunities accessible throughout Montana.
