Thanas Teachings - Order from Santa Cruz Zen Center

We have three books with the teaching of our former Abbot Sobun Katherine Thanas available for purchase on the website. The books are described below. You may place an order using the form at the bottom of this webpage.

​​The Truth of This Life, Katherine Thanas, 2018, Shambala - This work of Katherine’s teaching, edited by Natalie Goldberg and Bill Anelli, is a touching and impressive collection of essays based on Katherine’s oral teachings in Santa Cruz and Monterey. Personal, profound and applicable to daily life, this book is supportive and encouraging for any practitioner.

​​Grass Writing, Katherine Thanas, 2009, compiled by Bill Anelli - The collection of essays predates The Truth of This Life, and reflects Katherine’s teachings as they were published in the newsletter Sangha. Her Dharma talks beginning in 1996 and up until 2008 were transcribed and edited for this publication.

​​Most Intimate, Ordinary Way, Recollections of Katherine Thanas, 2020, compiled by Dana Takagi and Gene Bush, re-edited and reprinted in 2022 - Friends, colleagues, students, and disciples contributed their reflections on the many ways Katherine’s teaching continues to influence their lives and relationship to practice. This collection includes her lineage – her Dharma heirs, lay- and priest-ordained students – and the years of their ceremonies beginning in 1992.