About
Gengyoku Tim Wicks is a Zen priest and teacher at San Francisco Zen Center. He began formal practice in the Vipassana tradition before studying Mahayana Buddhism and Zen under Dairyu Michael Wenger, from whom he received lay initiation in 2006 and priest ordination in 2013. Wicks is head sewing teacher at City Center, having trained in Buddhist robe sewing since 2007. He has served as shuso (head monk) at both San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a student of Central Abbot Rinso Ed Sattizahn. Wicks is also a painter based in San Francisco.
Teaching focus
Gengyoku Tim Wicks's teaching focus, drawn from the source profile, sits in the Zen and Mahayana traditions. Several threads come up: steady attention to body and breath; the relationship between ethics and meditation; and short, direct teachings rather than long talks. On talks, the style is closer to thinking-along than presenting. Gengyoku Tim Wicks works with whatever shows up in the room rather than reading from notes, which is part of why these talks land as conversational instead of scripted. Short pauses, longer sits, and questions that come back to direct experience are usual. Listed specialties on the source profile include advanced practice. The bigger move Gengyoku Tim Wicks keeps making is back toward attention itself: what's happening, how it's being held, and what gets in the way. That keeps the teaching close to practice rather than drifting into commentary about practice. For talks, schedules, and longer essays, the affiliated organization's page is where the live material lives. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on.
Background
Gengyoku Tim Wicks teaches in the Zen and Mahayana traditions. The teaching home is San Francisco Zen Center. From the teacher's own profile: Born in Utah and raised in London, Gengyoku Tim Wicks studied fine art at San Francisco State University and received his MFA with distinction from California College of Arts and Crafts. He currently paints in San Francisco. His first practice was in the Vipassana tradition. Impressed with Mahayana Buddhism and the bodhisattva ideal, he began attending San Francisco Zen Center and became a student of Dairyu Michael Wenger, receiving from him lay initiation in 2006 and priest ordination in 2013. Beginning in 2007, he trained in the sewing of Buddha's robe with Zenkei Blanche Hartman and is now the head sewing teacher at City Center. He is currently a student of Central Abott Rinso Ed Sattizahn and served as shuso (head monk) with him both at City Center for the Fall 2016 practice period and at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center for the 2017 Winter practice period. In a Zen container, what Gengyoku Tim Wicks offers is steady, mostly silent practice with short pointed teachings. The form is the teaching as much as the words are. Sitting, walking, work practice, and the relationship with a teacher all carry weight. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Gengyoku Tim Wicks's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography.
Lineage
Gengyoku Tim Wicks teaches as a lay teacher in the Zen and Mahayana traditions. The institutional home, per the source listing, is San Francisco Zen Center, and that's where most of the public teaching schedule and any retreat offerings will be posted. The Zen lineage frame here, where stated, is what authorizes a teacher to lead practice, and the source page usually names the dharma teacher or root teacher when relevant.
What to expect
On a class or retreat with Gengyoku Tim Wicks, the basic shape is short instruction, longer sittings, and some Q&A. Retreats are part of the offering, usually a few days to a week, mostly silent. The container is shaped by San Francisco Zen Center, so format details, fees, and access policies follow that organization's norms. Expect plenty of silence, less talking-at-you than you might think, and an emphasis on letting the practice do its work rather than chasing experiences. For exact dates, registration, and any sliding-scale or scholarship information, There's usually a short Q&A window and, on retreats, optional teacher interviews where students can bring specific questions about their practice.
