Genko Rainwater
Dharma Rain Zen Center
Portland, OR
Genko Rainwater comes from a deeply religious (protestant Christian) family and went to Bible College right after high school, hoping to do spiritual work. Before long, though, she realized that particular path wasn’t for her, and became a solitary seeker for many years. She married, had two children, and then divorced and came out as a lesbian, entering into a minority subculture that, along with feminism, has informed much of her understanding.
Genko received her BA from Portland State University in 1995, and a M.Ed in Adult Education from Oregon State University in 2005. Work experience has included clerical, typesetting, teaching, and administrative.
She found her path and has been practicing at Dharma Rain Zen Center since 1999 and living at Dharma Rain since 2005. She took Jukai in 2001, was ordained by Kyogen in 2007, and received Denkai transmission from him in 2013. She did a 1-month monastic training period with SZBA at Jikoji in 2007, and a 3-month practice period at Tassajara in fall of 2009. She is a member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association and the American Zen Teachers Association.
She currently serves as Sewing Master, Head of Housekeeping, and Co-coordinator of the Prison Program.