Diane Shoshin Fitzgerald was ordained as a Soto Zen priest in 2013 and received full Dharma transmission in 2017 in the combined lineage that derives from Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, the first western female Soto Zen priest, and the koan teaching Sanbo Kyodan Zen Community through Robert Aitken, Roshi. Diane formed the Zen DownEast, Maine sangha in 2012 and serves as its Spiritual Director. A member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, Diane has led a weekly Dogen "support group" since 2016, a shared experience of the wisdom, artistry and often confounding language of Zen Master Eihei Dogen! A Maine lawyer, Diane has been practicing Zen for more than 30 years.