Inryũ Poncé-Barger

Inryũ Poncé-Barger

Inryū knew she had found her Dharma home upon her first visit to Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery in the mid-90s. Based in Washington, D.C., and teaching yoga full time, she knew she needed to train with a Shunryu Suzuki Lineage Zen Teacher. Dairyū Michael Wenger became her teacher. In 2004, Inryū began a zen sitting group in her DC yoga studio for which Dairyū was the first Guiding Teacher. Over many years, she and Dairyū offered Zen and Yoga retreats during the Tassajara summer Guest Season. In January 2013, Inryū was ordained with five other students of Dairyu’s in the Dharma Hall of SFZC City Center. In 2016, she served as Shuso for All Beings Zen Sangha, and in July of 2017, she was given Transmission by Dairyū at Dragon’s Leap Meditation Center in San Francisco, CA.

Inryū now serves as the Guiding Teacher for the All Beings Zen Sangha in Washington, D.C., where she lives with her husband, Curt, one canine, “Sweet Boy,” and three felines, “Lucky Liberty,” “Mr. Chill,” and “Little Girl.” Inryū has been a long-time member of the SFZC Branching Streams Advisory Council and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Sōtō Zen Buddhist Association.