Caitriona Reed

Caitriona Reed (born 1949) is a transwoman sensei of Thiền Zen Buddhism and co-founder of Ordinary Dharma in Los Angeles, California—as well as its rural retreat center Manzanita Village Retreat Center, located in San Diego County. Reed, a member of the American Zen Teachers Association, has been practicing Buddhism since 1981. She received her authority to teach Zen to others from Thich Nhat Hanh in 1992, and changed from a man to a woman in 1996. She remarks on her decision to change sexes, "As a teacher encouraging others to live more honest and authentic lives, it was increasingly difficult for me to deny a basic fact—that I was a woman." Together with her partner Michele Benzamin Masuda at Manzanita, Reed conducts mindfulness retreats, workshops, and seminars influenced by her teacher Nhat Hanh, and also teaches deep ecology, social responsibility and personal development training. In addition to conducting retreats, she is also a performance coach, consultant and hypnotherapist.