Get to know the community behind Zen Fields — who we are, the teachers and board who guide us, the history behind our practice and the spaces where we gather, and the ethical principles we hold ourselves to. Whether you're curious about our roots in the Soto Zen tradition, want to know more about the people leading our sits and retreats, or are simply looking for a sense of who you'd be joining, this page brings it all together in one place.
Zen Fields is a Soto Zen Buddhist community practicing in the tradition of Dogen and Keizan, rooted in Ames, Iowa. We offer regular sitting meditation (zazen), guided sessions for beginners, mindful movement, and periodic retreats and sesshin, including weekends built around ceremony, teaching, and quiet practice together. Our family program brings meditation, singing, and creative activity to households wanting to explore mindfulness together, at any age. For those seeking a more personal path, we also offer one-on-one instruction — spiritual counseling, meditation and yoga guidance, and Japanese calligraphy — tailored to the individual. Whatever draws you here, whether a first sit or a lifelong practice, Zen Fields is open to anyone seeking meditation, mindfulness, and a more compassionate way of moving through the world.
Zen Fields grew out of the practice and teaching of Reverend Daishin McCabe and Reverend Jisho Sara Siebert, two Soto Zen priests who live in Ames, Iowa with their family. Today, Zen Fields is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, we’ve held our regular practice and retreats at the Friends Meeting House (121 S. Maple Avenue) in Ames, a fitting partnership, since the Quaker belief in each person’s “inner light” resonates closely with the Zen teaching that all beings carry Buddha-nature within them. Ames remains the center of our practice, though our teachers also offer occasional sessions and retreats in other communities.
Zen Fields is guided by two Soto Zen priests, Reverend Daishin McCabe and Reverend Jisho Sara Siebert, both recognized as International Zen Teachers (Kokusaifukyoshi) by the Soto Shu. Together, they bring years of monastic training and a shared commitment to easing suffering — both within our sangha and in the wider world — to the practice they offer at Zen Fields.
Reverend Daishin Eric McCabe is a priest in the Soto Zenschool of Buddhism in Japan. Studying Ecology and the World’s Religioustraditions at Bucknell University, where he received his B.A. in 1995, preparedhim for life as a Zen priest. His early mentors were Prof. John Grim and MaryEvelyn Tucker, with whom he studied Inter-religious Dialogue with a specialinterest in Indigenous lifeways. He subsequently apprenticed with Patricia Dai-En Bennage Roshi of Mount Equity Zendo for 15years. During this time, he trained at several Soto Zen Monasteries in Japan aswell as in France with the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2013, he continuedtraining in the art of spiritual direction and Chaplaincy at Wellspan Hospitalin Pennsylvania. Daishin is recognized as an International Zen Teacher(Kokusaifukyoshi) by the Soto Shu. In addition to working with Zen Fields, heteaches at the Nebraska Zen Center in Omaha, offers TraumaSensitive Yoga for mental health at Broadlawns Hospital and Mary GreeleyMedical Center, lectures on the World Religions at Des Moines Area CommunityCollege, and works as a chaplain at Mary Greeley. He resides with his wife,Reverend Sara Jisho Siebert, their son, Malcolm, and daughter, Pema, in Ames,Iowa.
Jisho Sara Siebert is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest whose pathto Buddhism grew out of witnessing suffering, both in the world around her andthrough her work to prevent domestic and sexual violence.
Her search for deeper understanding ofsuffering and joy led her to Los Angeles, where she first met her teacher, Gengo Akiba Roshi, andlater to Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, monasteries in Japan,and Haiti.
At present she works for Beyond Borders, an organizationcommitted to preventing violence against girls and women and ending childslavery in Haiti.
She isrecognized as an International Zen Teacher (Kokusaifukyoshi) by the Soto Shuand teaches at Zen Fields in Ames, Iowa.
Zen Fields is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, sustained by a small board of dedicated volunteers who steward the organization behind the scenes — from finances to governance to the day-to-day decisions that keep the community running. Meet the people who make that possible below.
Zen Fields is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and ethical environment for everyone in our sangha. We take any concern about a possible ethical breach seriously, and have a clear process for addressing it: concerns can be reported directly to our Ethical Designee, Minniette Milligan — a role held outside our Board leadership specifically so concerns are heard by a neutral party. If you have a concern, we want to hear it, and we're committed to responding and taking appropriate action as quickly as possible.
The ethical standards that guide our teachers, leaders, and members, and the process for raising a concern. ⇒ Read Document
How Zen Fields is organized and governed, including the roles and responsibilities of its board and officers. ⇒ Read Document
The founding legal document establishing Zen Fields as a nonprofit organization. ⇒ Read Document
Want to keep up with what's happening at Zen Fields? Sign up for our newsletter to receive Dharma teachings, reflections from our teachers, and updates on upcoming sits, retreats, and events — delivered straight to your inbox. Whether you practice with us regularly or are just getting started, it's an easy way to stay connected to the community between visits.
