We are a group of Zen meditators started in the 1980's by Ken Rosen. Our teacher, Sensei Lawson Sachter, studied Zen for many years under Roshi Philip Kapleau at the Rochester Zen Center. He and his wife Sunya Kjolhede, both Dharma heirs of Roshi Kapleau, co-direct Windhorse Zen Community, located near Asheville, North Carolina. Lawson visits and conducts retreats at the Clear Water Zen Center several times a year.

The practice at the Clear Water Zen Center follows the traditions and teachings of Roshi Philip Kapleau (1912-2004), whose book "The Three Pillars of Zen" was instrumental in introducing Zen Buddhism to the West.