Peter Ford

Peter has been putting major time into Cuke Archives since 2010. He's involved with me daily with all aspects of it but his forte is the mechanics of it all which is way beyond my ken. The database of shunryusuzuki.com, the dropdown menus on cuke.com, the form and function of the offline archive are but some highlights of his contributions. Peter has an acute eye for detail and a steady grasp of the complex entirety of Cuke Archives. We both get ideas of what should be done, but he's the one who makes it work. Frequently we're in touch multiple times in a day. Often I'm like an assistant to him, providing material, expressing gratitude. - DC (written for the Who Are We page on the Cuke-2020 Presentation. I call him my Cuke Associate. Had to come up with some title. That's his pay.

Peter was drawn to Zen by reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind in 1972. Soon after he sat at a Zen center outside Philadelphia and began considering himself a Buddhist. In 1977 he took the opportunity to teach in Peace Corps, Thailand, for two years, and further developed an appreciation of a Buddhist culture, ongoing through 42 years of marriage with his Thai Buddhist wife. After another year of teaching in Thailand in 1983, he made a trip to Eiheiji, inspired by Suzuki's writing. The intense week of practice there made a deep impression. After moving to the Catskills, he attended workshops at Dai Bosatsu Zendo and Zen Mountain Monastery among others. He often lead introductory Zen meetings at New Age Health Spa in the Catskills, where he worked for many years. In 2003 he created the Independent Meditation Center Guide website which lists over 2000 centers, and encourages users to comment on them. After moving to Tennessee in 2004, he was one of the founders of the Appalachian Dharma & Meditation Center. Now retired in Pennsylvania and Florida, his greatest pleasure is working on Cuke Archives projects.