Kodo Conover

Nancy Kodo Conover has been practicing Zen since 2000 and received Lay Transmission from Chozen and Hogen Roshi in 2015, ordained as a temple priest in 2021 and received Dharma Transmission and Preceptor authorization in 2023. Kodo retired from a career as a vocational rehabilitation counselor to help establish Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple and is the Temple Manager since 2010. She leads Tuesday night meditation and discussion at Heart of Wisdom, co-leads Grasses and Trees Sesshin and has a life long interest in the natural world. She is married and has lived in the Pacific Northwest her whole adult life.

Events with Kodo Conover

Silver Dragons Monthly Gathering - Practicing Impermanence (Online)
June 25, 2025

Zoom Only In her Dharma Talk “Diving into Impermanence,”Chozen Roshi taught: Impermanence is not just a teaching, it is also a practice. (You can view her Dharma talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuHczgCFWaY) These monthly gatherings are offered for Silver Dragons that is, people 60 and older, to provide an opportunity to co-create an open conversation about dying, death, grief and related topics. In short to face, contemplate, and practice impermanence. These gatherings will be facilitated by Temple Priest Nancy Kodo Conover and ZCO member David Seikan Snyder. Each gathering will open with a short period of Zazen. We will then introduce ourselves…

City Refuge Retreat
July 24, 2025

Amidst the whirlwind of daily life in a busy metropolis, we gather to drink from the deep well of silence and stillness. Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple will be offering an extended opportunity for retreat practice together in the city. This three-day non-residential retreat will include many of the elements you’ll find in sesshin. The schedule will be similar to our one-day zazenkai, but with oryoki meals and some supplemental practices. (If you have an oryoki set, please bring it. Otherwise, we have sets you can borrow.) This retreat will be held in silence. Part time participation is allowed, but…

16 Bodhisattva Precepts Series (in - person)
July 29, 2025

  The beginning and end of our practice is ethical living; acting, speaking and thinking in ways that support the greatest well-being and awakening for all beings. We uphold the precepts through active and ongoing practice in our moment to moment way of being in the world. Anyone who has taken the 5 Precepts Class is welcome to attend these classes, whether you have already formally taken the precepts, are considering taking the precepts, or you are simply curious about the ethical guidelines that rest at the foundation of Zen practice. This class is a prerequisite for jukai. This series…

Oceans of Compassion: A Retreat In Service To The Earth
September 18, 2025

Inspired by SOLVE Oregon Beach Cleanup activities, and in conjunction with the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day, you’re invited to join the Zen Community of Oregon for a weekend CAMPING retreat at BEVERLY BEACH STATE PARK. Take a weekend on the coast to connect with the Sangha. With a relaxed schedule and opportunity for socializing, there will be sitting times, Dharma talks, and practices to take with you into beach clean-up practice. We will share work practice together — cooking, set-up, clean-up — as a continued expression of care for each other and the Earth. We will focus on…