12 Step Zen began in 2011 with monthly meetings at the Buddha For You Zendo in San Diego. As support grew, we became bi-monthly and then went to weekly meetings when the new Dharma Bum Temple opened in 2017. When COVID hit, we migrated to Zoom and added a second weekly meeting on Saturdays. Virtual meetings have enabled us to welcome friends from distant locations and bring in guest teachers who are not local. We continue to meet online out of respect for our Sangha friends around the world.

The Sangha is facilitated by Peter Kuhn, who is a musician, writer, student, and teacher. He has been actively involved in 12 Step recovery and service since 1986. He was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2011 and given the Dharma name Chân Hỷ Hâi (True Ocean of Joy). In 2025, he received Dharma Lamp Transmission, a formal ceremony that marks his appointment as a Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, joining an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples. 

Committed to loving service, Peter volunteered with the Prison Meditation Project of San Diego, bringing Sangha and meditation to Donovan State Prison inmates for nearly a decade. He volunteered with Compassion In Action, sitting bedside with the dying at the local VA for years, was a co-founder of Open Heart Sangha, a Buddhist Sangha in San Diego, and founder of 12 Step Zen.

Sharing the Dharma and recovery are Peter’s passion. Exploring the intersection of the two is his joy. He is committed to our collective awakening and the path of healing and transformation.