 Interested in religion from an early age, he started practicing at the San Francisco Zen Center under Shunryu Suzuki in 1964.He co-founded the Berkeley Zen Center with his teacher in 1967.Suzuki ordained Weitsman as a priest in 1969, and arranged for him to be Shuso (Head Monk) in 1970 under Tatsugami Roshi at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.