It was in June 1987, that Val first started sitting at the Los Angeles Zen Center and established a daily meditation practice.  Within a few years Val reunited with Diane Martin, a Midwest Jungian Therapist who was formally studying to be a Zen Priest and Teacher and had opened up Udumbara Zen Center in Evanston, Il.  In support of this action, Val led the 501(c)(3) incorporation for Udumbara, served on their Board of Directors, and published a quarterly newsletter for 4 years.  In 1997 Val was lay ordained by Evonne Rand assisted by Diane Martin who was ordained in 1995 and transmitted in the Dainin Katagiri lineage in 2001 by Karen Sunna.   

During the following years Val led Bamboo in the Wind Sangha in Sunnyvale and worked with both her primary teacher, Roshi Diane Martin and Taigen Dan Leighton, her California teacher.  After years of committed service to the three organizations, Val was priest ordained by Diane Martin on December 8, 2002.  Her focus was continued training with Diane Martin and developing Bamboo in the Wind Sangha.  Moving forward to becoming Head Student at Udumbara Zen Center, Val exited Shuso in December 2005 after teaching for three months on Dongshan's Five Ranks.  In June 2010 Val was Transmitted by Roshi Diane Martin in the Dainin Katagiri lineage with the name, Meiren. 

Looking nationally at the Soto Zen Buddhist Association it was in October 2010 that Meiren Val went through the Dharma Heritage Ceremony at the SZBA bi-annual conference.   For the next two years Meiren Val chaired the SZBA Standard Committee that developed baseline standards for admission into SZBA.  

In 2012, Val retired from her engineering management career. For the next twelve years, she devoted her time and great energy to teaching zen and further developing Bamboo in the Wind Zen Center.

On December 6, 2024, Val formally stepped down from the teaching seat, entrusting the continuance of Bamboo in the Wind and the task of finding a teacher to the board of directors and the Sangha.On December 6, 2024, Rev. Val stepped down from being the Guiding Teacher.