"Accomplishing the work of great peace is without sign" - Tiantong. Since this is so, we can find it everywhere. But some say, "It still eludes my heart/mind." If so, then we are invited to return to the meditation hall. Please join us for a day of stillness and peace, supported by the deeply practiced wisdom of […]
Upright sitting-Zen is a gesture of healing, a gesture of compassion, a gesture of self-respect. From the vista point of this practice we can see things clearly, as they are, stripped of emotional overlays and intellectual interpretations. Such seeing can be called Buddha's wisdom. Our Tanto (Practice Leader), So On Jim Hare, will lead this one-day […]
Tenshin Reb Anderson will lead this 2-day retreat. His theme is: "An old time buddha said, 'earth, grass, trees, all living beings are engaged in buddha activity.' Buddha activity is the unceasing process of freeing all beings so they may live in peace and harmony. The buddha ancestors called this buddha activity zazen. In this […]
The full title of this retreat is "The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path." Norman will lead us in sitting and walking meditation, and speak on themes from his new book, The World Could Be Otherwise, Through the Buddhist teaching of the six paramitas or "perfections", this book demonstrates an imaginative approach to spiritual […]
"I have discovered that it is necessary, absolutely necessary, to believe in nothing. That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color---something which exists before all forms and colors appear." ~ Shunryu Suzuki, roshi This theme will be explored in our practice and in the Dharma talk. The retreat will […]
The Healing Practice of Still Sitting In this time when our usual freedom of movement continues to be abridged, we can arouse the mind and spirit that is not dependent on movement. Please join us for this gentle day of sitting together virtually, which will include a Dharma talk by Practice Leader So-On Jim Hare. […]
Rohatsu sesshin is a time for bringing light into the dark time of the year and celebrating Buddha’s awakening, which is our awakening too. Our Rohatsu is on Zoom this year and has a very different format. It will last a full week, but we’ll be sitting just the morning and evening periods, Sunday through […]
"Kind speech" means that when you see sentient beings you arouse the mind of compassion and offer words of loving care. - Eihei Dogen With a morning Dharma talk and afternoon discussion, we will explore the Bodhisattva's practice of kind and compassionate speech. Our speaking will be bracketed by periods of sitting meditation. A detailed […]
Rev. Kokyo Henkel will offer a teaching on Buddha Nature with inspiration from the Book of Serenity, Case 93: Luzu's Not Meeting Luzu asked Nanquan, " 'People don't recognize the wish-fulfilling jewel which is intimately obtained from the tathagata-garbha (heart/womb of buddha)'. What is the garbha?" Nanquan said, "It is that in me which comes and […]
This half-day sitting (9 am - noon) will be followed by a Jizo Ceremony to celebrate the arrival of McKinsey Shrader, Joshua and Laura Shrader's soon-to-be-born second daughter. Rev. Doralee Grindler Katonah will offer the dharma talk and lead this special ceremony. Jizo, known as the 'Earth Store' or 'Earth Womb' Bodhisattva, embodies and transmits […]
This is a day-long meditation retreat with a Dharma talk by practice leader Rev. So On Jim Hare. "Riding the ox" or "riding a donkey" are phrases used in Zen stories to describe our responsive encounter with mind-consciousness during sitting meditation practice and in our daily lives. We will look at a couple of these stories […]
This workshop will be dedicated to writing practices that honor the Buddhist path. We will practice techniques that illustrate the overlap between mindfulness training and expressive writing. Using material from the Abhidharma, Mahayana sutras and writings of Eihei Dogen, we will demonstrate how personal writing can enrich our study of the dharma and provide a […]