Weekly Practice

Everyone is welcome to all of our practice activities. There is no charge, although donations are welcome.

Monday - Friday

6:15 am Zazen
6:50 am Kinhin
7:00 am Zazen
7:30 am Service
Circle gathering in the library

NOTE: Monday morning there will be a well-being ceremony in addition to the regular service. Anyone may submit a name whether they will be present or not. We are relying on contributions from participants. Please, donate what you think is fair.

Wednesday

6:30 pm Zazen* (instructions for beginners for the first 10 minutes in a separate room)
7:10 pm Kinhin
7:20 pm Zazen
8:00 pm End of evening

6:30 pm Class: Introduction to Zazen Practice

Thursday

6:30 pm Reading group / Dharma discussion

Saturday

7:30 am Zazen*
8:00 am Kinhin
8:10 am Zazen
8:40 am Service
8:50 am Soji (short work period)
9:15 am Reading Group
10:15 am End

Sunday

8:20 am Introduction to Zazen
9:30 am Zazen
10:10 Kinhin
10:20 am Dharma Talk

11:00 am Teatime

* Please be in your seat five minutes before the start of the zazen period.

Weekdays

Our regular weekly practice consists mainly of zazen, or seated meditation, and kinhin, or walking meditation. Practitioners are welcome to come for either or both periods of zazen. In the morning, we follow zazen with a short chanting service made up of the Heart Sutra and full bows.

Saturdays (except on half-day, one-day or longer sittings)

After zazen, service, and a short work period on Saturdays, we begin our dharma discussion, where we read aloud from a dharma text and engage in lively conversation. Over the years we have read together a wide variety of texts, ranging from the Vimalakirti and Lotus Sutras to Dôgen's Bendowa and commentaries by Katagiri Roshi and Suzuki Roshi. No preparation is necessary; it's not a "course", the atmosphere is informal and all comments are welcome. It offers an unusual opportunity to engage in interactive study of dharma texts and to express one's own understanding of the dharma.

Sundays

Those new to Zen practice are invited to our weekly Introduction to Zazen.  Other sangha members will arrive a little later for a period of zazen and then the dharma talk, a short presentation by the practice director or a guest speaker. Afterward there's tea and social time.