Saturday April 27 (Online)
Workshops at the Center: A Practical Introduction to Zen Throughout the year the Rochester Zen Center offers both in-person and online introductory meditation workshops taught either by Sensei John Pulleyn (pronounced “puh-leen“) or Sensei Dhara Kowal, along with senior students. Because getting started in Zen practice isn’t as simple as attending a new church on…
Sunday April 28 (Hybrid)
Teisho, (pronounced “TAY-show”), is a formal (though largely extemporaneous) commentary given at Rochester Zen Center by either Sensei Dhara Kowal or Sensei John Pulleyn while facing the altar. In sesshin it is usually on a koan or other Zen text, whereas outside sesshin it may be on a non-Zen article or book. A teisho is…
Sunday April 28 (Online)
DepreshZen is an informal, online gathering for Sangha members to explore and discuss mental health. We meet for an hour most Sundays at 3:30 pm Eastern. DepreshZen provides a safe space to talk, educate, and share experiences and perspectives of mental health, including how it can affect Zen practice. Our discussions explore meaning, purpose, and reflection…
Wednesday May 1 (In-person)
“Youth Night in the Zendo” (for children 9 years+) is held weekly on Wednesdays at 6-7pm except during sesshin or when the Center is closed.  We gather in the link or in the dining room before heading into the zendo. The general structure is: three rounds of zazen divided over 30 minutes, and then 30…
Saturday May 4 (Hybrid)
At our Introduction to Zen Meditation workshops, we cover the basics of zazen: posture, breath practice, and kinhin (walking meditation). In Zen 101, we discuss the more outward forms of Zen practice such as: Prostrations: How do we do them and why? Traditional Zen chanting. Getting acquainted with some Zen terminology (e.g., Bodhisattva, Jukai, Rakusu,…
Sunday May 5 (In-person)
The Rochester Zen Center Youth and Family Program (affectionately called ‘Zen Kids’) meets on select Sundays from 8:30-10:30 am. We welcome children of all ages to our Youth Sundays, and families are invited to stay for our community brunch afterwards. Since we anticipate a wide range of ages, please RSVP Chris Maley (cmaley2@gmail.com) by Thursday evening…
Sunday May 5 (Online)
About every couple of weeks after the Sunday morning sitting at 11:30 a.m., a group of Sangha members meets for an hour on Zoom to provide support for each other while dealing with issues of life, death, and illness. Participants affectionately refer to the group as ZLD. At ZLD meetings, we share, we listen, we…
Sunday May 19 (Hybrid)
Daily sittings are great, but an extended sitting is a chance to wade further into the waters of zazen. You’ll get a break from stress, a taste of a sesshin day, and maybe even a new perspective on your mind and life. Besides the usual sitting that will run from 8:30 to around 10:30, there…
Sunday May 19 (Hybrid)
You’re invited to join this hour-long, hybrid meeting of Uprooting Racism. We begin at 11:15 am (Eastern) in the Garden Conference Room at Arnold Park and on Zoom . The mission of Uprooting Racism is to gain personal insight into racism in order to abandon it on an individual level, dismantle it on an institutional…
Sunday May 19 (Online)
A Sangha Engagement Online Program Dharma Reflections takes place the third Sunday of each month from 1:00 to 2:15pm Eastern on Zoom. Longtime RZC member Larry McSpadden leads friendly discussions, suitable for newcomers and established practitioners alike, on short selections of Buddhist writings and teachings. If you’re interested in attending DR meetings or need more…
Monday May 20 (Online)
Calling all those involved in parenting, including grandparents and chosen aunties and uncles! Once a month join Sangha member Susan Rakow on Zoom from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m. (Eastern), for a light-hearted, expert-led, educational, and supportive Parent Practice group. Click here to sign up.
June 1-8, 2024 (Hybrid)
Sesshins (Zen meditation retreats held in silence and seclusion) are offered about once a month at the Rochester Zen Center. They vary in length from two to seven days.
What to Know Before Applying to Sesshin
Sesshins are rigorous, demanding a great deal of the sitter….
Help with the Cost of Sesshin
Do you need financial help with sesshin or residential training? With the recent increase in sesshin costs, we’re guessing more people need this support. We want to get the word out that the Training Fund is here to help. If costs make the difference between your applying or not applying, please do ask for Training…
Saturday June 15 (In-person)
Dokusan is a one-to-one teaching encounter in private given at this center by a fully authorized Zen teacher — either Sensei John Pulleyn or Sensei Dhara Kowal. It is open to those who have become members of the Center. Dokusan is geared to matters of practice in the narrow sense of the word (e.g., zazen), but…
Sunday June 16 (Hybrid)
Friends, our next Sangha meeting (hybrid) will be on June 16. Come in-person after the Sunday morning sitting at Arnold Park or use the usual meeting codes to attend on Zoom. One day, Ananda, who had been thinking deeply about things for a while, turned to the Buddha and exclaimed: “Lord, I’ve been thinking –…
October 10 - 24 (Hybrid)
Our next Term Intensive (TI) runs October 10-24, 2024. The Term Intensive offers us a supportive structure in which to extend our practice efforts for a set period of time. Participants pledge to uphold a schedule of increased sitting and, if they wish, other aspects of discipline that relate directly or indirectly to their Zen…
An extensive list of emails to the community — from the present to 2018 — with news and details about many current and past events.