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…
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 (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….
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…