Thursday August 15 (Hybrid)
Everyone is invited to join with fellow Sangha members in the Arnold Park zendo at 7 p.m. for zazen (with dokusan for in-person participants), followed by this meaningful ceremony. Since the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, repentance has been an integral aspect of Buddhist practice. As Zen master Dogen said, “Sincere repentance helps us to cleanse…
Saturday August 17 (In-person)
Our annual potluck picnic at Chapin Mill, our retreat center near Batavia, is coming soon! It’s an opportunity to hang out with Sangha, enjoy great food, explore the beautiful country property, and take a dip in the spring-fed pond. Everyone is invited – Sangha, friends, children, and friendly dogs! Plan to arrive anytime from 11…
Sunday August 18 (Hybrid)
This is our annual remembrance of Roshi Philip Kapleau, Founder of the Rochester Zen Center. We will begin sitting one extended round (usually 50 minutes) with a bell at the half-way point for a posture change. The round will be followed by kinhin, a short chanting service, and then a recorded teisho by Roshi Philip…
Monday August 19 (In-person)
Free Gokhale Workshop, Monday, August 19, 7:00 pm. Esther Gokhale, author of 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, an excellent resource on posture and body mechanics, has generously offered to lead a free session for our Sangha – this time related specifically to bowing posture – in the Arnold Park zendo (details below). If you’re interested…
September 6-8, 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….
Saturday September 14 (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…
Saturday September 14 (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 September 15 (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 October 13 (Hybrid)
Friends, You are welcome to join our next Sangha meeting in-person (after the Sunday morning sitting at Arnold Park) or on Zoom using the usual meeting codes. These gatherings are a chance to let all who are interested know what’s going on and coming up at the Center — plus they’re an opportunity to ask…
Tuesday October 15 (In-person)
On Tuesday evening, the zendo and adjoining areas will be set up for the annual ceremony honoring Bodhidharma, the “bearded barbarian” who founded Zen in China. Beginning at 7 p.m., we’ll sit for two short rounds, and the ceremony will follow (no dokusan, private instruction, or group instruction that night). Beginners: Come check out this…
October 17 - November 14 (Hybrid)
Our next Term Intensive (TI) runs October 17 – November 14, 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…
Saturday October 19 (In-person)
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 November 17 (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…
Tuesday December 10 (In-person)
On Tuesday evening, we’ll hold the annual ceremony that commemorates the Buddha’s Great Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, complete with sutra reading, chanting, and warm milk-rice in the candle-lit dining room. Sitting begins at 7 pm, and the ceremony will follow at 8:00.