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Engaged at ZSS – Ecoworks Update

February 5, 2025 by Devyani Sadh

By Jikyo Bonnie Shoultz Sensei

In November 2024, we shared a vision for an Engaged Buddhism Eco Workshop at DBZ and invited the sangha to join us in bringing it to life. We were heartened by the enthusiastic response—twelve members expressed interest in helping shape this initiative, and the group has already met twice. We will continue meeting via Zoom throughout the spring on the second Friday of each month at 10 a.m., with the intention of gathering at DBZ this summer to begin implementing our ideas. If this project continues to thrive, we envision hosting a larger-scale event in the summer of 2026, inviting broader participation and engagement.

The Eco Workshop reflects our collective commitment to ecological responsibility as an integral part of our practice. The ZSS 2024 Annual Report describes it as follows:

“In 2024, ZSS launched a new initiative aimed at fostering ecological responsibility through community engagement…This event will explore DBZ’s natural and structural environment, showcase its innovative stewardship practices, and engage participants in collaborative sustainability projects.

While initial projects may focus most on benefiting DBZ, the workshop welcomes participants with expertise or interest in broader ecological fields, such as sustainable urban planning. Enthusiastically supported by the Abbot and retired Abbot, this initiative represents a meaningful integration of environmental care with spiritual practice. It offers a platform for collective action, learning, and impactful contributions to both the monastery and the global ecological effort.”

The group began forming a foundation for this work during our initial meeting in December. Soren Cathy Shrady generously offered to coordinate logistics, and others contributed inspiring ideas. Keirin Brian Smith proposed leading a tour of DBZ’s sustainable systems—including solar power, heat pumps, roof coverings, and water systems—to highlight current efforts and future opportunities. Drawing on the environmental science expertise of several group members, we envisioned a meaningful weekend of workshops and hands-on projects framed by zazen and other elements of our practice.

At our second meeting in January, Shinge Roshi spoke about the urgency of the climate crisis. We discussed the need to approach this work with clarity and hope rather than despair, and this led to a deeper exploration where Myorin Catherine Landis shared the idea that an impactful goal could be to make climate knowledge and action part of the Sangha as a whole. She highlighted how, among indigenous groups, ecological awareness is woven into every aspect of life—their cosmology, rituals, and politics—and shared writings by Potawatomi and Haudenosaunee scholars with us. Shinge Roshi encouraged us to consider how, as Buddhists, we might teach an approach rooted in shared responsibility for climate change, a principle central to indigenous perspectives. Our group is now deeply engaged with this question.

Our next meeting will be on Friday, February 14, at 10 a.m. via Zoom. It is not too late to join the planning group—we welcome your ideas and energy. Please email engaged@zenstudies.org if you are interested.

Filed Under: Jikyo Bonnie Shoultz Sensei

2024 Annual Report

January 31, 2025 by Devyani Sadh

By Jifu Devyani Sadh

As I conclude my six-year term on the Board, I reflect with deep gratitude on all we have accomplished together. Thanks to your support, the Zen Studies Society has grown into a thriving community, balancing financial strength with our deeper mission of cultivating wisdom and compassion.

Over the past five years, we have made significant progress—renovating and restoring sacred spaces, launching environmental initiatives, and expanding programs. Financially, we strengthened our foundation with a 155% increase in annual revenue and a 70% growth in strategic reserves and endowment funds over this period, ensuring long-term sustainability. The Monastery Restoration Campaign surpassed $1 million in donations, supporting essential projects to preserve Dai Bosatsu Zendo for future generations.

Our sangha’s engagement was equally inspiring. Eighteen members—the largest group in six years—enrolled in the Bodhisattva Training Program led by our Abbot, Chigan Roshi. We also doubled the number of Intro to Zen programs and saw our Junior Dharma Teachers step into new leadership roles.

Guided by our abbot’s vision, we strengthened our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Through community initiatives, board discussions, and efforts to actualize these Bodhisattva ideals, we continue working toward a more welcoming and inclusive practice environment for all.

I invite you to explore our 2024 Annual Report, which highlights these achievements, along with insights into our financial health, programs, supporters, and a message from our abbot. Together, we are building a community that serves the Dharma and benefits all beings.

Filed Under: Jifu Devyani Sadh

2025 Letter from the Abbot

January 31, 2025 by Devyani Sadh

By Chigan Roland Jaeckel Roshi

Another year has ended, and we are happy to present our 2024 Annual Report. The report provides an overview of our activities and accomplishments in 2024. It recounts our aspirations and illustrates the impact of your kindness, generosity, time, and material contributions. While it is impressive to enumerate and quantify, I am writing these words to remind us that developing wisdom and compassion is not a quantitative undertaking. This practice is not about accumulating merit or good deeds but cultivating the qualities of presence, clarity, openness, and loving-kindness.

Over two and a half millennia ago, an Indian prince was born into a station of material and spiritual privilege: Siddhartha Gautama. Growing up motherless, reared by a loving and compassionate aunt, he grew into a father and husband. Unfulfilled and determined to fathom what lies behind this human existence, he set out to practice as a homeless yogi and an ascetic. He ended up meditating under a tree and — solely through his own efforts — awakening. Like Siddhartha, the heart of our Rinzai Zen practice is driven by this innate longing for completion, the wish for liberation from a fragmented and self-centered existence. We long to overcome what causes us to suffer, inflict suffering, and devastate the world with acts of unspeakable violence.

In today’s twenty-first-century society and culture, we find ourselves inundated with constant competition for our attention. Our economy rewards those who are best at capturing the consumer’s attention. A second, equally powerful force in our highly unequal and deeply divided societal landscape is the deliberate sowing of fear and discontent. When selling products, services, news, and ideology, the end often justifies means that are driven by greed, anger, and delusion. All too often, even when genuinely seeking solutions, human beings are blinded by skillfully offered affirmations or lofty promises that fall short of what they advertise.

In this attention-driven world, we are deeply grateful for your attention to this practice and the Zen Studies Society. Beyond the numbers and achievements, I am even happier to say that 2024 was exciting and successful, thanks to your effort, contributions, and presence. This world needs you, your compassion, and your wisdom. Let us continue cultivating these treasures together.

Filed Under: Chigan Roshi

2025 The Birth of Fourteen Bodhisattvas: Walking the Path of Unlimited Humanity

January 8, 2025 by Devyani Sadh

By Jishin Liz Kuney Sensei

November 7th, 2024 was a mild late autumn Sunday at the mountain monastery. The annual Harvest Sesshin had just concluded that morning. After many months and often years of preparation, fourteen aspirants would receive the Zen Buddhist precepts on this day, vowing to do their best to live according to these principles and receiving a Dharma name and rakusu (a small garment that symbolizes their vows). 

By late morning, thirty family members, friends, and Sangha members arrived and joined the thirty-two sesshin participants to celebrate the first Jukai Ceremony at Dai Bosatsu Zendo conducted by the new Abbot of the Zen Studies Society. While the event is typically referred to as jukai, a Japanese term meaning to receive the precepts, Chigan Roshi called the ceremony a “Bodhisattva Initiation,” highlighting the commitment a person makes to living the bodhisattva path.  

A good portion of the guests had never been to Dai Bosatsu Zendo, and many were unfamiliar with the elaborate and unusual customs of traditional Buddhist practice. But Chigan Roshi made everyone feel welcome and at ease with his warm-hearted and generous manner. Explaining in simple, relatable terms what a bodhisattva might be, he compared it to the term mensch, describing “somebody who is a true human being, who goes out into the world to help whoever requires help, to love whoever requires love.”  

Putting the religious backdrop into context for the newcomers and drawing everyone’s focus to the essential point, he said, “It’s not about the robes. It’s not about the chanting and the trimmings. It’s about developing a heart that goes into the world and freely helps without any thought of or desire for gain, doing the right thing because it is the right thing, becoming a pure human being who has the maturity to look at one’s own shortcomings consistently and at the same time is able to forgive oneself as well as those who have transgressed. And with that, one fulfills the function of what is called a bodhisattva.” 

Chigan Roshi illuminated the portrait of a bodhisattva even more vividly, detailing the level of dedication required to enter into benevolent relationship with this world, particularly when conflicts arise. A bodhisattva would be willing to speak up and address issues if necessary, but “not from a place that is offensive—rather from a place that is open and spacious.” He continued, “by dissolving difficulties in this way, we can contribute to making this world a more peaceful place, a more mindful place, a more respectful place, no matter what the circumstances.” Demonstrating our vows in our daily lives, he affirmed the bodhisattva within us is awakened, “manifesting unconditional love for humanity, for life itself, and for the planet” and thereby “walking the path of unlimited humanity.” 

The fourteen bodhisattvas initiated on November 7th (twelve present in the hall and two online), along with four others who will receive the precepts at New York Zendo in the coming weeks, met online with Chigan Roshi once a month for five months ahead of the ceremony. The workshops featured all the elements that activate a jukai ceremony: Purification, the Three Fundamental Precepts, the Three Refuges, the Ten Names of the Buddhas, and each of the Ten Important Precepts. Several of the newly ordained junior Dharma teachers assisted in leading the meetings as well. 

Chigan Roshi also invited the Dharma teachers who attended the November ceremony to formally present the jukai students with their rakusu as he announced and explained their Dharma names: 

Emmyō Avesha P. 円妙 Mysterious Circle Rōshin Ashni S. 老心 Old Heart
Gessha Todd F. 月舎  Moon Hut Ryōgetsu Lisette K. 涼月 Clear Moon
Kōen Massimiliano D. 洪淵 Vast Depth Senzan Mike S. 仙山 Hermit Mountain
Koki Maria Layla B. 狐気 Spirit Fox Shōjū Artemisa A. 照常 Eternal Illumination
Ōraku Karuna H. 和楽 Peace & Harmony Shutei Siarzuk S. 守貞 Guardian of Righteousness
Eikyū Nadia M. 永久 Eternity Shūten Marc D. 秋天  Autumn Sky
Eisai Alec D.  英才 Great Talent  Taigen Stewart H. 大源  Great Source

After the ceremony, the initiates met in the Abbot’s meeting room, where Chigan Roshi presented them with their jukai certificates and interpreted the Japanese characters brushed on the backs of their rakusu.

Finally, all gathered for a celebration in the dining room, where the delicious offerings were nearly as abundant as the happy smiles that danced through the air. 

Filed Under: Jishin Liz Kuney Sensei

2025 New Year Message from Chigan Roshi

January 1, 2025 by Devyani Sadh

By Chigan Roland Jaeckel Roshi

The end of one calendar year and the beginning of another invite us to contemplate and recognize the activity of time. We look at where we are, where we came from, and where our intentions may lead us in our journey through the three periods of time. The Year of the Dragon will end shortly and give way to the Year of the Snake, another scaly sign of the zodiac.

The snake has many connotations and interpretations as an animal and an archetype. In East Asian culture, the snake signifies wisdom and transformation. As we move into 2025, we anticipate significant changes and challenges in our country, our society, and our civic life. Wisdom is of great importance during these times of transformation, and we are invited to dig deeply into the function of our own heart-mind. As times change, we change — impermanence is at work.

When the time is ripe, the snake sheds its skin. This shedding may occur as the snake outgrows its tight skin, sustains an injury, matures to another stage of its life cycle, or reacts to environmental changes. The snake’s old skin turns opaque, even over its eyes, rendering it practically blind at times. To pierce the old skin, the snake rubs its head against a rough surface. Once the head is exposed, the snake moves through tight spaces to catch the dead skin and peel it off its body.

When we experience change and challenging times, let us employ the wisdom of the snake. Events that feel excoriating may serve as opportunities to break through and free ourselves. When we feel that we cannot see a way out, the old, opaque skin of habit, fear, and avoidance may be what obstructs our sight. We must develop the wisdom that recognizes that events which appear to be constraining us may be opportunities to shed the old and emerge into a new and dynamic now.

2024 was truly remarkable. ZSS welcomed nine new Junior Dharma teachers who have become integral contributors to the sangha. Shinge Roshi and Hokuto Osho’s presence and leadership during the Dai Bosatsu Zendo Anniversary and Rohatsu Sesshin added to the bounty of Dharma treasures we reaped last year. Our new Dharma teachers helped facilitate the 2024 Bodhisattva Initiation, which included fourteen Jukai recipients.

The Zen Studies Society remains healthy and strong, thanks to your practice and generous support. Nevertheless, our programs do not defray the cost of our two temples, and your support is crucial. We deeply appreciate your generosity; every contribution, regardless of size, makes a lasting impact.

Farewell 2024, and welcome to the New Year! Let us meet 2025 with unwavering curiosity and care. Happy New Year of the Snake!

Filed Under: Chigan Roshi

Engaged at ZSS – Bridging Gaps

January 1, 2025 by Devyani Sadh

By Rev. Mudo Seiho Morris

“Love is an act of will—namely, both an intention and an action.” This insight from bell hooks’ All About Love invites us to see love as a conscious commitment to transform how we live and connect. In a world often divided by systems of out-grouping and cultural stratification, “love as action” becomes a powerful antidote to separation and indifference. It asks us to cultivate resilience and take steps to bridge the divides that harm our shared humanity.

The Twelve Steps to Bridging Divides offers a pathway to transform these divisions into opportunities for growth and connection. As hooks teaches, “Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust.” This framework encourages intentional and consistent self-reflection, courageous action, and an unwavering commitment to supporting belonging for all.

The first step is acknowledging the harm caused by systems that out-group. Often, we unknowingly inherit biases and perspectives that perpetuate separation. By bringing gentle awareness to these patterns, we create space to explore their roots without judgment. This process is not about blame but about engaging with honesty and humility.

As hooks reminds us, love requires intentionality—and with intention comes responsibility. The Twelve Steps guide us in this responsibility:

  1. Recognize the impact of out-grouping and cultural stratification
  2. Align actions with values of compassion and equity
  3. Commit to transforming exclusion into connection
  4. Reflect on how conditioning shapes personal and collective beliefs
  5. Share reflections to uncover and address harmful patterns
  6. Embrace the willingness to change and dismantle divides
  7. Practice inclusion with courage and care
  8. Seek to understand and address the wounds of out-grouping
  9. Make amends where possible, with humility and wisdom
  10. Continue self-reflection to meet emerging biases
  11. Deepen alignment with mutual respect and connection
  12. Share the practice of fostering inclusion in all aspects of life

This work requires resilience—not as indifference, but as a dynamic practice of care for ourselves and others. Resilience is cultivated through self-care, community engagement, and practices that center us in the present moment. Meditation, journaling, and dialogues across differences allow us to navigate discomfort with grace, transforming it into insight.

At its heart, this journey is one of love in action. By intentionally addressing divides, we free ourselves and others from the weight of separation. We invite curiosity, compassion, and connection to replace fear and indifference. As we do, we begin to see that the act of bridging divides is not just for others—it is for ourselves, too.

Together, we can create communities where every person feels seen, valued, and included. This is the love bell hooks speaks of—a commitment to care, connection, and the courageous act of transformation.

Filed Under: Rev. Mudo Seiho Morris

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