Zen Studies

  • HOME
  • Dai Bosatsu Zendo
    • Intro To Zen
    • Sesshin
    • Intensive Training
    • Work Study
    • Day Visits and Guests
    • The Open Space Program at the Beecher House
    • Calendar
    • Directions to DBZ
  • NEW YORK ZENDO
    • Introduction to Zen Meditation
    • Weekly Zazen Schedule
    • All-Day Sits / Weekend Sesshins
    • Calendar
    • Directions to NYZ
  • EVENTS
    • Online Sittings
    • Special Events
  • TEACHINGS
    • What Is Zen?
    • How To Practice Zen
    • Our Teachers
    • Teisho : Zen Talks
    • Reading List
    • Our Books
  • DONATE
    • The Historic Beecher House
    • Planned Giving
    • Endowment Fund
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Volunteering at the Zen Studies Society
    • Become a Member
    • Donate
    • Engaged Buddhism
  • ABOUT
    • History
    • Related Zen Centers
    • Mission, Values, Vision
    • Ethics Guidelines
    • Bylaws
    • The Board of Directors

The Historic Beecher House

Every year, hundreds of people leave the realm of their digital screens and overflowing appointment calendars to journey up an unpaved mountain road and find spiritual respite deep in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. They arrive at Dai Bosatsu Zendo to take part in week-long sesshin (intensive Zen retreats) or introductory weekends — and to participate in our Open Space program at Beecher House.

The Dai Bosatsu property encompasses 1,400 acres of pristine wilderness surrounding a clear lake in the middle of New York State’s Catskill Park preserve. By day, the air is fragrant and pure; at night, with no light pollution, billions of stars glimmer.

The Beecher House sits on the shore of this lake, the highest in the Catskills. It was built in 1875 by James Beecher, the brother of Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin galvanized the movement to end slavery in the United States. In the early 1970s, Dai Bosatsu Zendo’s first resident community lived and practiced at the Beecher House.

In 2021, the building was completely renovated and restored, and now has a new solarium and expansive deck that open out onto Beecher Lake and a wide view of the mountains rising beyond. The main monastery building, with its traditional Japanese architecture, is just a short walk away.

During spring, summer and fall, steeped in the beauty and healing energies of nature, the Open Space program includes retreats in yoga, shiatsu, reiki, forest bathing, environmental awareness, the Zen arts,12-Step retreats, and Healing and Wellness weekends for those living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Visitors enjoy walking the gentle hiking trail that circles the lake and encountering the wildlife dwelling there, from beavers to geese, bald eagles to trout leaping from the sparkling waters.

We invite you to support the Beecher House and our unique Open Space program with a donation today. Your contributions are essential for us to protect and maintain this historic building and continue offering the gift of spiritual exploration and transformation in a wondrous natural environment.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.




Receive Our Communications

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Zen Studies Society, 223 Beecher Lake Road, Livingston Manor, NY, 12758, https://www.zenstudies.org. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Join our online meetings and events

All our online offerings are
supported by your contributions

Shinge Roshi

PRACTICE

What Is Zen?
Zen is the direct experience of what we might call ultimate reality, or the absolute, yet it is not separate from the ordinary, the relative. Read More

How To Practice:
Zen is a path that must be studied, practiced, and actualized. The core of Zen practice is Zazen. Read More


Get Involved

Volunteer
Join us in work practice for an hour, a day or weekend. Read More

Donate
Please help support authentic Rinzai Zen practice. Become a one-time or monthly donor. Read More

Become a Member
Members help ensure that our temples are places of spiritual renewal and strong Dharma activity for generations to come. Read More

Dai Bosatsu Zendo
223 Beecher Lake Road
Livingston Manor, NY 12758
office@daibosatsu.org
(845) 439-4566

New York Zendo
223 East 67th Street
New York, NY 10065
office@newyorkzendo.org
(212) 861-3333

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • SoundCloud

© 2023 Zen Studies Log in