Zen Studies Society

NYZ: Insight OUT Refuge: LGBTQI Sangha
2023-11-27 18:30 - 20:30, 2023-10-23 18:30 - 20:30, 2023-09-18 18:30 - 20:30, 2023-07-24 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | New York Zendo, 223 E 67th St, New York, NY, 10065
Sponsored by New York Insight.
Come join us for meditation and discussion to meet and socialize with other LGBTQI practitioners at NYI.
Our community is open to students of all Buddhist traditions, as well as those who are in the beginning stages of exploring their meditation practice and have an interest in the Dharma. All those who identify as LGBTQI are welcome.
We gather to form a multicultural community in which we can support each other in our practice with a commitment toward social change.
To join the Online gathering on the 2nd Monday of each month, please scroll down for the Zoom link.
Space is limited for our In-Person Gatherings each month, and RSVP is required. Please click here to RSVP.
All proceeds will support this sangha’s teacher(s) and other NYI teacher support. Please contact registration@nyimc.org if you need assistance.
Fee by donation: Suggested starting donation is $15 but whatever you offer is greatly appreciated and no one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

NYZ: Call Me By My True Names
2023-11-18 14:00 - 16:00 | New York Zendo, 223 E 67th St, New York, NY, 10065
Exploring Identities, Complexes and Compassion with Jifu Devyani Sadh.
Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up and the door of my heart could be left open, the door of compassion. — Thich Nhat Hanh
This transformative workshop is an introspective exploration of the profound impact of our various identities on our experiences and our journey toward transcending all identities.
We will begin with a brief period of Zazen followed by an investigation of the superiority complex, a formidable barrier to authentic human connection. Together, we will aim to unveil the origins of this complex and discern effective strategies for disentangling its grip. Our exploration will continue as we navigate the terrain of insecurities and self-doubts, addressing the pervasive inferiority complex. We will illuminate ways in which this complex shapes our lives and facilitate the discovery of methods to unburden ourselves. At the core of our workshop, we confront the equality complex. We will examine this through the lens of Thich Nhat Hanh and Rinzai Zen, contemplating the delusion of the separate self and exploring ways to unlock the door of compassion.
Facilitating this transformative experience is Jifu, a psychologist and dedicated Zen practitioner of over 25 years, deeply immersed in both the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition and Rinzai Zen. Her unique blend of insights, grounded in her reception of the precepts in both traditions, will help guide our collective dialogue, unraveling the complexities of our human experience. Join us on this illuminating journey as we navigate the intricacies of our identities and nurture the seeds of compassion within.
A $10 donation is encouraged, but not mandatory. The workshop is designed for a small group of people and space is limited, so please register early! ZSS Health Protocols apply.

NYZ: Generation Meditation with NY Insight
2023-11-13 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-10-09 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-09-11 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-08-14 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-07-10 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-06-12 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-05-08 19:00 - 20:45, 2023-04-10 19:00 - 20:45 | New York Zendo, 223 E 67th St, New York, NY, 10065
Sponsored by NY Insight, this community meets monthly to meditate, discuss Buddhist teachings, and provide mutual support in applying these practices to the specific challenges of the participants.
The gathering is participatory and casual.
Discussion may follow inquiries about the reading, meditation practice, and life off-the-cushion, viewed through dharma teachings.
We aspire to build a community that is authentic, relational, pragmatic and joyful. All are warmly welcome.
There is no required level of experience or familiarity with meditation or Buddhism. Meditation instruction is given.
The age range to attend this sangha is 18-35.
Space is limited, please RSVP here.
All proceeds will support this sangha’s teacher(s) and other NYI teacher support. Please contact registration@nyimc.org if you need assistance.
Suggested donation is $10 but whatever you offer is greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Online: Zen Poetics: Poetry in Zen, Zen in Poetry - Registration is closed
2023-10-15 16:00 - 17:30 | Online
Eight-week course starting Sunday, Oct. 15
The interplay of poetry and Zen is inevitable: Poetry is a way of expressing the inexpressible; Zen is a way of exploring the inconceivable. In this eight-week online course, Hokuto Daniel Diffin Osho will explore the ways in which poetry and the Zen sensibility nourish and inform one another.
Topics will include the nature of poetry — why it predates written language and why it has so many forms and function; the challenges and rewards of poetry in translation; the use of poetry in religious traditions, especially in Buddhist sutras, gathas, and texts such as “Faith in Mind”; poetry and anti-poetry in koans; the use of “capping phrases” (jakugo) in koan study; traditional Zen-influenced poetic forms such as haiku and tanka, as well as the influence of Zen on Western poetry, especially modern American poetry.
We will explore the words of Zen masters Joshu and Ummon, the Chinese poets Wang Wei, Tu Fu and Han Shan, haiku and tanka of well-known poets such as Basho and Ryokan as well as lesser-known poets such as Hitomaro, classical Persian poets such as Rumi and Kabir, and Western poets such as Antonio Machado, Wallace Stevens, Jane Hirshfield, Rita Dove and Billy Collins.
Students will be encouraged (not required) to write and share their own poetry and to view poetry not as a solitary means of escape, but as a lens to examine experience, the mind, and the world.
The course will be held online each Sunday at 4 p.m., beginning on Sunday, October 15 except during sesshin on October 29, November 12, and December 3. Each class will last approximately 90 minutes. The fee for the course is $100 for Zen Studies Society members, $200 for nonmembers, and $50 for ordained. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the office for support. A suggested reading list will be provided upon registration. The deadline for registration is October 14. Registgration is closed for this event – we hope to see you in the future at New York Zendo or Dai Bosatsu Zendo or online.

NYZ: Temple Committee Meeting
2023-07-30 14:00 - 16:00 | New York Zendo, 223 E 67th St, New York, NY, 10065
The Shoboji Temple Committee will meet this afternoon in the Dharma Hall.
For this particular meeting, we welcome sangha members who are not formally part of the Committee.

DBZ: Volunteer Days
2023-06-28 16:00 - 2023-06-30 14:00 | Dai Bosatsu Zendo, 223 Beecher Lake Road, Livingston Manor, NY, 12758
Volunteer Days at Dai Bosatsu Zendo
Join the monastery residents this spring for volunteer days at Dai Bosatsu!
Samu (work practice) is a traditional part of Zen monastery life. When the weather allows, we will be working outside. Participants also do nittensoji (temple cleaning), cooking, and other tasks. The schedule will include zazen (meditation), chanting and traditional monastery meals using three bowls and chopsticks. There will be an orientation for all first-time attendees.
Volunteer days are free. To sign up, please email the office. ZSS Health Protocols apply.
Looking forward to seeing you at DBZ this spring!

NYZ: InsightOUT Refuge Sangha (NYI), special Pride edition
2023-06-26 18:30 - 20:30 | New York Zendo, 223 E 67th St, New York, NY, 10065
Sponsored by New York Insight.
Join Insight OUT Refuge and allies for an in-person collective expression of our Refuge. We’ll meditate together and share an open discussion of what it means to take Refuge this Pride season alongside daily assaults on our political rights and identities. This is a time to reach for community like never before.
Join us online via Zoom: https://bit.ly/nyiinsightout
Meeting ID: 845 0390 5943
Passcode: 123
Dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbAkW4rpL2
Space for in-person attendance is limited. Please reserve your in-person seat by clicking here.
Please arrive 15-20 minutes early to ensure an orderly check-in.
Reserved seats will be released at 6:30 PM to our waitlist.
If we are sold out, please sign-up for the waiting list – there may be a gap before the Wait List opens.
If you are on the Wait List, please email registration@nyimc.org between 5:30-6 pm on the day to inquire if space opened up for you to join us.
Walk-Ins will be admitted if space is available on a first-come basis at the start of the program.
If you are having trouble completing your RSVP or donation, please CLICK HERE to open it in a new browser. All proceeds will support this sangha’s teacher(s) and other NYI teacher support. Please contact registration@nyimc.org if you need assistance.
Fee by donation: Suggested starting donation is $15 but whatever you offer is greatly appreciated and no one is ever turned away for lack of funds.
