Welcome to the news page, where you can stay informed on the latest updates and events happening within our Sangha. We believe that staying connected is an important part of our practice, and hope that you find this section both energizing and inspiring.
Tricycle Article by Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat
Every month at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, New York Zendo, and the Zen Center of Syracuse, we hold a Mandala Day celebration to commemorate and pay homage to the predecessors in our lineage and all related teachers, sanghas, known and unknown, who helped to further the buddhadharma. Read Article
Monastery Restoration Campaign
Almost 50 years after the founding of Dai Bosatsu Zendo, age has taken its toll on the building, which was modeled on Tofukuji, a renowned temple in Kyoto, Japan. We are announcing a $1.5 million campaign to Restore the Monastery and uphold our remarkable heritage with a prioritized list of projects. Read More
Monastery Video Series – Part 3
This third video, “A Reciprocal Relationship,” lets you witness firsthand various areas of our monastery that need immediate attention. Thank you for joining in our collective endeavor to restore this historic building, which is nearly 50 years old. Watch Video
Monastery Video Series – Part 2
In the second video in the DBZ Monastery Series, we follow seasoned practitioners and newcomers as they journey up an unpaved mountain road to arrive at the tranquil monastery nestled deep in the Catskills. From zazen to teishos and dokusan to special ceremonies, the video offers a peek into the transformative experience of sesshin. Watch Video
Monastery Video Series – Part 1
We are excited to introduce you to the first video in our Dai Bosatsu Zendo Monastery Series. Join us on a journey to our temple, and see why spiritual seekers from all over the world have been coming here for the past 50 years to engage in the life-transforming practice of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Watch Video
Article by Hokuto Daniel Diffin
In a tradition renowned for paradox, the biggest paradox of Zen is this: Zen teachers have nothing to teach. That’s because the dharma is already yours—it is your own faceless face, unborn and indestructible, and only you can discover it. There is no magic mirror any teacher can hand over to make you see it. Read Article
Upcoming Retirement
As most of you know, I will be stepping down as abbot of the Zen Studies Society on October 1st of this year, the day before my 80th birthday. It is truly a bittersweet time. Of course there is no retirement from the Dharma! My life’s work — my life after lifetime’s work — can never end. Read More
Tricycle Article by Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat
Looking back at the challenges of the past three years, I find myself returning to the Diamond Sutra, which is such a guiding light. Short as it is—thirty-two brief chapters—it seems to convey exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it. At this time, chapter sixteen really resonates, especially when I alter the text from the third-person plural (they, their) to the first-person plural (we, our). Read Article
Message from Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat
Happy New Year! If there’s one word that expresses 2022, it’s gratitude. The lockdowns and restrictions of the pandemic woke us up to how much we had taken for granted. Now it feels wondrous to be able to practice together in person again — sitting, chanting, bowing, working, caring for each other and for our temples — and continuing to offer sesshin, dokusan and Dharma classes online as well. Read More