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DBZ: Rohatsu Sesshin

March 4, 2025 by Sabrina Plum

Rohatsu is held each year at Zen Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout the world. This eight-day intensive sesshin commemorates the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha who vowed not to rise from beneath the Bodhi tree until he achieved true awakening. We sit Rohatsu motivated by his dedication, realizing this is unsurpassable opportunity for deep practice.

Led by Chigan Roshi, Rohatsu begins the evening of November 30 and concludes on the morning of December 8 with Jodo-E (Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony). Each day, scheduled sittings extend farther and farther into the night. Each evening we will hear Hakuin Zenji’s “Rohatsu Exhortations.” Chigan Roshi and Shinge Roshi will give teisho and offer dokusan. For more details and the typical sesshin schedule, please visit the Dai Bosatsu Zendo Sesshin page.

The fee for this sesshin is $625 for nonmembers and $550 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If this will be your first sesshin, or you have any questions, please email office@daibosatsu.org before registering. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

If you are able to support students in financial difficulty, please consider making an additional donation. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you may apply for a reduced rate here.

Tagged With: Dharma Talk, Sesshin

DBZ: Harvest Sesshin

March 4, 2025 by Sabrina Plum

Led by Chigan Roshi, we come together during Harvest Sesshin amid the austere beauty of November on Dai Bosatsu Mountain. As we sit together in deep silence, we experience the profound stillness that inspires us to encounter our true nature.

For more details and the typical sesshin schedule, please visit the Dai Bosatsu Zendo Sesshin page.

The fee for this sesshin is $500 for nonmembers and $425 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If this will be your first sesshin, or you have any questions, please email office@daibosatsu.org before registering. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

If you are able to support students in financial difficulty, please consider making an additional donation. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you may apply for a reduced rate here.

Tagged With: Dharma Talk, Sesshin

DBZ: Golden Wind Sesshin

March 4, 2025 by Sabrina Plum

A monk asked Ummon, “What will happen when the leaves fall and the trees become bare?”

Ummon said, “Golden wind!”

Join us for a week of silence at Golden Wind Sesshin led by Chigan Roshi. As autumn paints the trees brilliant gold and the wind turns cool and crisp, experience the beauty on Dai Bosatsu Mountain as you clear and refresh your heart and mind. For more details and the typical sesshin schedule, please visit the Dai Bosatsu Zendo Sesshin page.

The fee for this sesshin is $550 for nonmembers and $475 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If this will be your first sesshin, or you have any questions, please email office@daibosatsu.org before registering. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

If you are able to support students in financial difficulty, please consider making an additional donation. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you may apply for a reduced rate here.

Tagged With: Dharma Talk, Sesshin

NYZ: Intro to Zen Day

February 2, 2025 by Sabrina Plum

For newcomers and experienced practitioners alike, the Intro to Zen Day at New York Zendo Shobo-ji is an opportunity to discover or reacquaint yourself with the essentials of Rinzai Zen Buddhist practice. This one-day session will include an introduction to zazen (seated meditation with attention to breath and posture), choka (morning chanting service), and samu (work practice). Participants will also learn how to use jihatsu (nested meal bowls) in a formal silent lunch. The afternoon will conclude with a Dharma Talk by a resident teacher, followed by informal tea and a Q&A period.

The fee for this program is $60 for nonmembers and $50 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If you are a current Sangha member and would like to volunteer for the day in exchange for admission please contact office@newyorkzendo.org.  ZSS Health Protocols apply.

 

Typical schedule (subject to change):

9:00 Doors open, check-in, find robes
9:30 Welcome, overview of the day, instruction on chanting
10:00 Choka (morning chanting service)
10:50 Short break
11:00 Instruction for zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation)
Noon Zazen, kinhin, zazen
1:00 Jihastu lunch with instruction
2:00 Nittensoji (cleaning) including lunch clean-up
2:40 Short break
2:50 Shinrei (warning bell)
3:00 Dharma talk
3:30 Zazen
4:00 Closing, tea, informal Q&A and conversation
5:00 Departure

 

Tagged With: Beginner Friendly, Dharma Talk, Intro to Meditation

NYZ: Seiza Quiet-sitting & Dharma Talk on Shin Buddhism

December 26, 2024 by Sabrina Plum

Join us for seiza meditation at New York Zendo Shobo-ji, led by Miki Nakura. Seiza (quiet sitting) was established in Japan more than 110 years ago by Okada Torajiro Sensei. The sitting form is the traditional Japanese kneeling position, but seiza can also be practiced sitting in a chair.

In seiza, we learn how to find the most physically balanced posture, in accordance with gravity, following correct breathing and allowing the full flow of energy into the lower belly (also known as the hara or tan t’ien region). Through this practice we can naturally experience total serenity of the body-mind. D.T. Suzuki encouraged American Zen students, including Ruth Fuller Sasaki, to practice seiza before and during their zazen training.

A quiet atmosphere with minimal distractions is essential to our practice. Please do not wear scented cosmetics, and set any electronic device to silent mode. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing.

About the instructor: Miki Nakura, a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist minister based in New York, started practicing seiza 30 years ago under the guidance of his teachers in Japan. He has been devoting himself to sharing seiza with students since 2004.

Everyone is welcome! Note that this event is offered in-person only. Registration is not required. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

Tagged With: Beginner Friendly, Dharma Talk, Zazen

DBZ: 49th Anniversary Sesshin // Waiting List Only

December 7, 2024 by Sabrina Plum

Registration is now closed. Please email office@daibosatsu.org to be placed on the waiting list. Sign up for the ZSS Newsletter to receive information on upcoming events.


Let us gather on Dai Bosatsu mountain and sit with all our might to requite the beneficence of the great founding teachers whose endless vow brought Dai Bosatsu Zendo into being!

Led by Abbot Chigan Roshi and Abbess Emerita Shinge Roshi, this seven-day sesshin commemorates the 49th Anniversary of Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji, which opened its doors on July 4, 1976. For more detail and to see a typical sesshin schedule, please visit the Dai Bosatsu Zendo Sesshin page.

The fee for this sesshin is $525 for nonmembers and $475 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If this will be your first sesshin, or you have any questions, please email office@daibosatsu.org before registering. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, please contact office@daibosatsu.org for support. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

Tagged With: Dharma Talk, Sesshin

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223 Beecher Lake Road
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