Zen Studies Society

DBZ: Jukai Ceremony

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Please join us for the 2025 Jukai (Ten Precepts) ceremony at Dai Bosatsu Zendo. Led by Chigan Roshi, this ceremony will witness and honor the commitments of this year’s Jukai students, who will vow to uphold the Zen precepts for lay students. These students will formally become Buddhists and will receive a Dharma name and a rakusu (traditional Japanese garment worn by those who take the precepts).

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., just after the closing of Harvest sesshin. There will be a celebratory informal lunch after the ceremony.

The fee is $25 for the ceremony and lunch. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

NYZ: Zen in the Kitchen – Shojin Ryori Cooking Workshop

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Join us for a temple cuisine workshop with Masami Asao, Saturday November 1st and/or Sunday November 2nd. Learn delicious, traditional Japanese recipes in a beautiful temple setting at New York Zendo Shobo-ji.

Shojin ryori is an ancient form of Buddhist temple cooking that uses only simple, seasonal plant-based ingredients (no meat, fish, eggs, or even strong-smelling vegetables such as onions and garlic). The experience of making and eating shojin ryori connects you to the heart, spirit, and traditions of Japan.

In this workshop you will learn to prepare shojin ryori dishes with one of Japan’s leading instructors, Masami Asao Sensei. Asao Sensei, a temple chef and registered dietitian, is Director of Akasaka Teran, a vegetarian cooking school located within Jokokuji, a 350-year-old temple in Tokyo.

There will be a different menu each day, you are welcome to attend one or both days. The fee for this course is $85 per day or $150 for both days. To register for Sunday, November 2nd only, please click here. Instruction will be in Japanese with an English interpreter. Space is limited, so register early!  ZSS Health Protocols apply.

NYZ: “Dust to Light” Watch Party & Tea Ceremony

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Join us for an afternoon release party of Dust to Light, a short documentary made by Sangha member Enkai Erika Houle. Dust to Light is about what is really going on under the surface when we are cleaning. The film listens as four Zen practitioners reflect on the transformative process of cleaning when it is approached as a meditation rather than burdensome chore.

The film been screened in festivals around the world and will soon be available to the public. This event is the official release party and aligns with the date of the annual cleaning ceremony at Higashi Hongan-ji, the Pureland temple Miki Nakura Sensei is connected to. Enkai filmed this event for the upcoming piece. Locally, this day is also important as the NYC Department of Sanitation was founded on December 20th, 1881.

Inspired by audiences’ responses to the film, Enkai is working on a longer piece about cleaning. A sneak peek will be shown at the conclusion of the screening.

For those who cannot attend in person, an option to join the screening and Q&A via Zoom will be available.

The schedule will be as follows:

1:45 p.m. | Doors Open
2:00 p.m. | Tea Ceremony
3:00 p.m. | Film Screening + Q&A (also available online)

Tickets are $15, please register by purchasing a ticket below. The fee will cover any event expenses with the remainder going to support The Zen Studies Society. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, please email office@newyorkzendo.org or call 212-861-3333 if you need financial support. ZSS Health Protocols apply. 

This event is made possible with support from Tea Arts & Culture.

DBZ: Aiho Yasuko Shimano Burial Service

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Aiho Yasuko Shimano
March 5, 1935 – July 7, 2025

Please join us at Dai Bosatsu Zendo for a memorial service and the interment of Aiho Yasuko Shimano.

Aiho-san was the former Director of New York Zendo Shobo-ji and the spouse of Eido Shimano Roshi. With this memorial service and interment, Aiho-san’s ashes are returning to Dai Bosatsu Zendo and will be placed next to her late husband in the Shimano Family plot in Sangha Meadow.

Following the service, an informal vegetarian sarei-style lunch will be offered in the dining room. There will be an opportunity to meet with Chigan Roshi after the event concludes.

All are welcome, please register by purchasing a ticket below. A donation of $20 to cover the cost of lunch is kindly requested. Additional donations are always welcome, every offering is greatly appreciated. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

NYZ: Suizen Intensive

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Suizen, or “blowing Zen”, refers to the spiritual practice of playing the shakuhachi flute during zazen. The honkyoku repertoire of the shakuhachi – which was developed specifically for Zen practice – has particular technical and aesthetic features that allow it to resist being heard as “music.” Therefore, it tends not to distract the meditating mind in the way that other music might. Compared to other shakuhachi repertoires, honkyoku pieces feature fewer notes with a focus on ornamentation and timbral effects.

There is a famous saying from the world of suizen: ichion jobutsu, meaning “enlightenment in a single note.” Come join us for an afternoon of immersion in this one mysterious note.

Our program will include six forty-minute periods of suizen, with kinhin (walking meditation) in between. Participants must have completed an Introduction to Zen Meditation class before registering.

Solo shakuhachi will be played by Karaku Marco Burmester, who has been studying shakuhachi in New York City and Kyoto since 2006. Karaku has a long-time connection to Dai Bosatsu Zendo as a student of Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin, who held workshops at DBZ for many years. He has recently been awarded his shakuhachi teaching certificate and is looking forward to sharing his practice of suizen with the Zen Studies Society Sangha.

The fee for this event is $40 for nonmembers and $30 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If you have any questions, please email office@newyorkzendo.org before registering. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

NYZ: Suizen Intensive

by

Suizen, or “blowing Zen”, refers to the spiritual practice of playing the shakuhachi flute during zazen. The honkyoku repertoire of the shakuhachi – which was developed specifically for Zen practice – has particular technical and aesthetic features that allow it to resist being heard as “music.” Therefore, it tends not to distract the meditating mind in the way that other music might. Compared to other shakuhachi repertoires, honkyoku pieces feature fewer notes with a focus on ornamentation and timbral effects.

There is a famous saying from the world of suizen: ichion jobutsu, meaning “enlightenment in a single note.” Come join us for an afternoon of immersion in this one mysterious note.

Our program will include six forty-minute periods of suizen, with kinhin (walking meditation) in between. Participants must have completed an Introduction to Zen Meditation class before registering.

Solo shakuhachi will be played by Karaku Marco Burmester, who has been studying shakuhachi in New York City and Kyoto since 2006. Karaku has a long-time connection to Dai Bosatsu Zendo as a student of Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin, who held workshops at DBZ for many years. He has recently been awarded his shakuhachi teaching certificate and is looking forward to sharing his practice of suizen with the Zen Studies Society Sangha.

The fee for this event is $40 for nonmembers and $30 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the member price is for ZSS members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member. If you have any questions, please email office@newyorkzendo.org before registering. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

Locations

Dai Bosatsu Zendo
223 Beecher Lake Road
Livingston Manor, NY 12758

New York Zendo
223 East 67th Street
New York, NY 10065


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Contact Us

Dai Bosatsu Zendo
office@daibosatsu.org
(845) 439-4566

New York Zendo
office@newyorkzendo.org
(212) 861-3333