Zen Studies Society

DBZ: Registration Closed/Healing and Wellness Weekend

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Registration for this event is closed.  We look forward to seeing you at a different Zen Studies event.

This weekend retreat offers encouragement and support for people who are living with chronic illness or who are looking for a place of community and healing. Originally created by DBZ resident monk Donge John Haber as a retreat to offer a caring and inspiring space for those living with HIV/AIDS, its intention has expanded over the past 30 years.

The weekend includes an O-Bon ceremony to celebrate the lives of our deceased loved ones. Daily zazen, yoga, and a writing workshop will be offered. Additionally, each participant will receive one bodywork session from practitioners who volunteer their time and expertise.

The fee for this weekend is $350 for nonmembers and $300 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@daibosatsu.org before registering. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

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DBZ: O-Bon (Waiting List Only)

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

Join Chigan Roshi and Shinge Roshi for this beautiful and moving ceremony at which we we honor our ancestors, family members, and other loved ones who have passed away; as well as the hungry ghosts within and outside us.

O-Bon begins on Friday evening as we welcome the spirits with a ceremonial fire. On Saturday we paint their names on paper lanterns and gather for the O-Bon dinner offering. We then hold a traditional chanting service which includes calling out the names of the deceased. Chigan Roshi will give a teisho (Dharma talk) following this service.

Finally, we light our lanterns and make a silent, candle-lit procession to the bank of Beecher Lake, where we float our glowing lanterns across the dark waters while chanting Namu Dai Bosa. A bonfire and festive refreshments complete the evening. On Sunday morning, we gather in the zendo for short morning service and zazen, followed by an informal breakfast.

If you are not able to attend and would like the names of your deceased loved ones to be read aloud during the ceremony, please email their names to office@daibosatsu.org by August 7 and consider making a donation.

The fee for this weekend is $325 for nonmembers and $250 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@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. If you would like to discuss a family rate, please email office@daibosatsu.org.

DBZ: O-Bon Samu Sesshin (Waiting List Only)

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

The days leading up to O-Bon offer a unique opportunity to participate in traditional Rinzai monastic practice, working with the monastery residents to prepare the O-Bon festival in a modified sesshin schedule that includes short morning service, zazen (meditation), daily samu (work practice), daily Dai Segaki chanting, dokusan (one-on-one interviews with a teacher), and teisho (Dharma talks).

Early August at Dai Bosatsu mountain is a wild and beautiful dream-like setting where the boundaries between the tangible world and the endless realms seem to dissolve.

O-Bon Samu Sesshin ends Friday afternoon before the official start of O-Bon Weekend and the Opening Fire that evening.

There is no fee for the O-Bon Samu Sesshin, but please consider purchasing a tiered-price ticket or making a donation to help cover the cost of your stay. If you have any questions, please email office@daibosatsu.org. ZSS Health Protocols apply.

Online: Noh Chanting Workshop

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Experience The Festive Song “Takasago”

Noh theater was established about 700 years ago and is considered the oldest surviving major performing art in the world. It emerged during Japan’s medieval period, a time when Zen flourished and deeply influenced Japanese culture. Noh embodies the Japanese perspective on life, death, and spirituality. Many mindful ideas for one’s life path can come from experiencing Japanese literature and crafts through Noh, including Noh music and dance, which are permeated with the memory and feelings of the people of the past, as well as elements of their aesthetics and physical sensibilities. Experiencing Japanese literature, music, and dance through Noh offers deep insight into mindful living. These art forms are imbued with the memories, emotions, aesthetics, and physical sensibilities of past generations, reflecting a rich cultural heritage that can inspire one’s life path.

This lecture and workshop will begin with an introduction to Noh, including its masks and expressions. In the workshop, you will experience Noh chanting, known as utai, which utilizes deep breathing techniques. Participants will learn by chanting a passage from Takasago, a festive Noh play centered on purity, the pine tree as a symbol of eternal life, and prayers for peace. Open to beginners, the workshop focuses on Noh vocalization and breathing techniques.

Let’s open your heart, distill, and emit your inexhaustible energy with Noh chanting during the cold season. Enrich your life by learning this Japanese traditional art.

About the instructor: Mayo Miwa (三輪万葉) is a New York City-based Noh performer and instructor. She trained under a leading Noh actor of the Kanze School and earned her Noh major from Tokyo University of the Arts. She teaches Noh chanting and dance both in NYC and online, reaching students domestically and internationally. Beyond its role as a traditional Japanese art form to be preserved for future generations, she views Noh as a unique physical and aesthetic practice that can rejuvenate the mind and body in today’s world. She also serves as Vice President of the 501(c)(3) organization Noh Society.

The fee for this workshop is $25 for nonmembers and $20 for Zen Studies Society (ZSS) members. Note that the Member price is for Members only – please consider becoming a Supporting Member of ZSS.

To register please email info@miwamayo.com and indicate which 40-minute session you would like to attend. All sessions are semi-private and conducted in English. Payment can be made via Paypal or Venmo, details will be provided at the time of registration.

  • Session One | 2:00pm – 2:40pm
  • Session Two | 3:00pm – 3:40pm
  • Session Three | 4:00pm – 4:40pm

NYZ: Election Night Vigil

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Join us on Election Night for an all-night vigil of unstructured zazen and share your metta (loving-kindness) with a troubled world.

Zuiza (unstructured zazen) will begin at approximately 9 p.m., following the close of our usual Tuesday evening Tai Chi class. Sit as long as you like. Those who wish to take a break for a bit of sleep may help themselves to a futon in the Dharma Hall.

No registration necessary. Donations welcome.

NYZ: Tea with the Abbot

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Chigan Roshi invites members of the New York Zendo Sangha to join him for informal tea and light snacks in the NYZ Dharma Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please join us for a lighthearted reception to start the new year. All are welcome!

No registration necessary, donations are welcome. 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