Our Practice
New York Zen Community for Dōgen Study
offers daily, weekly, monthly, and special programs.
Our Programs are Offered Free of Charge
Participation in Zazen programs is open to all.
Study Programs are currently being recorded and will available online.
To participate in Special Events in real time, kindly, reach out via email at: info@nyzcfordogenstudy.org
Summer Ango 2025 (Summer Intensive Practice Period)
April 14th - July 15th
The tradition of intensifying practice and study during three spring and summer months dates back to the days of Gōtama Buddha when India’s rainy season made travel hazardous, and monks gathered together in one place to practice.
Our Ango period of intensifying practice and study features many new opportunities and programs for practice and study in addition to the continuation of ongoing lecture series and sangha events.
ZAZEN
Morning Zazen
Morning Zazen Schedule - Monday to Friday
7:00 am: Kentan Gyōkō begins.
7:10 am: Opening bell.
8:00 am: Chanting of Takkesage M, W, F and - Verse of the Robe on T, Th
After Zazen, we gather to read from Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki.
On days ending in 4 or 9, we come together for a short morning service, Ryaku-Chōka.
Monthly Zazenkai
Each month, we dedicate a day to deepening our shikantaza practice in silence, alternating between several periods of Zazen and Kinhin.
Due to renovations at our Zendō, Zazenkai is currently offered online. Participants may join for the entire day or any part of it.
8:00 am – 5:30 pm US EST on:
July 12, 2025
3 Day Sesshin
June 6-8, 2025 (Friday - Sunday)
September 5-7, 2025 (Friday - Sunday)
Registration Now Open
Location: Jogues Retreat Center in Cornwall, NY
Registration is now open for our June Sesshin, in the hills of Cornwall, NY. Join us for three peaceful days of silent sitting, Join us for three peaceful days of silent sitting, far from the bustle and concerns of city life.
Attend as many periods of Zazen as you desire and enjoy the beauty of nature in the Center’s tranquil grounds.
For those living far from New York, this is an opportunity to practice with us in person while avoiding New City prices. Meet us at the Jogues Center, or join one of our carpools to and from New York City.
For a donation of $150 per person, the Jogues Center provides comfortable private rooms and 3 buffet-style meals per day (with vegetarian options). Our own programs are free of charge.
The Jogues Retreat Center is home to a small community of retired priests who support interfaith community and are warmly welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.
Please note: The number of private rooms for the Summer Sesshin are limited to 10, so please register as soon as possible if you wish to attend.
To reserve a place, inquire about payment options, request a schedule of the weekend , or ask any other questions, please email us at: info@nyzcfordogenstudy.org
STUDY PROGRAMS
Monday Lecture Series: Hōkyō-ki
Hōkyō-ki is Dōgen’s personal journal documenting his private conversations with his teacher, Nyojō Zenji, while in Song Dynasty China.
Dōgen’s questions to Nyojō go right to the heart of our practice, clarifying key points about dharma and practice that have been debated for centuries and continue to be contentious even today.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (US EST)
June 16
Wednesday Lecture Series: Shōbōgenzō
Currently studying fascicle #31 Shoaku Makusa (Do No Evil)
In a world darkened by endless conflicts, horrific wars and intractable divisiveness many of us are looking for teachings about how to respond. In Dōgen’s time, Japan also suffered from similar dissension and disunity so it is extremely helpful to explore his refreshing perspective on the perennial problem of human evil.
18:30 - 20:00 Central European Time
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM US Eastern Time
June 18
Monthly All Day Study Intensive
Avatamsaka Sūtra
(The Flower Adornment Sūtra)
This sūtra is vast and exuberant, ushering readers into an awe-inspiring cosmic celebration of Dharma. A close examination reveals that the Flower Adornment Sūtra proffers the same Dharma as all Buddhist texts including Dōgen’s. It is about our path as bodhisattvas and how we walk it so it is as inspiring for us today as it was for Buddhists hundreds of years ago.
Based on the new three-volume translation of “The Avatamsaka Sūtra: An Annotated Translation of The Avatamsaka Sūtra” translated by Bhikshu Dharmamitra.
published by Kalavinka Press.
15:00-21:00 European Central Time
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM US Eastern Time
June 14, 2025
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Open Mondō (Question & Answer Session)
Our new monthly program, Open Mondō (Question & Answer Session) begins in April.
Mondō is an opportunity for Zen students to ask questions and engage in dialogues with a teacher. Although some schools prefer a formal ceremonious style of mondō, our mondōs will be very relaxed and informal.
Questions asked during mondō should be non-conceptual in that they are about real life experiences rather than academic concerns. Questions are dharma-related but focus on situations that are of immediate significance to our lives.
10:00 am - 11:30 am US EST
16:00 - 17:30 European Central Time
June 21 (Saturday)
Nyohō-e Sewing Circle (Fukuden-kai)
Our new monthly practice of gathering to sew Buddhist robes begins in April and will take place monthly.
Our Nyohō-e tradition is inspired by Sawaki Kōdō Rōshi’s teachings so in addition to gathering to sew, we will also be translating and posting Sawaki Rōshi’s teachings on the significance of sewing Buddhist robes on our website regularly in the hopes of making this meditative practice more understandable and accessible.
June 20 Friday 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Email us for Details
In August and February, we observe a reduced practice schedule.
Rev. Issan Koyama’s Travel Schedule
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Japan: June 23-July 28 2025
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Atlanta: September 8-13 2025
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Japan: 2026 TBD
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Europe: April 2026