Village Zendo-Dotokuji Details
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Village Zendo Profile
For the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center
The Village Zendo is a full-time Soto Zen temple operating in the heart of New York City. We have been in the Greenwich Village/Soho neighborhood of Manhattan since 1985. The abbot of our temple, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, is a teacher in the White Plum Lineage of Roshi Taizan Maezumi and Roshi Bernie Glassman. She has been offering formal Zen training to students in New York since 1997.
Our purpose is to offer the Buddhadharma to lay people who wish to have a deep and authentic spiritual practice while living often busy lives – raising children, pursuing professional careers – here in a modern urban setting. The Village Zendo is particularly characterized by its sangha’s work in the arts, education, and health and pastoral care, and by its concerns with social justice.
Practice activities:
- Zazen (sitting meditation) times are offered six days a week in the morning, midday, and evening.
- Liturgical services are held on daily basis.
- Zazenkai (a full day of practice) is offered once a month.
- Workshops on practice issues and Zen study are offered on an ongoing basis.
- Retreats are offered in the city and in the countryside. The summer retreat emphasizes more formal training in Zen, while the year-end retreat has a more “bare-bones” style, to appeal to different student interests. Our “Urban Sesshin” features traditional practice (zazen, liturgy, oryoki meal) in the morning, followed by a mindful engagement in a social justice, education, or other outdoor setting, and finally evening zazen.
Outreach:
- Roshi Enkyo O'Hara has been involved in a wide range of teaching and public activities in New York City, across the United States, and abroad. She serves as Co-Spiritual Director of the Zen Peacemaker Order; on the Board of Advisors of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship; and as Spiritual Director for the Center for Contemplative Care in New York City.
- The Center for Contemplative Care, a pioneering effort to introduce Buddhist and interfaith chaplaincy in New York City, is staffed by Village Zendo members.
- The Village Zendo oversees its affiliate Dharma Lotus Temple at Sing Sing prison, in Ossining, New York.
- The Zendo offers introductory meditation instruction for students in colleges, high schools, and elementary schools.
Communications:
- We reach out to the community through various media:
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