Cedar Rapids Zen Center-Jikyoji Details

Cedar Rapids Zen Center – Jikyōji

Cedar Rapids Zen Center – Jikyōji seeks to promote the practice of Zen Buddhism in the Sōtō tradition by offering zazen, daily life practice, study of the Buddha’s teaching, and a supportive community. We follow the historical Buddha’s teachings as they have been handed down from India through China and Japan to the United States.

Our center began in April, 2000, in a small apartment in when Rev. Zuiko Redding began sitting with people in Cedar Rapids. In 2001, we moved to a two-story house that was built in 1910, and we purchased it in 2001. The living room has become our zendo. Other rooms are used for discussion, classes, library and office work.

We have about forty members from Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area. Our members come from all walks of life. While most were born in the U.S., there are also members from Japan, Thailand and Burma. We also have a sangha at the state prison in the town of Anamosa, about 30 miles away. Rev. Redding and another sangha member do zazen with the men and give a dharma talk on two Sundays each month.

There is morning and evening zazen on weekdays, and noon zazen on two days a week. On Sundays, there is zazen, a dharma talk and work period followed by tea and discussion. There is a monthly introduction to zazen once a month. Each month there is either an all-day sitting or a sesshin. In August, we host Great Sky Sesshin with Milwaukee Zen Center at Hokyoji in southeastern Minnesota. This seven-day sesshin is open to all practitioners in the Midwest. We also observe annual holidays like New Year’s and Buddha’s Birthday.

Our teacher, Rev. Zuikō Redding, received ordination and dharma transmission from Rev. Tsugen Narasaki, the abbot of Zuiōji in Japan. She trained at Zuiōji and its mountain training center, Shōgoji, from 1991 until 1997 when she returned to the United States.