Zen is a practice that deepens over a lifetime. The time honored way of studying Zen, is one of gradual observation, meeting questions as they arise. You will naturally enter that process when you walk in the door.
Weekly
Our Sunday practice includes sitting meditation (zazen), walking meditation (kinhin), a Dharma talk, and a brief Zen chanting service (liturgy). Newcomers are welcome anytime, click here for more information.
The 2nd and 4th Sundays are held in person (and online) at Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Temple, 1518 S. Washington St.
Our ongoing online Tuesday Practice consists of simple sitting and walking meditation. Newcomers are welcome anytime.
Monthly
On the first Sunday of the month, our service takes the form of a Well-Being and Memorial ceremony. This is a special service dedicated to those who are ill, disturbed or who otherwise need special love and compassion. We also honor the lives of those who have recently died.
Every Day
Start your day with mindfulness and community. Join Seattle Soto Zen online for morning zazen 8:00-8:30 am Monday-Saturday. Beginner’s instruction at 7:30 am on Wednesdays.
Events
Throughout the year there are a number of other ways to practice through classes, retreats, and other activities.
Join us online
We have opportunites to meet in person as well as online. Please join us.
Currently, we are offering our weekly practice sessions on Sunday through Friday. Please watch this space for additional practice opportunities upcoming.
We use Zoom meetings (https://zoom.us) for our virtual sessions. You can find our chant book and class materials here.
We have taken precautions to make our meetings safe and welcoming. Most importantly, we do not provide the link to our meetings to the general public on our website. To receive the link to join our sessions, please register for any of them from the calendar. You can also sign up for our newsletter, which you can do at the bottom of this page – we send the link monthly to our subscribers.
Second, all of our meetings require a password to enter. The password is embedded in the meeting link, so as long as you enter the meeting by clicking the link in our newsletter, you will not need to know it.
Finally, in the weeks we have held online sessions, we have never experienced anything but warmth and kindness from regulars and newcomers, alike. Our hearts are open to whomever decides to join us.
All times are Pacific Daylight Time.
Virtual Practice Discussion
Kanshin Allison is offering practice discussions online and in person. You may schedule a session with her by emailing allison@seattlesotozen.org
Please join us for service and informal sangha conversation
After the dharma talk, we stay online for morning service. Everyone is encouraged to remain after service to socialize for awhile, if their schedule permits.
New to Zen?
BEGINNING YOUR PRACTICE
Zen practice deepens over a lifetime, with gradual observation and meeting questions as they arise. One naturally enters that process when beginning any of the following.
Choose what appeals to you, and go at your own pace.
Zazen
You are welcome to attend our weekly sessions at any time.
Zazen, or seated meditation, is the core practice of Zen. Our Sunday morning and Tuesday evening gatherings are times when we support one another by meditating together. Most of us also gradually develop a daily meditation practice at home as well.
Dharma study
Many practitioners first find their way to Zen teachings via the bookstore. Be it contemporary classics such as Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and Aitken Roshi’s Taking the Path of Zen, or texts whose study spans centuries, such as The Dhammapada and writings by the founder of our particular school of Zen, Dogen, there is a vast treasury of Dharma to be discovered via the written word.
One may find that studying our tradition’s teachings with others brings them alive. We offer a number of classes over the course of the year. These include ample time for discussion.
Working with a Teacher
As one begins to form questions about Zen, it can be helpful to bring them to a teacher, such as ours, Kanshin Allison Tait.
The first and easiest way to access Kanshin’s teachings are by listening to Sunday morning talks, either in person, or through recordings available on this website. On Sunday, one also has the opportunity to ask questions (and hear those of others) after the talk. There is a wide range of topics but the focus is typically on classic Buddhist teachings and investigations of the unique realities of spiritual life in the present day.
Kanshin is also available to anyone for one-on-one meetings which can be arranged via email. These meetings, called practice discussion, are typically between 5 and 20 minutes and traditionally take place—when in person—in a quiet, intimate setting, Buddha to Buddha. For now, Zoom or Facetime will suffice. Practice discussion can touch on any aspect of one’s practice. Allison is an accessible teacher and there is no prerequisite study or experience necessary to meet with her. Developing a teacher-student relationship is central to Zen.
Asking for guidance in one’s zazen is a good place to begin. You may have questions about morality and Buddhist ethics, spiritual materials you’re reading, or the meaning of the liturgy we chant. Just as with zazen, students begin to gradually understand how to work together with a teacher, naturally, over time.
Retreat or Sesshin
An essential Zen practice is gathering for intense silent retreats, called sesshin, where we follow a schedule of zazen from early in the morning until well after sunset. These retreats put one at the heart of Zen practice.
There is a range of sesshin each year, including some gentle short retreats geared for beginners, to those lasting three or more days. Most retreats have flexibility to accommodate the demands of careers and families. As soon as you feel ready, we encourage you to attend sesshin.