Newcomer or Curious??

Our sangha (also referred to as Zen Community, see here for a definition) has a variety of gatherings, both virtual and in person: 

Morning meditation (Monday-Friday) – online and open to all 

Noon meditation (Tuesday & Thursday) – online and open to all

Evening meditation (Monday & Thursday) - online and open to all

Wednesday evenings – the heart of our community gathering with a rotating program, online and twice a month, “hybrid”  meeting both in-person in the Twin Cities and online. Click here for specifics.

Retreats: 2-3 days with a theme and deepening practice, usually once a year, offered in hybrid format, both in-person and over Zoom.

Yes! All are welcome. 

While each gathering has a different flow (for example, Wednesdays start with an optional informal time for connection from 7-7:15 CT while mornings start right in with chanting and a bell), most begin with 1-3 chants with accompanying bell, you will see folks bowing with hands together, and a period of sitting meditation (zazen). There may then be a reading, a teaching (sometimes a video recording and sometimes offered live), or a relational practice. 

• Our in-person and virtual meeting spaces (zendos) are sacred. We share responsibility for maintaining and contributing to a feeling of respect, safety, and security for all. Therefore, we strive to: 

  • Arrive a few minutes early and settle; removing distractions before the start time.

  • On Zoom: 

    • Camera: We encourage you to turn your camera on while attending, both to participate in community, and to support the felt sense of safety of seeing who is in the meeting.  If there are significant distractions such as boisterous pets, or you need to change seats or attend to something else, please turn your camera off until the distractions have settled down.

    • Microphones are off unless you are sharing. A host may mute your microphone for you if you forget.

  • Bowing, chanting, and meditating are optional.

• Zazen is our practice of sitting in silent meditation. The bell sounds three times for the start of the period and will sound one time to signal the end, which can last from two to thirty minutes (on Wednesdays). See the glossary for more on Zazen and other terms.

• Do I have to sit zazen or can I meditate in some other way?

  • While other traditions might provide guidance or instruction during meditation, in the Zen tradition, the practice of just sitting (also known as Zazen) is a practice of open awareness meditation.  So, while our shared practice is of silent, sitting meditation, you are welcome to meditate in the ways that feel right for you within that context.

• Do I keep my eyes open or closed?

  • You are invited to sit with eyes slightly open, with a soft focus and downward gaze, or to close your eyes. You are invited to engage the practice as it feels right for you, eyes closed, eyes open, gaze maintained downward, gaze moving around.

• How should I sit?

  • A comfortable, upright but relaxed posture is encouraged.  Sitting in a lotus (criss-cross) is not required.  Respect your body’s needs.  Pain is never required. If sitting is not possible, find a comfortable position (a bed or recliner perhaps) and join as you are able. 

A bow acknowledges “friendliness and respect…” (more in our community glossary.)  You are invited, but not required, to bow. You will usually be prompted when to bow by the slides shared online, or chant books if attending in person. If you choose not to bow, you can simply observe how it feels to receive a bow.

• We regularly include “Relational Practices” that help us deepen into presence as we listen and share. A prompt or a reading may invite us to reflect, write, or speak together in pairs, small groups, or with the larger group:

  • Participation is optional.

  • Trust and learn from silence. After someone has spoken, allow time to reflect without immediately filling the space with words.

  • Not everyone may get to speak.

  • Speak from first-person experience using “I” statements.

  • Learn from each other, as equals, neither as teachers nor students.

  • Be mindful of how much time we take, allowing others a chance to participate.

  • Refrain from judging.

  • Observe confidentiality. Trust is cultivated when we honor confidences and take seriously the ethics of privacy and discretion. Do not share others’ words or experiences outside of the group. Avoid sharing in the large group something that was shared in a small group, unless permission has been granted.

  • We do not interrupt, correct or teach, problem-solve, or debate. 

  • We notice when we are moved, want to fix or soothe, to interpret, analyze, or correct when someone shares. Notice if we relate to what the speaker is saying, or if we are disturbed by what is shared. This noticing is an opportunity to heighten our awareness of our own responses—physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally…and how we can then tend to ourselves and/or seek support.

  • If we want to approach a group member after the gathering to speak about a response or question we have in regard to what they shared, ask them first: “May I ask you a question about what you shared during our gathering?” “May I share a response I had in regard to what you said during the gathering?” We respect their declination if they don’t wish to engage with us about it at that time.

A great opportunity to get to know our head teacher and the values of ATZC is to watch the talks offered in Zen Inquiry Sessions from Flint Sparks and other entrusted teachers through our sister sangha, Appamada. These weekly gatherings include a short sit, chant, teaching, and inquiry practice. 

As people explore participating in the community, attendance is neither expected nor required. As with any community, as people become regular participants in community meetings, the group comes to care for that individual and that care continues to be extended to them even when they are absent from the meetings.

There are a lot of great written, recorded, and web resources resources, and we recognize that it can become overwhelming to try to find the right one, so here are a couple of options that might be more accessible to start:

Books:

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Suzuki Roshi 

Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen

Untangled or Wholehearted Koshin Paley Ellison

Podcasts:

Broad ranging podcast on the science and practice of Meditation - Ten Percent Happier

Appamada's resources page

Everyday Zen

Upaya

One resource is our community glossary. You may encounter many translations from different sources for one word, such as dharma. We invite you to approach terms with curiosity, or “beginner’s mind.” What feels helpful for you in the moment, and how might it shift over time? This is also the kind of question that you could ask one of our orientation guides. What does the term mean to them? You may get a different answer from every member you talk to. It’s also the kind of thing we can ask during Wednesday chats or dharma activities. 

As a community, we have a relationship with our Guiding teacher Flint Sparks PhD, who offers support to our community through retreats and consultation throughout the year in between retreats.  We are also adopting a Sangha Development Committee, that will serve to support and provide leadership as a group to the Sangha's activities and ongoing development as a community.  Beyond those formal forms of leadership, we are a peer-led community, in which we invite the feedback and input of all participating community members to shape the activity of the Sangha  (Zen community, see here for more)

Participation in our community and any of our gatherings is free.  In the Zen tradition, there is a practice of dana, which is a Pali word for generosity, and along the way community members may choose to extend financial generosity to support the activity of the Community.  Our annual/semi-annual retreats are supported specifically through the registration costs of attendees, however, in order to support financial inclusivity, we utilize a pay-what-you-can model.

In the Zen tradition, those individuals who have decided to make a formal commitment to living the Bodhisattva Precepts (a set of principles and descriptions of living a life of compassion and love) will sew what is called a Rakasu (which looks a bit like a bib). This garment is worn during formal practice gatherings. Rather than denoting any sort of status within the community, it is a way of displaying their commitment to living in accordance with the Bodhisattva vow - which is to be service of all beings.

All are welcome. Within the community many people actively participate in other faith traditions or spiritual practices.  

Major retreats or events will not be scheduled over religious holidays.

Contact us if you’re interested in talking with a current community member. We promise they want to talk to you!  You could chat over zoom, by phone, or email. 

Join our mailing list for summaries of Wednesday meetings with links to readings or videos shared.