Zen (Meditation)

Kritee Kanko is our founding and current spiritual teacher. Our sangha trusts that grounding contemplative practices are necessary in these times of polycrisis. Our spiritual practices help heal and empower us at individual levels and spark a desire to organize communities are crucial in our times. Investigation of our inner mind-body phenomena in silence can transform us at individual levels.

There are many paths and traditions to bring THE boundlessness in our midst. Zen is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that came to the US from India through China and Japan. As a meditation technique, our Rinzai Zen lineage suggests “narrow” focus on our out-breath in the initial training period.  After stabilization of mind (samatha) through breath meditation, koan training (a step by step selectively open focus or vipassana process) is used to unlock the barriers between conscious and unconscious minds and see the reality as it is. As compared to other traditions where study of scriptures is much more important, Zen traditions rely on direct experience of deep states of mind through cultivation of our consciousness. One can access Kanko’s talks, commentaries and articles on Zen, loving kindness and other meditation techniques by here.

We offer Zen meditation but anyone who joins our sessions is welcome to keep practicing according to the tradition they are comfortable with; we will be simply delighted to host you and tap into your commitment to keep our collective practice deep and continuous! We wish to create spaces and communities where the experience of THE “Boundless” is possible in the midst of our all-consuming stories.  When we meet this Boundlessness in all its brilliance and depth, our work with our emotions and interpersonal stories becomes easier and all of our individual lives can be seen as a part of “Boundless…. in motion.” In addition, we can then begin to meet the outer institutional socio-economic and environmental challenges of our times with compassionate, and strategic action and an emergent co-intelligence. We also trust that, in this age, without confronting external societal challenges, our encounter of the inner boundless will remain incomplete.

We invite feedback, especially difficult feedback to help us serve you better. May we all have a path to experience the universal and brilliant boundlessness, and may it bring compassion and wisdom to our stories.

One can check our schedule for weekly meditation, half or all day sits (Zazenkai) and long retreats. Our talks and articles on Zen, loving kindness and other meditation techniques are available here.