Jizo-an Zen Community
Meditation - Mindfulness - Benevolent Service - Community
Jizo-an Zen Community now makes its home in Cherry Hill, NJ, offering all our events at the new Zendo. Please see below for the latest information on In-Person and Livestreamed Zendo Events, and other ways to connect. You can also keep up with us through our Newsletter, our podcast, as well as Patreon and social media. If you are not currently receiving our Newsletter, you can add your name to our mailing list.
All of the following programs are offered at low cost or without a fee requirement. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so through the registration process, or via our Donation Page. Thank you for your support!
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Please note that if you are planning on attending any program in person, you can pay the program registration fee in person at the door. Registration online is only required if you will be attending the program online via Zoom. In-person registration can be paid by cash, or check made out to The Zen Society.
Upcoming In-Person & Online Zendo Programs (Zoom) for DECEMBER 2024
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The Ease & Joy of Morning Meditation (Virtual Meditation Online Only)
Livestream Meditation Schedule:
Every day (7 Days/week, at 5:30am Online)
EVERY WEEK OF THE MONTH
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Zazen is the dharma gate of great ease and joy
— this is the standard that Master Dogen lays down.
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Join us for a morning of meditation where we sit with ease and intimacy. We spend this time together in self-exploration and investigation. It is ideal for beginners, intermediate, and experienced meditators who wish to deepen their practice. The Ease and Joy of Mornings is open to everyone.
We come together as community to sit Zazen, or silent illumination, for 25-30 minutes. On some mornings, Zazen is followed by a short reading and reflection, and we close with a recitation of the Four Great Vows and the Benefit for All. ​
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REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED. DONATIONS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED.
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The Ease & Joy of Evening Meditation & Dharma Discussion
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Virtual Meditation and a brief Evening Dharma Discussion (Online Only)
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Livestream Meditation: Tuesday & Thursday Evenings 7:00pm - 8:00pm
EVERY WEEK OF THE MONTH
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Practice and enlightenment, the masters have long said, are both solitary and social endeavors. We need each other for reflection, encouragement and inspiration. Though some may have a strong capacity for seclusion, Sangha is one of the three precious gems for a very good reason—we depend on each other to wake up. "We Are More Together Than Alone."
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Guidelines for Participating (Zazen) Meditation Over Zoom:
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Please join sittings a few minutes before the scheduled time, so as to be seated and settled in place before the period of zazen begins.
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Please keep your microphone muted until the very end.
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The group leader will ring three bells to begin zazen & one bell to signal the end of zazen.
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Please note: there will be NO evening meditation & dharma discussion on December 12th. The Monks will be at Murray Grove Retreat Center preparing for Rohatsu Sesshin.
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REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED. DONATIONS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED.
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CLICK THIS LINK TO JOIN THE 7PM MEETING
ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM - Online and IN-PERSON*
Wednesday DECEMBER 4th 2024, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Join SENSEI RICHARD EMYO BIZUB for one of our monthly Dharma talks..
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GREAT FAITH- THE FIRST PILLAR OF PRACTICE
In Zen Buddhism, faith and doubt are inseparable, along with determination, these three make up what are known as the three pillars of practice. Great faith, Great doubt, and Great determination. Faith in Buddhism has nothing to do with believing in anything outside of ourselves. It's faith in our own true nature. However, it does require faith that Zen practice is worthwhile; faith in the reality of what the practice can lead to; faith that there is the possibility for awakening and faith that it is possible to find our way to that reality, in spite of seemingly endless obstacles. Ultimately, faith is the recognition that something actually works through working it.​
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Join us for an evening of Zazen, (seated meditation) Kinhin (walking mediation) chanting of the Sutras and a Dharma discussion...both in-person and online.
REGISTER FOR ONLINE EVENT (click here)
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*IN PERSON NEED NOT REGISTER
​​ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM - Online AND IN-PERSON*
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11th​​
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THERE IS NO PROGRAM ON THIS DAY...WE WILL BE IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING FOR ROHATSU SESSHIN.
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Rohatsu Sesshin will be held at Murray Grove Retreat Center, Lanoka Harbor, Ocean County, NJ 08734. The retreat center is located on 20 acres nestled in the Pine Barrens adjacent to the 200-acre Edwin B. Fortsythe Wildlife Refuge.
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The Sesshin begins Friday morning, December 13th and continues through Sunday afternoon, December 15th. In order to experience the magic of this sesshin, the monks strongly encourage participation in the full sesshin. However, if this is not possible, we encourage participation to the maximum extent practical.
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Details regarding lodging, registration and schedule can be found here.
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​ROHATSU SESSHIN- Online AND IN-PERSON*
FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY DECEMBER 13-15th, 2024
Join the Monks of Jizo-an Zen Community at MURRAY GROVE, Retreat House in Lanoka Harbor
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ROHATSU SESSHIN
Is the celebration of Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment.
It was said that the Buddha had reached a point in his practice that the fundamental question still had not been uncovered within himself and so he walked away from his fellow monks. After some time, he realized that all of the practices and disciplines had not brought him to this understanding of "who am I?"
They had only broken his body within inches of life...and so he made a declaration- " I am going to sit here under this Bodhi tree until I either see the truth or the very blood in my body turns to dust. With his body in meditative equipoise he sat for 7 days as if it were 1, and it was there that Mara the destroyer came with his army of every distraction, every temptation. He just sat. On the morning of the 7th day, Siddhartha opened his eyes onto the morning star, alive, awake...transformed without the pretense of transforming anything.
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PLEASE CLICK ONE OF THE LINKS BELOW FOR INFORMATION AND/OR REGISTRATION​​
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*IN-PERSON REGISTRATION PLEASE CLICK HERE-
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ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM- Online AND *IN-PERSON
Wednesday DECEMBER 18th, 2024, 7:00PM- 9:00PM
Join THE MONKS OF JIZO-AN ZEN COMMUNITY for one of our monthly programs.
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Shikantaza- Meaning literally; just sit.
We will finish out our last Wednesday program of the year with 'just sitting'
This 'just sitting' is the core practice of Zen Buddhism. Without this ability to "drop away body and mind" there can be no realization, no awakening. Even if there was an accidental awakening, there would be no deep understanding into the nature of reality; and like all things in life, it would simply fade away.
Join the monks and community of Jizo-an for this final evening together in 2024
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Join us for several periods of Zazen (seated meditation), Kinhin (walking meditation), and chanting of the sutras...both in-person and online.
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​REGISTER FOR ONLINE EVENT (click here)
*IN-PERSON NEED NOT REGISTER
SUNDAY MORNING LITURGY- Online AND IN-PERSON*
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15th, 2024
Join the Monks of Jizo-an Zen Community
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NO LITURGY AT THE ZENDO THIS MONTH
WE WILL CLOSE ROHATSU SESSHIN WITH OUR LITURGY.
JOIN US AT MURRAY GROVE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND.
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Liturgy—Expressions of 'The Heart'
Liturgy is the coming together in community, showing gratitude for the past, present and future Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and all sentient beings throughout time and space...offering veneration and gratitude for the continuation of the many teachings of the Great Way.
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Join us for Zazen followed by our Liturgy service led by one of the monks.
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