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!
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 October 2026
THE EASE AND JOY OF MORNING MEDITATION: Online Only
Every day (7 Days/week, at 5:30am Online)
Zazen is the dharma gate of great ease and joy— this is the standard that Master Dogen lays down.
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.
REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED. DONATIONS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED.
THE EASE AND JOY OF EVENING MEDITATION
Meditation and a brief Evening Dharma Discussion: Online Only
Every Tuesday & Thursday Evening, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
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."
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.
REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED. DONATIONS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE 7:00PM MEDITATION
ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM: ONLINE and *IN-PERSON
Wednesday October 7th 2026, 7:00PM- 9:00PM
Join Rev Betsy Gessho Nieves for one of our monthly Dharma talks...
The Paradox of our Identities
How can we understand our identities in ways that allow for growth and expansion? We are born perfect and complete is a statement that we often hear in Buddhism. Why then we show up in ways that do not support this statement? Let's explore the roadblocks that hold us back in the realization of this truth about our nature.
Join us for an evening of Zazen, (seated meditation) Kinhin (walking mediation), and a Koan discussion...both in-person and online.
REGISTER FOR THE ONLINE EVENT (CLICK HERE)
*IN-PERSON NEED NOT REGISTER
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HALF-DAY ZAZENKAI: ONLINE and *IN-PERSON
Saturday October 10th, 2026 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Join the Monks of Jizo-an Zen Community for an extended period of sitting meditation and sutra service
Zazenkai & Sutra Service
You are invited to sit with the community for a half-day of zazen and chanting of the sutras.
Please arrive 10-15 mins early so we can all begin together on time...cushions and chairs are provided.
REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED. DONATIONS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE 9:00AM MEDITATION
ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM: ONLINE and *IN-PERSON
Wednesday October 14th 2026, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Join us in Community for Student Presentations this month...
Shojin-Ryori & Ikebana
This week two of Jizo-an's students, Zach Keijin Nickerson & Monica Coughlin will offer for discussion...
Keijin's presentation is titled Shojin Ryori: Zen Temple Cuisine.
Shojin Ryori is a form of cuisine based on principles of non-violence, simplicity, following the rhythms of the seasons, and non-wastefulness, making a spiritual practice of the everyday acts of cooking and consuming food. This cuisine is prepared by the Tenzo in Zen monasteries, and at restaurants and inns attached to the temples that are aimed at visiting pilgrims.
Monica's talk is titled Ikebana: Offerings Of Love, Reverence, And Remembrance. Flowers have been an offering since time immemorial. We have offered them to express our love, our reverence, and as remembrance. Flowers are given as a token of devotion and placed on altars. They are offered to the departed, and are part of our celebrations, our seasons, and our decor. Ikebana began in Japan as an art form beginning with monks in temples, and spread to a wider audience of nobles, wealthy citizens and then the wider community. Like Zen it is subtle and simple, and like Zen, at times, not subtle, not simple.
Join us for an evening of Zazen, (seated meditation) Kinhin (walking mediation) chanting of Sutras and a Dharma discussion...both in-person and online.
REGISTER FOR ONLINE EVENT (click here)
*IN PERSON NEED NOT REGISTER
SUNDAY MORNING ZAZEN: ONLINE and *IN PERSON
Sunday October 18th 2026, 9:00am - 10:30am
Join the Monks of Jizo-an Zen Community for a morning of silent meditation at the zendo
Zen Meditation
Zazen is at the core of Soto Zen Buddhism. It has been refined and well honed over thousands of years and because of these endless offerings down through the ages, we are invited to a way to show up to ourselves that actually works. It has been said that a Zendo (meditation hall) is a conducive space for enlightenment and so we come together in community, for community, for that very purpose.
Open to both beginners and experienced practitioners.
Please arrive 10-15 mins early so we can all begin together on time...cushions and chairs are provided.
REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED. DONATIONS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE 9:00AM MEDITATION
ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM: ONLINE and *IN-PERSON
Wednesday October 21st 2026, 7:00PM- 9:00PM
Join Denise Kyosei Alvarez for a Dharma Presentation
Mushotoku
Mushotoku is the art of seeking nothing – of just sitting, breathing, and letting the present moment be enough. Zen practice is wholehearted presence where we practice without seeking anything in return. A key phrase of the Heart Sutra says, "There is no goal. There is nothing to obtain." This is the essence of Mushotoku. Join us for a discussion of how this important concept aids us in acting with total presence and sincerity, free from the ego's constant desire to get something out of every situation.
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 THE ONLINE EVENT (CLICK HERE)
*IN-PERSON NEED NOT REGISTER