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 July 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 July 1st 2026, 7:00PM- 9:00PM
Join Rev Betsy Gessho Nieves for one of our monthly Dharma talks...
The Meaning of Gateless Gate in Zen
In Zen we are taught that we have everything within us to be awakened and enlightened. However, we, in our conditioned mind, create barriers that hold us back from tapping into our authentic self and to live how we are meant to. How many times do we miss what is right in front of us? How can we see what we need to see? Let us explore these questions and share our lived experiences on this path.
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
ZEN STUDIES PROGRAM: ONLINE and *IN-PERSON
Wednesday July 8th 2026, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Join Rev Orlando Donen Nieves for one of our monthly Dharma talks...
Zen Questions - Spiritual Inquiry and Radical Honesty
This phrase, Zen questions, can be viewed not only as a noun, but perhaps even more so as a verb - alive and continuously unfolding. At the heart of Zen and the practice of Zazen, is inquiry. Indeed, the Great Doubt of Zen is precisely about questioning. It is about nurturing the mind of inquiry and openness. There is a timeless history, not only in the Buddhist tradition, but also in most authentic spiritual practices and traditions, of Spiritual Inquiry. This evening we will explore the Zen idea of Doshin, or "Way-seeking mind."
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
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HALF-DAY ZAZENKAI: ONLINE and *IN-PERSON
Saturday July 11th, 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 July 15th 2026, 7:00PM- 9:00PM
Join Rev Kevin Genjo Leblanc for one of our monthly Dharma talks...
Sutra in the Floorboards
Studying sutras is one way to awaken this heart/ mind. this big mind as Shunryu Suzuki calls it. And the same goes for our ability to embrace moment to moment awareness.. This moment that is free of description and temptations. In my own practice, the floor has become the greatest anchor…as my eyes fluctuate between closed and partially open the moment I look at the floor, it lifts the haze of the imaginary space, hurling me back to reality.
Likewise, when we study sutras as a spiritual practice, the principles of these prayers began to infiltrate our lives and inform us of a different way of being that we can engage. I must engage it. I cannot just think about it. But the thinking is an important beginning.
There is no one-sided practice… that is just more wanting mind.
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
