Dear Fire Lotus Sangha,

Greetings from State Street! We hope that you and your loved ones are well.

We’re happy to let you know that our Brooklyn Temple is open for in-person zazen (seated meditation). As of September 2022, we are still requiring all visitors to wear a snugly fitting mask while in the building for most retreats.

(In limited cases, we offer daylong mask-free retreats in which participants are asked to present a negative antigen test at the front door at the start of the retreat. Such exceptions will be clearly indicated in the retreat description.)

Weekday zazen will be offered on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings (6:30pm – 8:00pm), as well as on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings (6:30am – 8:00am). There is no pre-registration for weekday zazen: if you are fully vaccinated and have had beginning instruction with the Mountains and Rivers Order (MRO), you are welcome to join us. Please plan to arrive a few minutes early.

We have also resumed our weekly Sunday morning program at the Zen Center of NYC. As of September 2022, there is no pre-registration for the Sunday program. The weekly Sunday program is open to newcomers and experienced practitioners alike and includes an orientation session for those new to practice in the Mountains and Rivers Order.

On Sundays, we’ll open our doors at 9:00am for informal sitting. The program proper will begin at 9:30am with a liturgy chanting service, zazen, walking meditation (kinhin) and a talk by a teacher or senior student. The program will conclude around 12:30pm. We ask that participants stay for the entire length of the program.

If you would like more information, please contact the Temple office at 718-875-8229 or zcnyc@dharma.net.

If you would like more information on our COVID safety protocols, please see our Reopening Guidelines.

All good wishes,
Hojin Sensei and the ZCNYC Advisory Council:
Diego Antoni
Joshin Del Valle
Dan Chikyu Donohue
Oliver Hartman
Patrick Yunen Kelly
Stu Shintai Kennedy
Tenfu Loisel-Weiner
Jessica Shokei Ludwig
Marie Ninsei Ringo