The Village Zendo is a Zen community in the heart of downtown New York City. Serving as a sanctuary in busy Manhattan, we offer daily meditation, dharma talks, Buddhist services, retreats, workshops and study groups. Participation is open to all.

Daily Schedule

Calendar

About Practice

Teachers

About Us

Resources for Newcomers

Are you new to the Village Zendo? Welcome to our community – we’re delighted to practice with you! We’ve created several events that should be of particular interest to you – please check out these programs, ask us questions and tell us what you think!

Online

Learn to Meditate

Every Monday via Zoom
6:30pm Eastern Time

If you’re new to Zen meditation or curious to learn more about Zen practice, join us any Monday evening a few minutes before 6:30pm – no reservation necessary. Recommendations for a comfortable, stable sitting posture are given, as well as guidance on how to begin a meditation practice and do walking meditation. There will be ample opportunity for you to ask questions.

Online & In Person

Newcomers’ Meeting

Second Thursday of Each Month
6:40pm (Following the Dharma talk and chanting service)

Are you new to the Village Zendo community? Would you like to get to know some of the teachers, meet other community members and ask questions informally? If so, please join us for this open conversation where a wide range of practice-related topics is addressed. No reservation is needed, though we encourage you to attend the Dharma talk and service that precede this meeting.

Online & In Person

Newcomers’ Meeting

Second Thursday of Each Month
6:40pm (Following the Dharma talk and chanting service)

Are you new to the Village Zendo community? Would you like to get to know some of the teachers, meet other community members and ask questions informally? If so, please join us for this open conversation where a wide range of practice-related topics is addressed. No reservation is needed, though we encourage you to attend the Dharma talk and service that precede this meeting.

In Person

Body, Breath, and Mind: An Introduction to Zen

First Sunday of Every Month
9:30am – 11:00am

Village Zendo Executive Director Howard Thoreson introduces Zen meditation and explains other aspects of practice at VZ. Sitting posture, sustaining a meditation practice and walking meditation (kinhin) are discussed, and short periods of meditation are also included here. Emphasis is placed on finding ease in practice, on the significance of practicing with a community and on working with the Village Zendo teachers. There will be ample opportunity for Q & A.

“When we practice zazen, our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is limitless. We say ‘inner world’ or ‘outer world,’ but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out, like someone passing through a swinging door.”

Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

“The Village Zendo has made a profound difference in my life and the lives of many others. It is a welcoming group that balances serious practice with great joy and fun. Come to learn to meditate, stay to change your life.”

— Jennifer

“Profound authentic Zen practice in a welcoming environment. Great experienced teachers and senior students. Beautiful quiet meditation daily. On Sunday’s and Thursday evening there are interesting contemporary Dharma talks. Beginning instruction is every Monday evening. The are cool events, workshops and activities that support a lively community.”

— Rodney

“My spiritual home for 30 years and I’m still amazed at the depth, warmth, intelligence and creativity of teachers and students alike. And more teachers per capita probably than any sangha around!”

— Neil

“Similar to other reviewers, I live quite a distance from the Village Zendo. I, nonetheless, am a member and formal student of VZ. I find the community welcoming, vibrant, diverse and deeply intentional. Led by Enkyo Roshi, our teachers are engaged, astute, open, available… true mentors and practice leaders. VZ retreats and programs are powerful, challenging, transformative. I am so grateful for and to this sangha! Belonging to the VZ community is well-worth the logistics of my living at a distance.”

— Marjorie

Daily Meditation Schedule

In-Person Practice Schedule   learn more about in-person practice >

TUESDAYS
7:30am - 8:30am
6:30pm - 8:00pm

WEDNESDAYS
7:30am - 8:30am
6:30pm - 8:00pm

THURSDAYS
7:30am - 8:30am
5:30pm - 6:00pm
Dharma Talk & Service:
6:05pm - 6:30pm

FIRST SUNDAYS
Body, Breath, Mind: Intro to Zen (in-person):
9:30am - 11:00am
OTHER SUNDAYS
Service, Zazen, Dharma Talk:
9:30am - 11:25am

Online Practice Schedule   learn more about online practice >

MONDAY
7:30am - 8:30am
Learn to Meditate:
6:30pm - 7:30pm

TUESDAY
7:30am - 8:30am
6:30pm - 7:30pm

WEDNESDAY
7:30am - 8:30am
6:30pm - 7:30pm

THURSDAY
7:30am - 8:30am
5:30pm - 6:00pm
Dharma Talk & Service:
6:05pm - 6:40pm

FRIDAY
7:30am - 8:30am

SATURDAY
Bolivian Sitting Group:
7:00am - 8:00am
People of Color Sitting Group
10:30am - 12:00pm

FIRST SUNDAYS
Practice & Inquiry Circle (online):
9:30am - 11:00am
OTHER SUNDAYS
Service, Zazen, Dharma Talk:
9:30am - 11:25am

Upcoming Events

Featured Retreats, Workshops & Events

About the Village Zendo

Vision Statement

We envision a world of peace where all beings treat each other and their environment with awareness, wisdom and compassion.

Mission Statement

To provide a way for realizing a life of awareness, wisdom and compassion. We do this by offering training in the teachings of Zen Buddhism and by cultivating and maintaining a practice environment that is supported by teachers and a community of practitioners in the heart of New York City.

Inclusivity

We welcome people of different cultures, colors, abilities, ages, identifications, and beliefs who can practice within the guidelines for meditation and harmonious practice that we have laid out for the Village Zendo. We appreciate and explore our differences in order to build understanding, harmony, and openness for the whole community.

Our Community

The Village Zendo is a community of people who come together to practice in the Soto Zen tradition. We offer zazen (sitting meditation), one-on-one instruction with a teacher, dharma talks, chanting services, retreats, workshops and study groups.

Co-founded in 1986 by Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara and Roshi Barbara Joshin O’Hara, the Village Zendo is committed to authentically continuing the Zen tradition while keeping it contemporary and relevant to today’s world. We are located in lower Manhattan, offering a place of healing and sanctuary in the midst of one of the world’s busiest and most vital cities.

Our Abbot Emerita, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, received Dharma transmission from Bernie Glassman in the White Plum lineage of Roshi Taizan Maezumi. The lineage is in the Soto tradition, but incorporates elements of Rinzai teaching. Our zendo has the Japanese name Dotoku-ji (True Expression Temple). Enkyo Roshi trained many Dharma successors who continue to head the VZ teaching staff. The current abbot is Roshi Sinclair Shinryu Thomson.

The zendo is known for its vibrant and diverse community and the stability of a sangha that draws from a core of longtime dedicated practitioners. Our programming emphasizes the myriad ways Zen relates to our daily lives writing, social action, health and well-being, and the arts as well as traditional Zen studies.

Participation is open to all. We welcome practitioners and students of various traditions to join us at whatever level of commitment they wish. We welcome people of different cultures, colors, abilities, ages, identifications, and beliefs who can practice within the guidelines for meditation and harmonious practice that we have laid out for the Village Zendo. We appreciate and explore our differences in order to build understanding, harmony, and openness for the whole community.

Connect with Us

Join Village Zendo's newsletter to receive updates on events, workshops and retreats, and our monthly bulletin.

Thank you for subscribing!