Dharma Rain Zen Center

Dharma Rain Zen Center DRZC is a diverse group of people who come together to share the practice of meditation, and to study the principles of Buddhism. The purpose of the Center is to offer instruction in Zen practice and Buddhist teachings, and to provide a place where people can form a community that supports Zen practice in everyday life. Statement of Inclusivity This Sangha acknowledges that suffering is a human condition which can be made worse because of biases or prejudices for or against any race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, sexual identity, political party, or other belief or position. This Sangha welcomes and affirms all who come here to seek the Way, and who will work toward respectful acceptance of others across our many differences, harmonizing the one and the many. Dharma Rain Zen Center is a Soto Zen temple for lay practice. It is dedicated to helping people cultivate and realize Zen Buddhism in normal, everyday American lives. The temple is committed to maintaining an open and accessible atmosphere that is, at the same time, conducive to a deep, intimate, and well-balanced practice. Mission The Mission of DRZC as set forth in the Bylaws and the Articles of Incorporation is: To provide for the Transmission of the teachings and practice of Soto Zen Buddhism. To be a sanctuary of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in such a way as to cultivate compassion, love, wisdom and understanding within the members. To preserve the Transmission lineage. To promote lay practice first, but also provide for priest training. To provide the facilities and support the priests necessary for these ends, and to meet the religious needs of the members, their families and the community at large. To provide the traditional religious services, counseling and instruction of a Soto Zen Temple, and to provide additional facilities such as retreat centers, affiliate temples, etc. as deemed necessary by the membership to fulfill these purposes. What is Zazen? Za-zen means “seated meditation.” Zazen is a place of refuge far beneath our everyday involvements, a place where we turn inward for peace, for answers to the deepest questions of life, and for the ability to meet our lives with wisdom, love, and compassion. For twenty-five hundred years the practice of Zen meditation and the essence of Buddhism has been passed from teacher to disciple. The method of this practice is simple and direct. However, like any discipline, knowing of it is not enough; Zazen requires time and effort sitting on the cushion, training the mind, and doing the work that leads to transformation. Zazen brings a state of stable, focused concentration by the act of repeatedly bringing the mind back to the present. Dhyana, absorption, is the form and method of zazen — the practice of letting go and returning to the present. Cultivating this prevents distraction, but it is not a way to escape or ignore the conditions around us. Zazen happens in and with the world, not apart from it. The result of meditation is an ever deepening experience of openness and serenity in the midst of life.