Zen practice at Myokoji
Myokoji is a Soto Zen temple founded by Jeffrey Sanryu Compton and is in the Phoenix Cloud lineage of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi and Ian Hakuryu Forsberg. We are a “family practice” lineage with the freedom to practice within one’s physical and mental abilities. We practice deeply with no pressure to “accomplish” anything.
Kobun, while being a master of zen forms and ceremony, later in his life let go of most of them and concentrated on a handful of essential practice forms. Those are the forms that we practice and abide in at Myokoji. As a consequence we are more "informal" than many more traditional Soto Zen temples. Our practice is focused yet relaxed, like the posture of zazen.
Practice Opportunities
We offer weekly practice on Wednesday evenings from 7-8:15pm. These periods include 40 minutes of silent meditation followed by a short teaching or practice discussion and socializing. Typically the object or kind of meditation is up to the practitioner (zazen, mindfulness, brahma viharas, jhanas, visualization, silent mantra, etc.) so long as it is silent and still. Usually on the last Wednesday of the month there will be a guided meditation.
Throughout the course of the year we will have one or two Ango, a traditional practice period lasting 12 weeks. This is a special opportunity to make a commitment to practicing daily at home and attending the weekly sitting. In addition to silent sitting a talk is often offered, organized around the theme for the practice period. Past practice periods have covered the topics of "Basic Teachings of Buddhism" (2019), "Essentials of Zen" (2020), "Contemplating Death" (2020), "On Breathing" (2021), and "On Forgiveness" (2021).
Myokoji is a Soto Zen temple founded by Jeffrey Sanryu Compton and is in the Phoenix Cloud lineage of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi and Ian Hakuryu Forsberg. We are a “family practice” lineage with the freedom to practice within one’s physical and mental abilities. We practice deeply with no pressure to “accomplish” anything.
Kobun, while being a master of zen forms and ceremony, later in his life let go of most of them and concentrated on a handful of essential practice forms. Those are the forms that we practice and abide in at Myokoji. As a consequence we are more "informal" than many more traditional Soto Zen temples. Our practice is focused yet relaxed, like the posture of zazen.
Practice Opportunities
We offer weekly practice on Wednesday evenings from 7-8:15pm. These periods include 40 minutes of silent meditation followed by a short teaching or practice discussion and socializing. Typically the object or kind of meditation is up to the practitioner (zazen, mindfulness, brahma viharas, jhanas, visualization, silent mantra, etc.) so long as it is silent and still. Usually on the last Wednesday of the month there will be a guided meditation.
Throughout the course of the year we will have one or two Ango, a traditional practice period lasting 12 weeks. This is a special opportunity to make a commitment to practicing daily at home and attending the weekly sitting. In addition to silent sitting a talk is often offered, organized around the theme for the practice period. Past practice periods have covered the topics of "Basic Teachings of Buddhism" (2019), "Essentials of Zen" (2020), "Contemplating Death" (2020), "On Breathing" (2021), and "On Forgiveness" (2021).