500 bows for the New Year
January 1, 10 a.m. Start off the new year right with 500 (actually 540) prostrations. And yes you can do standing bows, chair squats, etc. — whatever keeps your body moving and your center strong. In person only, but you can join us in spirit at home.
Annual meeting
Join us Saturday January 11 for our annual meeting, the meeting that keeps us legal. Open to all, only members can vote.
In-person potluck starts at 5 p.m. Hybrid meeting (use the usual practice link if you’re Zooming in) starts at 6 p.m. Aside from the usual reports we’ll be voting in a new board and voting on revised by-laws. Members will receive detailed information, including an agenda, at least two weeks before the meeting.
If there is a weather emergency, the meeting will be held on January 25.
January 1-day retreat
Saturday January 18 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With Zen Master Bon Hae (Judy Roitman). Hybrid. $40, contact us if you need the fee reduced or waived. If you are sitting in-person, be sure to bring your lunch. Register for in-person here and for Zoom here. Registration closes at noon on January 17.
Our retreat are fairly intensive, designed for people with some meditation experience. If you are interested but not sure you are ready for a retreat, contact us and we’ll figure it out.
Zen and Yoga
Saturday January 25, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. With Zen Master Hae Kwang (Stan Lombardo). An overview of the themes and practices common to both classical Yoga and Zen Buddhism, as well as their significant differences, and the influence these two traditions have had on each other. We'll also discuss how the two practices (Zen meditation and asana practice) might be combined to the enhancement of both. $20. Zoom only. Registration open in late December.
Gender Dharma
After practice we will have a special guest speaker, Ella Baker. Ella spoke at the well-received panel Gender Diversity/Queerness: Creating a Welcoming Sangha, at the Kwan Um School of Zen’s Dharma Teacher Weekend and will be giving a short talk and answering questions on the emptiness of identity and skillful means in relation to gender and transitioning. Ella is a Korean-American educator, poet, and dharma teacher in training at Dharma Zen Center in Los Angeles.
February two-day retreat
Friday February 21, 2025 6:30 p.m. to Sunday February 23, 2025 12:30 p.m. With special guest Zen Master Soeng Hyang (Barbara Rhodes), guiding teacher of the international Kwan Um School of Zen, author of the just-released book Composting Our Karma. For more information and more of her teaching, check here. $120, contact us if you need the fee reduced or waived. Registration available in mid-January.
Our retreat are fairly intensive, designed for people with some meditation experience. If you are interested but not sure you are ready for a retreat, contact us and we’ll figure it out.
Most people sleeping at the Zen center stay in one large room. There are two single rooms available, let us know if you need one of them.
And remember: it’s a two-step registration process. 1. Add to cart. 2. Go to cart and purchase.
March one-day retreat
Saturday March 15 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With Zen Master Bon Hae (Judy Roitman). Hybrid. $40, contact us if you need the fee reduced or waived. If you are sitting in-person, be sure to bring your lunch. Registration opens in late February, and closes at noon March 14.
Our retreat are fairly intensive, designed for people with some meditation experience. If you are interested but not sure you are ready for a retreat, contact us and we’ll figure it out.
April two-day retreat
Friday April 18 6:30 p.m. to Sunday April 20 12:30 p.m. With Zen Master Bon Hae (Judy Roitman). $120, contact us if you need the fee reduced or waived. Registration available in mid-March; registration closes at noon April 17.
Our retreat are fairly intensive, designed for people with some meditation experience. If you are interested but not sure you are ready for a retreat, contact us and we’ll figure it out.
Most people sleeping at the Zen center stay in one large room. There are two single rooms available, let us know if you need one of them.
December one-day retreat
Saturday December 14 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With Dennis Duermeier JDPSN. Hybrid. $30, contact us if you need the fee reduced or waived. If you are sitting in-person, be sure to bring your lunch. Registration can be found here.
Dennis was one of the founding members of Kansas Zen Center and we are delighted he will be joining us to lead this retreat.
Our retreat are fairly intensive, designed for people with some meditation experience. If you are interested but not sure you are ready for a retreat, contact us and we’ll figure it out.
Buddha's Enlightenment Celebration
We will celebrate Buddha’s enlightenment on Sunday December 8 at 10:30 a.m. with a ceremony, followed by a vegetarian potluck. All are welcome. Hybrid (except for the potluck) of course — for Zoom, just use the usual practice link. And yes there will be no practice that day.
Interfaith prayer vigil for our country
Saturday December 7 6 p.m. Join us for this interfaith event (we are a co-sponsor). And yes there will be, among the music and prayers and and readings, a short dharma talk. At Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont Street. Enter through the door across from Wheatfields.
Compass of Zen: Zen part 2
November 23, 10:30 a.m. The last class in our Compass of Zen series. With Zen Master Bon Hae (Judy Roitman). On Zoom. $15 requested, contact us if you need the fee waived. The class is based on Zen Master Seung Sahn’s Compass of Zen. We will be reading and discussing the chapters Effort in Zen; The Zen Circle; What is Buddha-nature; Three Prajna Things; The Realm of Like-This; Looking Within, You Perceive Mind’s True Light; The Human Route; Just Seeing is Buddha-nature; Where Are You Going?; Zen Master To Sol’s Three Gates; Which of the Following Four Sentences Is Freedom from Life and Death?; Original Face; Zen Master Ko Bong’s Three Gates; Just-Like-This Is Buddha; Conclusion: Only Go Straight, Don’t Know. (It looks like a lot but it’s less than 70 pages.) The class is based on student discussion: each participant will speak for a few minutes on what struck them and what questions they had, then the teacher will respond, and then there will be a general discussion. In order for everyone to have the opportunity to speak, the class is limited to 15 participants. In order to encourage candor in class discussion, this class will not be recorded. Registration closes on November 22 at noon central time.
November two-day retreat
Friday November 15 6:30 p.m. to Sunday November 17 12:30 p.m. With Zen Master Bon Hae (Judy Roitman). $100, contact us if you need the fee reduced or waived. Registration availble in mid-October.
Our retreat are fairly intensive, designed for people with some meditation experience. If you are interested but not sure you are ready for a retreat, contact us and we’ll figure it out.
Most people sleeping at the Zen center stay in one large room. There are two single rooms available, let us know if you need one of them.
And remember: it’s a two-step registration process. 1. Add to cart. 2. Go to cart and purchase.
Pizza at the Pit
Shake off the November chill and hang out around Kansas Zen Center’s fire pit November 8th. Sparks start to fly at 6 PM. Pizza and soft drinks provided, bringing marshmallows or other treats to share is encouraged. We have some seating, but bring your own lawn chair if you have one. All are welcome. Please register (it’s free) by noon November 8th so we know how much pizza to order. Feel free to bring a friend!
And remember: it’s two-step registration process. 1. Add to cart. 2. Go to cart and “purchase”.
Compass of Zen: Zen Part 1
Saturday, October 26 10:30 a.m. With Zen Master Bon Hae (Judy Roitman). On Zoom. $15 requested, contact us if you need the fee waived. The class is based on Zen Master Seung Sahn’s Compass of Zen. We will be reading and discussing the first half of the section on Zen Buddhism: the untitled introductory chapter in this section, and the chapters The Classification of Meditation; Utmost Vehicle Zen; Nonattachment to Language; The Special Transmission; Pointing Directly to Mind; See Your True Nature, Become Buddha; Kong-an and All Cases; Sitting in Zen Meditation; The Great Enlightenment; Methods of Meditation; The Three Essential Elements of Zen. (It looks like a lot but it’s only about 70 pages.) The class is based on student discussion: each participant will speak for a few minutes on what struck them and what questions they had, then the teacher will respond, and then there will be a general discussion. In order for everyone to have the opportunity to speak, the class is limited to 15 participants, and in order to encourage candor in class discussion, the class will not be recorded.
Ocean Seal Samadhi
Saturday, September 28, 10:30 a.m. The great 7th century Korean Master Ui-Sang condensed Mahayana Buddhist teachings into 210 Chinese characters arranged in a maze-like pattern, known as the Ocean Seal Samadhi. This class explores the Ocean Seal Samadhi and its strong influence on both Chinese and Korean Zen practice. With Zen Master Hae Kwang (Stan Lombardo). $15. Zoom only.
Native Gardening Party
Join us Monday September 16 4 p.m. as our gardening guru Courtney Masterson of Native Lands Restoration Collaborative guides us through planting and weeding our native plant garden in the south lot. A wonderful opportunity not only to help move our native garden to completion, but also to learn about native plants and be inspired for our own gardens. Courtney will provide tools, plants, and knowledge. A family friendly event. Open to all.
Kansas Zen Center Event Information
For those joining on Zoom, sign-in registration will be sent before the event.
Publicly available class readings will be announced in the class description. Other notes will be sent to participants before the class.
Retreat schedules and information will be sent to participants the day before the retreat.
To register for an event, fill out the appropriate application. If you have any questions, write to us at kansaszencenter@gmail.com. Please register at least two days before a retreat or class. More information about our retreats can be found here.
Retreats vary in price depending on the length of the retreat. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If you need retreat fees waived or modified, email us at kansaszencenter@gmail.com before registration. If you cannot sit an entire retreat as scheduled, please email us well in advance to make arrangements. For more information, email us at kansaszencenter@gmail.com.