Hakone Zendo
Zazen Meditation Community in Saratoga, California
Embrace the Calmness Together
Find your peace in Silicon Valley
Zazen: Accessible, Challenging, and Profound
Zazen might sound intimidating at first, but it’s a practice that’s both accessible and surprisingly natural. While there’s always room to learn and refine your technique, the essence of zazen is simple. As a Zen saying goes, “We are always beginning again.” This ongoing practice allows us to cultivate focus and inner peace, no matter our experience level.
Experience
Zen meditation has been around for centuries, helping people find peace and focus. Join us to explore this ancient practice in a tranquil environment. We follow the Rinzai tradition, known for its emphasis on mindfulness and present-moment awareness. Our students get together to meditate on Sundays.
Calm
Feeling overwhelmed? Discover peace at our zazen-kai meditation session. Surrounded by the gentle chirps of birds and the soothing sounds of a waterfall, you’ll enter a serene environment perfect for meditation.
Unity
Experience the power of collective meditation. Join us weekly as we come together to meditate and exchange thoughts.
Why people want to meditate with us?
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Great place to reset my mind. Group meditation is a lot easier than doing it alone.
K.K
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The quality of my life has been improving and helps me stay grounded and deal with daily life in a more relaxed way.
D.S.
From our student sharing blog
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Am I Actually Living, or Am I Just Busy?
By Chloe In my professional world of AI and technology, everything is about optimization—speed, scale, accuracy, cost, and reaching the next milestone. We build systems that learn, rank, predict, and automate. We watch dashboards the way pilots watch instruments. And without noticing, we start living the same way: always monitoring, always adjusting, always looking forward.…
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Seeing the Ordinary: Our First Zazen-kai of 2026
By Ann Where is the ordinary? The extraordinary? Can they be here simultaneously, but only one seen? A few minutes ago this space where we are now seated, was empty…no chairs, no students, no bells. It was ordinarily beautiful and then it was made into the extraordinary….by and with chairs, students, sound of bells. But…
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Sugar and Salt: My Four Days at Hosen-ji
By KazIt was a privilege to sit with all of you this morning for our final session of the year. As we look back on our time together at Hakone Zendo, I wanted to share a personal experience that has deeply shifted my perspective on our practice. Two weeks ago, before a business trip, I…
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The Non-Discriminatory “Merry”
By Ann I’m wearing my seasonal shirt today. It’s pink, and it has the word MERRY written across it. A number of people have commented on it, and I always tell them the same thing: it’s a non-discriminatory shirt. You can be Merry Christmas, you can be Merry New Year, or you can be Merry…
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Reflections on Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright
By Michael I recently finished a book by Robert Wright entitled Why Buddhism Is True… a very daring title, I thought. The book has been out for a few years and was a New York Times bestseller, but I only encountered it recently. What I found most interesting is how Wright focuses on the philosophical side…
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Waking Up to Every Breath
By Taylor Happy Thanksgiving. I’m Taylor, and recently I volunteered to speak at our meditation group. If I’m honest, the main reason I volunteer is that I can’t stand that awkward moment when we’re all standing in a circle and no one steps forward. I just raise my hand so we can all move on.…
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Flowing Water Never Rots: Rediscovering the Beginner’s Mind
By Kaz “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.” This famous saying by Suzuki Roshi of the San Francisco Zen Center captures the true essence of maintaining a “Beginner’s Mind.” It sounds simple, but after practicing Zazen at this Zendo for almost 15 years—sitting nearly every Sunday—I’ve…
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From “Begin to Sit and Breathe” to ‘Try Something New’
By Dongmin It’s hard to believe, but it’s been an entire year since I started coming here to meditate every Sunday morning. Today I would like to share some reflections, some observations, and something new that I start trying. When I first came to practice last year, I was desperately looking for something that could…
Mindfulness for all. Community thrives.
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