Student Sharing Blog

  • Deeper Waters: Rev. Ito’s Legacy and the Journey of Consciousness

    By Aaron Our zendo was founded by Reverend Ito, who used to share Zen teachings with us on a chalkboard. After his passing in the early days of COVID, the way we shared with each other changed. Sharing became more than simply passing on ideas—it became a way to build community, giving everyone a chance…

  • Finding Connection in Silence

    By Taylor Last Saturday, I did something out of my comfort zone: I spent a full day at Green Gulch Farms, a Zen center just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The event was run by Every Day Zen—a group affiliated with the San Francisco Zen Center—and, honestly, I was nervous going in. I’d never…

  • Finding Peace and Community: My Experience

    By Diana This is my first time sharing. I have been attending Hakone Zendo for a few months, I can’t remember exactly how long. Every time that I come here, it feels like the first time I am here. However, I have noticed that my quality of life has improved a lot since I joined…

  • Focusing the Mind: Lessons from a Journey

    By Leo When I first started this journey back in October, I thought it would be simple. The instructions seemed straightforward: sit with proper posture, breathe deeply, and focus on the present moment. Easy, right? But as I quickly learned, simplicity doesn’t always mean ease. At first, even the physical aspect was a challenge. Sitting…

  • Finding My Center: Meditation’s Quiet Impact on My Life

    By DongminToday I would like to share the Zendo mediation impacts to me lately: -Changes I’ve noticed in my life since beginning regular practice five months ago. -How meditation connects to my childhood memories Wisdom from my Grandmother My grandmother, now 96 years old and still remarkably healthy, has practiced a home-style form of Buddhism…

  • The Dichotomy of Practice

    By Michael Forgive me if I get a little philosophical here, but I think it’ll be worth the reflection. This thought process started with a conversation I had at work about what we do here every Sunday. Someone asked me, “Are you a practicing Zen Buddhist?” I jokingly replied, “Well, I’m still practicing sitting.” We…

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