Photo: Zen Center Dokusan Hut

1931 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
510-845-2403


Directions, map, parking, wheelchair access


Free zazen instruction and orientation for beginners: Saturdays 9:20-10:00 a.m. in Community Room.

NOTE UPCOMING TIME CHANGE! BEGINNING JULY 26 OUR FREE INSTRUCTION AND ORIENTATION FOR BEGINNERS WILL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAYS AT 8:50 AM, IN THE ZENDO.

Saturday morning talk: 10:10-11:00 a.m. in zendo.

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Berkeley Zen Center

About Berkeley Zen Center

The Berkeley Zen Center is a place where people practice zazen together daily, with the support of the Zen Center community, under the guidance of abbot Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi.

Meditation, which is called zazen, or sitting in stillness, is the center of our practice, following and adapting the traditions of Soto Zen Buddhism. At BZC our everyday activity, as it extends from zazen, is the field where practice finds its full expression.

Everyday Zen

The Center was established in 1967 by the late Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, with the help of his student Mel Weitsman. Suzuki Roshi came to San Francisco from Japan in 1959, and in the following years founded San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery. He died in 1971, having successfully planted seeds of Zen in the California soil. The warmhearted teaching of Suzuki Roshi as recorded in his well-known book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, and in his most recent book, Branching Streams Flow in the Dark, continues to be a touchstone and inspiration for all our efforts.

Shogakuji

In September of 1979 Berkeley Zen Center moved to its present location on Russell Street, where a new zendo was constructed and officially named Shogakuji, in honor of Shogaku Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. There is a small residential community living at the Center, which includes priests, lay students and children. Our general membership numbers more than a hundred, most living in Berkeley and the surrounding area. We are supported by the dues, donations, and strong work practice of members and friends who come from all walks of life and different age groups.

We offer this Affirmation of Welcome: Walking the path of liberation, we express our intimate connection with all beings. Welcoming diversity, here at Berkeley Zen Center the practice of zazen is available to people of every race, nationality, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical ability. May all beings realize their true nature.

Training & study

Along with daily zazen there are other opportunities for practice and study at BZC. Zazen instruction is given each Saturday morning. Introductory classes and training are offered for new people, as well as weekly classes on Buddhist subjects year round. Each month there is an intensive meditation period of one or two days, as well as regular half-day sittings. Several times a year there are longer sittings, called sesshin, that last three, five, or seven days. Each year we have a six-week practice period, where students can intensify their daily meditation and join with others in community study and work.

Dokusan

Formal practice interviews, or "Dokusan," are available with Sojun Roshi. Those practicing regularly at BZC are also encouraged to meet with the Tanto (head practice leader) and other senior students for practice discussion. This is another way we share our inquiry and understanding, and deepen our relationship with our teachers.

 

Photo: Abbot Sojun Mel Weitsman

Our abbot

Our abbot Sojun Mel Weitsman was born in Los Angeles in 1929. His broad life experience includes years of art study and abstract expressionist painting, work as a house painter, boat painter, cab driver, and music instructor.

In 1964 Sojun began to practice at San Francisco Zen Center on Bush Street, and in 1969 was ordained by Suzuki Roshi as resident priest at the Berkeley Zendo. Sojun received Dharma Transmission from Suzuki Roshi's son, Gyugaku Hoitsu, at Rinso-in temple in Japan in 1984, and was officially installed as abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center in 1985. Along with his responsibilities in Berkeley, Sojun continues a long involvement with the San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara, having served as co-abbot at these practice centers for nine years. Sojun lives in North Berkeley with his wife, Liz, and their son, Daniel.

Membership

If you have been sitting for a month or more and wish to contribute regularly to support the practice, we encourage you to become a member of Berkeley Zen Center. As mentioned above, we are entirely supported by dues and contributions from the BZC community. There are several categories of membership, for those who practice regularly at BZC, and for people who live at a distance from the center. Family memberships are also welcomed. Please talk with one of the senior students about which category and what level of dues are appropriate. Our monthly newsletter is also available to anyone interested for a suggested donation of $20.00 per year. A subscription is, of course, included with all categories of membership.

Last revised 2/18/07.
Copyright 2000 Berkeley Zen Center.
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