- We offer zazen (meditation) daily, Monday – Friday
- 2025 BZC Calendar
MORE CHANGES this week (6/16 – 21)
A few attendees at our recent 5-day sesshin tested positive for Covid. We have decided to go FULLY ONLINE Friday and Saturday. Here’s the schedule:
Friday
- 6:00 am to 7:00 am: zazen (no service)
- 7:30 am: online zazen as usual
- 5:40 pm: zazen (no service)
Saturday
- 9:30 am to 10:05: zazen
- 10:05 to 10:15: kinhin
- 10:15 to 11:15: dharma talk (special guest speaker Kogen Czarnik)
This Saturday, our special guest Speaker is Kogen Czarnik, a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Tangen Harada Roshi. His talk will be about his translation of a book about Sozen Nagasawa Roshi, one of our woman ancestors.
Berkeley Zen Center Seeks A New Abbot
The BZC Abbot provides spiritual leadership , and is a teacher, guide, and resource to Sangha members. The Abbot must be a highly collaborative individual with a desire to provide leadership in response to the needs of the Sangha. The Abbot has a regular daily zazen practice; attends all regular sesshins; and implements and abides by BZC’s ethical standards and guidelines for Sangha members.
More Details About The Application Process
Upcoming Sittings
Coming soon
(for details about these programs, check the Calendar Page)
You can pay for any of these events by mailing a check to the BZC Office Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703, or you can pay through the website using the “Sits/Classes” button on the “Generosity” tab. In either case, please indicate what you are paying for, so that your payment is not mixed up with dues or donations
Mountains and Rivers Sesshin
Mark your calendars for a three-day Mountains and Rivers Sesshin at Point Reyes National Seashore.
This is our first M&R sesshin since before the pandemic, and we are excited to be offering it again. The sesshin, led by Ellen Webb and Susan Marvin, will be Friday through Sunday, July 18‒20 (three days and two nights). It will involve hiking and camping while maintaining a sesshin atmosphere and mindful practice, including periods of silence, zazen, group study, free time, and assigned positions and responsibilities such as cooking or cleanup. It offers a wonderful way to meet and connect with other practitioners and experience practice in a beautiful natural setting.
Carpooling will be arranged. Please sign up on the BZC patio bulletin board or contact Ellen Webb (ellenwebbdance@gmail.com) and/or Susan Marvin (lai_hang@yahoo.com).
In Memoriam – Hozan Kushiki Alan Senauke Daiosho 
Our dear Abbot Hozan Roshi passed away on December 22 after a year’s illness. Hozan served as Vice Abbot of BZC for 20 years before his Mountain Seat Ceremony in January of 2021. Earlier he served as the Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and later served as a teacher and advisor for Upaya Zen Center’s Chaplaincy Training Program. You can access many of his lectures and teachings (and music) in various sections of the BZC website, YouTube, and elsewhere online; his full obituary is available on Legacy.com.
BZC had a full round of traditional Soto Zen ceremonies in the days following Hozan Roshi’s death, ending with 49th day memorial service on February 8. There will be a larger, more eclectic funeral/memorial service on August 10, 2025, at the Freight and Salvage Coffee House in Berkeley.