My Calendar

Week of Apr 29th

  • Way Seeking Mind Talk: Joe Buckner

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Joe Buckner


    Mon, Apr 29, 2024

    There will be a student talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:

    7:30 am: zazen
    8:00 am: way-seeking mind talk

    What is a "way-seeking mind" talk?  See below.

    Way-Seeking Mind at Berkeley Zen Center

    “Way-Seeking Mind” talks by practitioners at Berkeley Zen Center have been a regular event on Monday mornings for more than thirty years. Each of us came to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. Each of us arrives at BZC from our own diverse backgrounds—social, familial, educational, religious, and so on. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for students to share how it is that they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each of us is engaged with.

    The talks are by invitation, and last about twenty-five minutes, including time for presentation and short question & answer period. For newer students, this is a chance to meet and hear those we are sitting with. Those invited to talk have been sitting steadily at BZC; for them it is an opportunity to tell their story and be seen and heard. One of the teachers or senior students is available for advice in shaping one's talk, should that be useful.

  • Drop-in Sitting and Study

    Drop-in Sitting and Study


    Wed, May 1, 2024

    The Wednesday Drop-in group is a weekly event, now in person, that goes from 7:10 to 9:00 PM. It includes a 30-minute period of Zazen meditation and a brief service in the zendo, followed by tea and refreshments and an hour of reading and discussion in the Community Room. The group particularly welcomes newcomers to Zen Buddhist practice and/or new to Berkeley Zen Center. It also provides an opportunity for practitioners to sit and study together on an ongoing basis. We meet every Wednesday except for the five-day Spring Practice Period sesshin(retreat) in June, the annual seven-day Buddha’s Enlightenment sesshin in December and during the two-week interim period during the December holidays. We also maintain a google group to share reading materials we are studying, announce other BZC events and issues related to logistics. The groups is facilitated by a BZC Priest, Ikushin Gerry Oliva. Gerry can be contacted at gryoliva@gmail.com for further information.

  • WSM Talk: Reed Malcolm

    WSM Talk: Reed Malcolm


    Fri, May 3, 2024

  • One-Day Sesshin

    One-Day Sesshin


    Sat, May 4, 2024

    Berkeley Zen Center will open its 2024 Spring Practice Period with a one-day sesshin on May 4th, led by Carol Paul. We will be returning to our pre-pandemic start time of 5:00am and it will last until 5:30pm.
    The suggested sesshin fee is $35 for in person attendees and $15 for online attendance. You can make a payment by PayPal at https://berkeleyzencenter.org/support-bzc/ or mail a check to
    Berkeley Zen Center Office Manager
    1931 Russell Street
    Berkeley, CA 94703

    In-person attendance will be limited to 33 people. If more than that sign up, they will be placed on a waiting list. There will also be an online option.

    Proof of vaccination is still required. If Berkeley Zen Center does not have your records on file, please send them to bzcofficemanager@gmail.com.
    Breakfast and lunch will be served in the oriyoki style. Guest bowls will be available. An oriyoki training will be offered during the second period of zazen.
    Mark Copithorne will be the sesshin director. Contact him with questions at copithorne@hotmail.com or 510.703.5465.
    Sign up for the May 4th one-day sesshin here: https://forms.gle/QRVb9HMtpTQw8r4eA
    Dharma Talk: Carol Paul

    Dharma Talk: Carol Paul


    Sat, May 4, 2024