The Rochester Zen Center (RZC) is a

Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai school, Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Caodong school, Cáodòng school, which was founded during the ...

and

Rinzai The Rinzai school (, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng), named after Linji Yixuan (Romaji: Rinzai Gigen, died 866 CE) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, along with Sōtō and Ōbaku. The Chinese Linji school of ...

Zen Buddhist sangha in the Kapleau lineage, located in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

and established in 1966 by

Philip Kapleau Philip Kapleau (August 20, 1912 – May 6, 2004) was an American Zen Buddhist teacher. He trained in the Harada–Yasutani tradition, which is rooted in Japanese Sōtō and incorporates Rinzai-school koan study. He established Rochester Zen C ...

. It is one of the oldest Zen centers in the United States.

History

Since its founding, the Rochester Zen Center has become one of the largest Buddhist centers in North America. From those first twenty-two individuals, membership has grown to more than six hundred, with sitting groups and affiliate centers in Mexico and Germany, and throughout the U.S. In 1981 Rochester Zen Center community split, when

Toni Packer Toni Packer (April 1927 – August 23, 2013) was a teacher of “meditative inquiry”, and the founder of Springwater Center. Packer was a former student in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism, and was previously in line to be the successor o ...

left the Center to form the Springwater Center, located an hour south of Rochester. The Rochester Zen Center has also contributed to the intellectual development of American Zen, through

's books, ''The Zen of Living and Dying'', ''Zen Merging of East and West'', ''To Cherish All Life'', and the recent ''Awakening to Zen'' and the writings of its members and its decennial anniversary conferences. In 1986, the 20th Anniversary Conference focused on "Buddhism and Nonviolence," and the 1996 Thirtieth Anniversary explored "Buddhism in America." From 1986 to 2022 the head

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

at Rochester Zen Center was Bodhin Kjolhede, who was sanctioned to teach by Kapleau. Since 2022 Sensei John Pulleyn and Sensei Donna Kowal, dharma heirs of Bodhin Kjolhede, have served as Co-Directors. The community offers intensive Zen

sesshin A ''sesshin'' (接心, or also 摂心/攝心 literally "touching the heart-mind") is a period of intensive meditation (zazen) retreat in a Japanese Zen monastery, or in a Zen monastery or Zen center that belongs to one of the Japanese Zen trad ...

retreats, introductory workshops and training programs throughout the year and is open to guests. File:RZC Zendo 1.JPG File:RZC Library.JPG File:Rochester Zen Center garden facing universal buddha.JPG File:Rochester Zen Center fall buddha07.jpg File:RZC front Sign.JPG

Chapin Mill Buddhist Retreat

The Rochester Zen Center also has a country retreat named Chapin Mill, donated by Ralph Chapin. Each year the center has several sesshin at Chapin Mill. The retreat center held a groundbreaking in April 2000. Building began in 2003, and was completed in 2007. Image:CM Dining hall.JPG, Dining hall facing kitchen. File:Chapin Mill zendo carved entrance door.jpg, Carved zendo door Image:Kannon room.JPG, Kannon Room Image:CM Hall Enso.JPG, Facing enso, zendo on right carved door on left.

Notable residents

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

frontman

Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities in the northeaste ...

was raised at the Rochester Zen Center until he was approximately 5 years old.

References

Sources

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External links