Toward the MRO’s goal of phasing out climate-heating fossil fuel emissions, Zen Mountain Monastery installed electric heat pumps in the Monastery’s main building in February. Our contractors, Archibald Heating and Cooling, and a few Monastery residents began work on February 6th and completed the installation in time for the Bodhidharma Sesshin, which began two weeks later. The heat pumps now provide highly efficient, sustainable electric heat to the zendo. Gone are the ‘click, click, click’ sounds of the previous baseboard heating units. Now, if one listens carefully, one might hear the gentl ..read more

The rhythm of the Monastery’s training year brought the fullness of ango to a close ..read more

By Sandy Joshin Del Valle When the situation seems to be permanent, overwhelming, and full ..read more

By Sandy Joshin Del Valle Solar energy isn’t anything new anymore, yet the recent additions ..read more

At the conclusion of Ango. traditionally the sangha members who are in attendance that day ..read more

A Sangha-Wide Recycling Effort By Paul Sacca If you have ever visited the Monastery, you ..read more

Weaving history, methodology, neuroscience and psychodynamics, butoh innovator Vangeline covers a lot of ground in her expansive and illuminating book ..read more

By Linda Shinji Hoffman At Zen Mountain Monastery we practice ango in the spring and the fall. The shuso can be either a layperson or a monastic. Their role is to inspire the sangha with their devotion and commitment to practice. The training period ends with a ceremony where the chief disciple gives their first talk on a koan and is then challenged by the sangha with live questions ..read more

As vaccinations for Covid-19 became more readily available last spring, the Monastery was able to ..read more

On 11/21/21, the Monastery held a Shuso Hossen ceremony that capped our fall ango training ..read more