Upcoming Events – November 2024

We are pleased that Zen Master Chong An Sunim will visit OZS from Saturday, November 9th, through Sunday, November 17th. There will be many opportunities to practice with Zen Master Chong An Sunim and learn from a master deeply rooted in the tradition of Zen at our events and practice sessions. Our all-day retreat at Myakka River State Park is next Saturday, November 9th. There is still time to sign up for the retreat. Following our retreat on Sunday the […]

Don’t Miss Out On OZS Events and Sessions

We offer weekly meditation practice and Dharma talks. Our regular practice sessions continue and will be live on Zoom. I had to replace my mic to fix the audio issue of the last couple sessions. You may again join us on Zoom. Reminder: Chong An Sunim will be at our regular practice sessions on November 10, 13 and 17th. Come to our November events with Chong An Sunim! Our Silent retreat at Myakka River State park on Saturday, November 9th. […]

OZS - Dharma Room

Calendar Update: Regular Practice Schedule

Join us tonight for our Wednesday Evening Practice Session, on July 3, 2024. Ordinary Zen Sangha practice sessions continue after a month off in June 2024. OZS is secular in its approach, no experience is necessary, and all are welcome. We practice at our Zendo on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. We chant the Heart Sutra, practice sitting meditation for 25 minutes, walking meditation for 5 minutes, and another sitting meditation for 25 minutes, followed by a Dharma talk and discussion […]

Getting unstuck and non-duality

I am about to head up to North Carolina for a few days and while I am gone, I thought you might enjoy this blast from the past. I gave this Dharma Talk from North Carolina, 3 years ago on Aug 23, 2020. It was during COVID, please forgive the quality of the video, it was from my Chromebook on Zoom… We will resume our regular practice sessions on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Deep Bow, Will Rauschenberger

Exploring The Transmission of Mind with Huangbo

Good Friends, In the New Year, I will share a series of posts on the ‘Transmission of Mind’ by Master Huangbo (Similar to the series we did in August of the ‘Platform Sutra of Hui-neng‘). This series will primarily use the Book ‘Zen Roots – The First Thousand Years‘  by Red Pine as its main study text (There is a link to purchase the book on the website). Another good translation is ‘The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the […]

One Day In November

All Buddhas, in all the Buddha worlds, be present for this special day in November, a truly auspicious day! The OZS Silent Retreat Day – Nov. 18, 2023. This will be our third All Day Silent Retreat at Myakka River State Park. Come and join us for a day of peace and rejuvenation in nature. No previous experience with meditation is necessary. There will also be a Precepts Ceremony at the end of the retreat. Please register here, as space is […]

November 18th, All Day Retreat & Precepts

Good Friends, I would like to remind you that we are a month away from our All Day Silent Retreat at Myakka River State Park. Come and join us for this wonderful experience. No previous experience with meditation is necessary and an intro on how to meditate will be available. We will start promptly at 10:00 a.m. Arrive one-half hour early for the intro. The retreat will be in silence. There will be several sitting and walking meditations during the day, […]

News and updates – 10/1/23

Good Friends, Our ‘Silent Retreat in Nature‘ is getting closer and if you haven’t registered yet, I encourage you to do so! I want to especially congratulate those who have signed up for the precepts ceremony. The ceremony will be at the end of the retreat and I will be interviewing each participant during the day. When your time comes, someone will let you know. Nothing scary about the interview, just want to have a moment with each of the […]

OZS All-day Silent Retreat At Myakka River State Park,11-18-23

The next Retreat in Nature will be Saturday, November 18, 2023 Join us at Myakka River State Park for the Ordinary Zen Sangha all-day silent retreat! The natural setting surrounded by the beauty of nature will help us to relax, reflect, and renew ourselves. We will start promptly at 10:00 am (arrive early). There will be several sitting and walking meditations during the day, Dharma Talks, and a vegetarian/vegan potluck lunch. Tea will be served. The retreat will be over […]