I have some favorite writings that I return to over and over again. One of them is by Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen in Japan, who is known for his great prose and his flowing, inspirational expressions of the Dharma. Genjokoan’s first four lines remind me of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. GENJŌKŌAN (1) When all dharmas are the Buddha Dharma, there is delusion and realization, practice, life and death, buddhas and living beings. (2) When the ten thousand […]
Category Archives: News
News – Chong An Sunim is coming to OZS in May
‘Ignorance, intelligence, and insight – how to obtain who we are and find our true path.’ A talk with Chong An Sunim on Thursday evening, May 8, 2025, followed on Friday, May 9th, 2025, with a Zen Day at OZS. Thursday’s Dharma Talk will be from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Friday’s Zen Day will be from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. OZS is located at 4690 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232. The suggested donation for the talk is $10.00 […]
I have no words, a walk down the road of habit
I have no words. There’s nothing I can give you that you don’t already have. There’s nothing I can add to what you already are. So we use words because we’ve forgotten who we are in our ignorance. We walk down the road of habit energy, it drags us along like a chain, and we struggle. As we go down the path of getting to know ourselves, we discover that there are options for us that we didn’t think we […]
Sangha Practice for New Years Day
Join us for a sangha celebration to welcome the New Year. New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025, 7:00 pm We will start with Zen meditation practice at 7:00 pm and end with celebrating the New Year with our community of practitioners. Please join us. You are welcome to bring a snack or treat to share, we will provide Tea. Please use the contact form to let us know you will be coming. All the Best, Abbot Will Rauschenberger
Wind Blows, Old Songs End, New Ones Begin
The Song of Liberation… Upcoming events: Winter Solstice Celebration at Siesta Public Beach. Sat, Dec 21, 2024, 6:30 AM New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Join us for our Evening Meditation, Dharma Talk, and Sangha Celebration. 7:00 PM.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Greetings, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons! This year, I will spend it with my adult children in Maryland, so there will be no practice session on Sunday, December 1st. Speaking of Thanksgiving, OZS is made possible by our supporting members, thank you for supporting OZS! We had a wonderful 10 days with Chong An Sunim. I posted 3 Dharma Talks with Sunim from our OZS practice sessions, enjoy.
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. […]
Upcoming Events in November
Don’t miss out! Remember you must RSVP for the Silent retreat. Come to all three events with Chong An Sunim! Our Silent retreat at Myakka River State park on Saturday, November 9th. A Talk at Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center on Tuesday, November 12th. Sunset Full Moon Meditation at The Bay Park on Friday, November 15th.
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 […]
Temple Life – Part Two
After 8 days of traveling with Sunim and his family, plus 8 days of Charlene and I traveling alone down Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, Charlene and I have returned to the Orginal Light Temple outside Budapest for the last few days of our visit. We will be ending our trip with an Ancestor Celebration on Sunday. Of course, there are stories to tell about our adventures. However, this post is not a travel log. There will be opportunities to share those […]