Things to know before you come

Henry David Thoreau Sangha (aka, "Hank") sits together each Monday evening at 7:30pm eastern time on Zoom.

Each month, we have opportunities for in-person practice on the weekend or sesshin retreats. We'll announce those in advance.

Prior to joining us please send an email to hanksanghainfo@gmail.com for a brief orientation. We'll share a quick overview of our weekly practice meetings.

If you are new to Zen, here is an introduction to our form of meditation:

Mindfulness Meditation by Ken Walkama

You may also want to read this book:

Zen Meditation in Plain English by John Buksbazen

Is it free to attend?

All orientations and all weekly practice meeting are offered free of charge. Hank Sangha activities are supported by our members, so we welcome voluntary donations.

If you are looking only for relaxation: You may find it more fruitful to explore a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Zen practice may lead to relaxation–but then again, it may not. The Zen tradition regards relaxation as a potential side-effect, and not so much as the goal of practice. But if you are looking to learn a variety of techniques that might help you relax, a fabulous book you may enjoy is Meditation & Relaxation in Plain English, by Bob Sharples.

What to Expect

The Henry David Thoreau Zen Sangha is open to the public. All who are interested in Zen meditation are welcome to come and practice with us. Our practice combines elements of Japanese Soto and Rinzai practice, Korean Seon, and the Haruda-Yasutani koan curriculum.

Every weekly practice meeting includes a briefing chanting service, two periods of zazen sitting meditation, and five or more minutes of walking meditation. One meeting in every three weeks includes a talk by a Zen teacher on some aspect of practice, followed by open discussion. Another meeting in every three weeks provides the opportunity for a voluntary individual meeting (in Zoom breakout room) with a teacher to discuss issues related to your practice.

If we are practicing on Zoom, think of the room in which you are practicing as the zendo (or meditation hall). Prior to entering the zendo, we silence our phones, remove our shoes, and leave them outside the room.

If you are new to Zen practice, please see the "Notes on Monday Night" page for more details about chanting, bowing, sitting meditation, walking meditation, etc. Please do not worry about memorizing all of these forms. You can just follow along with the other sangha members on Zoom, and our practice leaders will provide pointers or guidance as needed.

If you are comfortable with meditating in stillness and are familiar with zazen and with Zen liturgy, you are welcome to join us at any point. In any case, we do encourage even old hands to meet up with us for a short orientation, if only to introduce yourself and get acquainted.