Crooked River Zen Center

06/15/2026

Tonight Jill, John, and Glenn will be at the men's shelter serving dinner. Our next date to be there is July 20.

We'll be following our typical schedule this week with sittings on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 9:30am. The talk on Thursday will continue our study of the 3 refuges from "Living by Vow" by Shohaku Okumura.

On Saturday, June 27, there will be a Jukai ceremony where Glenn Bach will receive the precepts along with his Buddhist name. This is an important event, not only for Glenn, but also the entire sangha and the greater community. I hope you can attend and offer Glenn your support for his journey ahead, living by vow.

We have a special guest teacher visiting with us on Jul 10 and 11. The link to Eventbrite which you can use to register to attend both the Friday night public talk and the Saturday zazenkai is below. I'm also including once again a copy of the flyer to help publicize this event.
Gassho,
Dean
Visiting Zen Teacher Shodo Spring
eventbrite.com
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Finally, I am sharing below some information that may be of interest to some of you regarding a Nonviolent Communication training.

We have an opportunity to join in a group and practice wise speech under the guidance of Orin Jay Sofer, teacher and author who integrates Buddhist meditation with Nonviolent Communication (NVC). This is a once a week online study group via zoom, with group sessions in US Eastern Time) is as follows:

Meeting Dates: Tuesdays, June 16, 23, 30, and July 7, 14, 21

Meeting Time: 12:15 – 2:00 PM ET

Coursework free, dana welcomed

There is the added possibility, given there is interest, of getting together after the course as a regular NVC practice group hosted by local longtime NVC practitioner Lisa Hong. Details on the online program are as follows:

https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/2026-wise-speech/

06/08/2026

We will have our usual Thursday evening sitting this week at 7:00. The dharma talk following the sitting will be on the 3 refuges which is the subject of chapter 3 of Shohaku Okumura's "Living By Vow."

On Saturday morning we will be holding our monthly Jukai class where our study text is Shantideva's "The Way of the Bodhisattva." We will begin at 9:30am with a 30 minute sitting with class immediately following. We're currently looking at chapter 7 on the paramita of "perseverance" starting with verse 35. The Merriam-Webster definition of perseverance is "the continued effort to do or achieve something, even when it is difficult, takes a long time, or faces setbacks."

Our next visit to the men's shelter on Lakeside Ave. to serve dinner is next Monday, the 15th. Several of our regular servers are unable to volunteer there this month so we are in need of some additional folks who can fill in. Please let me know if you're able to do this.

We are now opening up the weekend with guest teacher Shodo Spring for pre-registration which is very important if you wish to be assured of a seat for either July 10 or 11. We are using Eventbrite as our primary vehicle for registration. You can access our Eventbrite page either via the QR code on our flyer which is below or via the link which is also provided below. We would appreciate your assistance in getting the word out there about Shodo's programs at CRZ so please feel free to send this flyer to anyone you know who might be interested in attending.
Visiting Zen Teacher Shodo Spring
eventbrite.com
apple-touch-icon-180x180.png

Gassho,
Dean

06/08/2026

Time for summer break. Last week we ended the book season by finishing chapter 26, The Morning Star Appears. The various aspects of Being-Time, the interconnectedness, interdependence, right-here-right-now, both infinite and finite, all helps us to understand Dogen's teaching methods as he tries in his own fashion to instill an understanding of an unobstructed passage to nonduality. Remembering that the effect is always embedded in the cause, we are left now with the future that we know already exists, finishing the last several chapters beginning in September. See you all then!

Book: Eihei Dogen's "Being-Time: A Practitioner's Guide to Dogen's Shobogenzo Uji" by Shinshu Roberts.
Beginning in Ch 27 "The Mind Is A Donkey, The Word Is A Horse" page 202
Day: Monday, September 28th 2026
Time: 7:30 to 9:00 PM EST
Place: Google Meet at https://meet.google.com/zjy-ctnn-kzn
🙏🏼
--
Joe
cell 216.337.9624

06/08/2026

We have an opportunity to join in a group and practice wise speech under the guidance of Orin Jay Sofer, teacher and author who integrates Buddhist meditation with Nonviolent Communication (NVC). This is a once a week online study group via zoom, with group sessions in US Eastern Time) is as follows:

Meeting Dates: Tuesdays, June 16, 23, 30, and July 7, 14, 21

Meeting Time: 12:15 – 2:00 PM ET

Coursework free, dana welcomed

There is the added possibility, given there is interest, of getting together after the course as a regular NVC practice group hosted by local longtime NVC practitioner Lisa Hong. Details on the online program are as follows:

https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/2026-wise-speech/

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions... 🙏🏼
--
Joe
cell 216.337.9624

Back to Programs Wise Speech: An Introduction to Mindful Communication You might consider inviting a friend to join you. In a time when conversations can feel strained or polarized, learning to listen deeply and speak with care can be especially meaningful. Because this program is offered by donatio...

06/02/2026

We will have our usual sittings on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 9:30am. The dharma talk on Thursday will complete our look at chapter 2 "Awakening to Incompleteness: The Verse of Repentance" from Shokaku Okumura's "Living by Vow." Normally our monthly Jukai class would take place on Saturday but this month the class will be held on the second Saturday, June 13, which means we'll follow our regular schedule this week and I will present the dharma talk that morning.

Our next visit to the men's shelter on Lakeside to serve dinner is on June 15. Please let me know if you would like to be part of our team that evening.

Finally, a reminder that we are hosting a visiting guest teacher, Shodo Spring, on July 10 & 11. We expect to have a flyer prepared and open this up for advance registration next Monday. The cost for the public talk on Friday night will be $15 members/$20 non-members and for the full day zazenkai on Saturday that will include a vegetarian lunch it will be $40 members/$50 non-members.
Gassho,
Dean

05/26/2026

We will be following our usual schedule this week with sittings on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 9:30am. For our service on Thursday we will be doing the full moon ceremony and the dharma talk will be looking at the Verse of Repentance which is chapter 2 of Shohaku's "Living By Vow."

Our book discussion group, which has been studying "Being-Time: a Practitioner's Guide to Dogen's Shobogenzo Uji" by Shinshu Roberts, would normally meet this evening since this is the last Monday of the month, but due to the holiday we are moving this back a week and will now have our final session before a summer break with this group next Monday, June 1st, from 7:30 - 9:00pm.

Also, we have two major events coming up over the next several months. The first one has a visiting teacher, Shodo Spring, coming here July 10 & 11 to give a public talk on the 10th and to serve as our teacher for an all day zazenkai on the 11th. Her most recent book is "Open Reality: Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings." Sho is a dharma heir of Shohaku Okumura. We expect to open this up for advance registration within the next couple of weeks.

Finally, September 26 & 27 I will be helping to lead a contemplative retreat at the Center of Solitude in Belmont, NY. My first time there was last year, also in the early fall. It's a beautiful retreat facility sitting on a large piece of property in a sparsely populated area. Last year I shared teaching responsibilities with Meido Anderson and I think it's accurate to say the majority of attendees were from her sangha, O-An, in Julian, PA. She is unable to participate this year and I'd like to think that CRZ can offset any decline in attendance by O-An members. Belmont is less than 3.5 hours from Cleveland and it's right around 3 hours from O-An. I will make more information available about this retreat as it becomes available.
Gassho,We will be following our usual schedule this week with sittings on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 9:30am. For our service on Thursday we will be doing the full moon ceremony and the dharma talk will be looking at the Verse of Repentance which is chapter 2 of Shohaku's "Living By Vow."

Our book discussion group, which has been studying "Being-Time: a Practitioner's Guide to Dogen's Shobogenzo Uji" by Shinshu Roberts, would normally meet this evening since this is the last Monday of the month, but due to the holiday we are moving this back a week and will now have our final session before a summer break with this group next Monday, June 1st, from 7:30 - 9:00pm.

Also, we have two major events coming up over the next several months. The first one has a visiting teacher, Shodo Spring, coming here July 10 & 11 to give a public talk on the 10th and to serve as our teacher for an all day zazenkai on the 11th. Her most recent book is "Open Reality: Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings." Sho is a dharma heir of Shohaku Okumura. We expect to open this up for advance registration within the next couple of weeks.

Finally, September 26 & 27 I will be helping to lead a contemplative retreat at the Center of Solitude in Belmont, NY. My first time there was last year, also in the early fall. It's a beautiful retreat facility sitting on a large piece of property in a sparsely populated area. Last year I shared teaching responsibilities with Meido Anderson and I think it's accurate to say the majority of attendees were from her sangha, O-An, in Julian, PA. She is unable to participate this year and I'd like to think that CRZ can offset any decline in attendance by O-An members. Belmont is less than 3.5 hours from Cleveland and it's right around 3 hours from O-An. I will make more information available about this retreat as it becomes available.
Gassho,
Dean
Dean

05/23/2026

Hi everyone and happy Memorial day weekend! Since our normal monthly meeting, the last Monday of the month, falls on a holiday let's postpone by one week. Therefore we will be meeting on June 1st rather than May 25th and hopefully that's more accomodating for the last meeting we will be having until our September meeting. For June 1st we will finish out the year continuing with Chapter 26 "The Morning Star Appears", beginning where we left off at the top of page 199 with the paragraph titled "The Transmission Of Being-Time". If we have time (no way around that expression) we will begin Chapter 27 "The Mind Is A Donkey the Word Is A Horse" starting on page 202. Wherever we leave off on that night we will pick up there again on September 28th. Please join us for this last session as follows:

Book: Eihei Dogen's "Being-Time: A Practitioner's Guide to Dogen's Shobogenzo Uji" by Shinshu Roberts.
Beginning in Ch 26 "The Morning Star Appears" on top of page 199 with the paragraph titled "The Transmission Of Being-Time"
Day: Monday, June 1st 2026
Time: 7:30 to 9:00 PM EST
Place: Google Meet at https://meet.google.com/zjy-ctnn-kzn

--
Joe
cell 216.337.9624

05/19/2026

Tonight John D., John W. and myself will be serving dinner at the men's shelter. Our next date to be there is June 15.

We will be following our typical schedule this week with sittings on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 9:30am. In the dharma talk on Thursday we will be concluding our study of the four bodhisattva vows from "Living By Vow" by Shohaku Okumura.
Gassho,
Dean

05/11/2026

We will be following our usual schedule this week with sittings on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 9:30am. The dharma talk on Thursday will continue our look at the four bodhisattva vows as outlined in the first chapter of "Living By Vow." On Saturday I will be talking about the forms we follow in our practice at Crooked River Zen with particular focus on the formal service that takes place every Thursday and Saturday (except when we are holding a Jukai class).

Our next visit to the men's shelter to serve dinner will be next Monday, the 18th. We could still use one more volunteer so please let me know if you would like to join us that evening.

Two weeks ago I spent a couple of days with a sister sangha located near State College, PA, O-An Zendo whose resident teacher is Barbara Meido Anderson. This is the first time in the 2 weeks since that weekend that I've been sending this email from the comfort of my home rather than from a bus traveling to or from NYC so I'm now able to share with you several photos that were taken at O-An while I was there. The first photo has Meido and myself right after a potluck lunch which took place following their Sunday morning sitting and dharma talk. The second one is of those sangha members who were able to stay for the lunch and the final one is of me with the leader of a jazz duo who arrived to perform a short set in the zendo following lunch. Meido and her sangha were so very gracious in the hospitality they extended. I hope to make this an annual pilgrimage to O-An.
Gassho,
Dean

05/04/2026

This is the second week in a row that I have sent the weekly email from a bus from somewhere between State College and NYC. I look forward to rejoining you on Thursday at 7pm for our usual sitting followed by the dharma talk which will resume our study of the 4 bodhisattva vows at pg. 30 of Shohaku's "Living By Vow."

We'll have our typical Saturday sitting at 9:30am.
Gassho,
Dean