Madison Zen Center

08/01/2026

Boundless gratitude and joy at the conclusion of our annual July 7-day sesshin at Chapin Mill, led by Bodhin-roshi!

10/10/2025

"How vast is the heaven of boundless samadhi!
How bright and transparent the moonlight of wisdom!
What is there outside us,
what is there we lack?
Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes.
This earth where we stand is the pure lotus land,
and this very body—the body of Buddha."
—Master Hakuin's Chant in Praise of Zazen (Zazen Wasan)

(Photo by Sachter Photography)

10/10/2025

Here is wisdom from another tradition

Today is World Mental Health Day 💚

07/03/2025

No matter how much you study, how many books you read or how much theory you learn, this kind of knowledge can only be an aid, but never the driving force, toward peace of mind. And actually, if one is not careful, theoretical excercise can even be an obstacle. The important thing is to let go of mind and body and take refuge in truth itself. It is a matter of pemitting yourself, all you can, to recognize truth, to sincerly live in the now, here which IS your life. Roshi Sama

04/22/2025

Yes!

There is no one to feel small, no one to be made small, no one to feel superior, no one toward whom you could feel superior. Who are you to feel vain and proud when your very source is all being.
Your time of awakening will come. No one is hopeless. Life is not mean. No one is left out. There is no one who is more or less Buddha than any other. True nature is never lost, never hidden from you. It only seems that you have to go looking for it. Roshi Sama

12/13/2024

Just a couple lovely random Zen Center pics to enjoy:

12/13/2024

Dear friends,

It’s the time of year for many organizations to ask for donations. So here we are! Most of our financial need comes from maintaining our ancient (by American Midwest standards!) home here. We operate on a very small budget and so any amount given means a lot. I read somewhere that there are 24 holidays celebrated around the world in December! We will be celebrating the Buddha’s enlightenment this Sunday!

10/10/2024

Reminder: this is the weekend of our 50th anniversary and open house! Saturday October 12, from 1-3 pm.
Slideshow, meet and greet, cake, and house tours.

09/30/2024

Join us for our 50th anniversary open house, October 12th, from 1-3pm. Meet all the zennies, and special guests! Cake! Slideshow! Snacks!

06/14/2024

With our many reminders of the Great Matter these days, I thought this was a good thing to share!

Final Words

I have been teaching Zen students on this mountain for almost forty years. Many people come to visit me thinking they are visiting a Zen Master but they only see my form body, the house where my true nature lives. They don’t see my true nature. That is not a problem but it means that they have not seen their true nature.

Because they haven’t seen their true nature, they cannot see their parents, siblings, wife, and children, or anybody. They wander through life in vain, like a crazy person. We have to say that this is truly a world of darkness. Students who receive my teaching must do it with sincerity and dedication, not forgetting the methods I used. Ultimately, being sincere and dedicated is paying back your Dharma obligation, so you will not waste your practice or suffer a mental loss.

You should always retain three things: a place of practice, a teacher and Dharma friends.

(Three thousand years after Sakyamuni Buddha, three bodhisattvas of the highest level will appear on Dok Seung mountain. Seven people of great wisdom and numberless practitioners who have attained the Way will also appear.)

You should know that I am an eternal being, not dependent on a form body.
Even when my Dharma speech is not heard anymore, you should still be able to see my true face because it never disappears.

- Zen Master Mangong, Teachings