Zen Center of Pittsburgh

08/08/2026

08/05/2026

Family and friends are welcome to join us, especially for the afternoon picnic. Children are treasured and warmly welcome!

Please visit our website and look under “Upcoming Events” for full details and the potluck sign-up sheet.

08/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1S1vfgsqba/

08/01/2026

Our dear friend Bhante Pema was honored with a promotion as leader of the USA Sanghas in his Sri Lankan Buddhist community.
Kotoku, Renko, and ChiGen attended. The video is well done.

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06/26/2026

Come to the community work day tomorrow, Saturday. We will start at 9am and close with a pot luck lunch 1pm. Taking care of the temple grounds together is always fun. Click on the link for more info.

Upcoming events These practice opportunities are open to all but generally intended for individuals who have attended the orientation and practiced in person (or on Zoom) during the regular schedule. If you are completely new to Zen practice, please sign up for an orientation. Jun 27 Spring workday....

05/20/2026

There’s still time to join us for Saturday’s One-Day Sesshin at Deep Spring Temple.

Sesshin—“to gather or touch the heart-mind”—is a cornerstone of Zen practice, offering an opportunity to step more fully into stillness, discipline, and shared practice.

This one-day sitting is designed for both newer and experienced practitioners, with a full day of zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), work practice, formal oryoki lunch, and periods of rest.

📅 Saturday, May 23
🕣 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
📍 Deep Spring Temple / Zen Center of Pittsburgh

A few seats are still available, but registration will close Thursday (tomorrow) at noon.

Prerequisite: Orientation class + attendance at least one Sunday or Wednesday practice.

If you’ve been considering taking the next step in practice, this may be a meaningful opportunity.

Please visit our website for full details and to register.

05/20/2026

A meaningful Vesak gesture from the Vatican.

Interreligious dialogue can be imperfect, complex, and sometimes messy—but moments like this still matter.

This year’s official Vesak message from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue offers greetings to Buddhist communities around the world and calls Buddhists and Christians alike toward peace, compassion, reconciliation, and shared human responsibility in a time marked by violence and division.

For those of us committed to contemplative practice, peacemaking, and genuine encounter across traditions, this feels worth noting.

Mutual respect does not require sameness. Dialogue does not require dilution. But sincere goodwill across traditions remains a meaningful force in the world.

Full statement below:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/05/11/260511e.html #

05/15/2026

🏵 A reminder to our sangha and friends: this Sunday, May 17, we’ll be joining the wider Pittsburgh Buddhist community to celebrate Vesak.

🧘‍♀️ Deep Spring Temple’s Sunday morning program will begin at 9:25 AM this week, with a modified service afterwards. Please visit our website for full details.

🚶‍♀️ The 18th Annual Vesak Celebration & Peace Walk begins at 3:00 PM on Pittsburgh’s North Side, offering a beautiful opportunity to gather in the spirit of peace, community, and shared practice as we commemorate the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and parinirvana.

🤍 Community members are encouraged to wear white as a symbol of peace.

05/13/2026

⚠️ Road Closure Advisory for Sangha Members & Visitors

If you’ll be traveling to Deep Spring Temple / Zen Center of Pittsburgh in the coming weeks, please be aware that a portion of Fern Hollow Road is now closed to through traffic 24/7 between Audubon Road and Camp Meeting Road due to emergency slide repair work. The closure is expected to remain in place through mid-June.

Local access will be maintained, but if your usual route brings you through that section, please allow extra travel time and plan accordingly.

Detour (south of the closure):
➡️ Fern Hollow Road → Audubon Road
➡️ Left on Little Sewickley Creek Road
➡️ Left on Henry Road
➡️ Left on Camp Meeting Road
➡️ Continue straight onto Fern Hollow Road

Traveling north? Same detour in reverse.

Please help us spread the word so no one arrives unexpectedly delayed for service, classes, or practice. 🙏

For full details from PennDOT: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/news-and-media/newsroom/district-11/2026/route-4032-fern-hollow-road-emergency-slide-repair-begins-tuesda