1 cushion. 1 mat. 1 hour. Come, sit, then go home. Or wherever you go when you’re not here.
No annoying teachers or priests. No statues or trinkets. No robes or rakusus. No bells or whistles. No boring talks. No chanting. No candles. No incense. No koans. No dues.
Amidst the wreckage of what Zen and Buddhism has become in the West — personality, opinion, politics, materialism, and feelings — we come together to sit on cushions.
We don't do "enlightenment." The human experience is like a hungry ghost clinging to Buddha nature and we sit for freedom from the tyranny of the false self, not bliss or peak experiences.
Why participate? Well, in truth, you probably shouldn't. There's nothing to get - no trophies, no recognition.
This is about original Zen. It is about responsibility, truth, and protecting and preserving all life. If you've been exposed to a modern Buddhist experience, one that is meant to make you feel good, you may not like us.
There's no fake compassion or niceness here. We don't believe in welfare or handouts. We don't do identity politics and we are not intersectional. We believe in you as a human not as your status as a victim. And we believe in the sacredness of all sentient beings, in the womb and out.
We sit Sundays from 8am-9am in Santa Monica
<For sitting location, to join our email list, and other information, please Email us
None.
Bring a cushion. Leave everything else at home.