Minnesota Zen Meditation Center

02/10/2026

When we got the idea last week for a Silent Walk for Justice led by Buddhist communities in solidarity with those harmed by ICE, and to bear witness to all who have been harmed by state violence, we did not expect 700 people to show up. May energy for the work flow from our bearing of witness as we visited Say Their Names Cemetery at George Floyd Square and The Renee Good Memorial Site.

02/07/2026

Visiting Teachers This Sunday, February 8th
Eve Marko, Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order
MZMC Sunday Talk at 10:00 am
Offered online and in person.
https://www.mnzencenter.org/zoom-program-links.html

We will have two talks by visiting teachers during the normal Sunday Dharma talk period. Eve Marko and another special visiting guest teacher.

Eve Marko is a Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, head teacher at the Green River Zen Center in Massachusetts, and co-author of "The Book of Householder Koans." https://zenpeacemakers.org

02/04/2026

Silent Walk for Justice
Hosted by Twin Cities Buddhist Communities
All Are Welcome Sunday, February 8th, 3-4:30pm
Gather at Powderhorn Park West Playground

All are welcome to join this mindful walk in solidarity with those harmed by ICE, and to bear witness to all who have been harmed by state violence. There will be no speeches. After we gather we will walk to the sound of bells through the neighborhood to be fully present and to manifest compassion. As we walk, we invite you to rest your attention on your feet on the ground, your breath, the people and places around you, and all that you see and hear. Signs and all religious garments are welcome.

01/23/2026

Find support and community in Zen practice. Join us for all or part of this traditional meditation retreat with Guiding Teacher Ben Connelly.
Winter Weekend Sesshin
Friday, January 30 - Sunday, February 1
Saturday 5:45 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday 5: 45 a.m. - 4 p.m.
You may sign up for the full weekend or Saturday only.
Offered in person and online.
Register online
https://www.mnzencenter.org/store/p131/Weekend_Sesshin%2C_January.html

At this traditional meditation retreat, we follow the forms and rituals used in the Soto Zen tradition for centuries. Weekend sesshin includes zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), liturgy, dharma talks, formal vegetarian meals using oryoki, dokusan (one-to-one meetings with the teacher), and work practice.

All participants need to attend the orientation on Friday evening from 7 - 9 p.m. (You may attend online or in person.)

01/21/2026

MZMC's Ben Connelly wrote this article for Lion's Roar magazine earlier this week.

Minnesota Zen teacher Ben Connelly on why his Buddhist vow to end suffering impels him to work for nonviolence, safety, and community solidarity in embattled Minneapolis.

01/21/2026

Ice Out Minnesota: A Day of Truth and Freedom
No work, no school, no shopping
Friday, January 23
MZMC Open for Meditation 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

MZMC will support those who want to join this celebration of community care, which is being organized by a large network of organizations, by opening our doors from 9 a.m. until noon this Friday. Drop by and find some practice and sangha.

01/13/2026

Gathering in the Midst of ICE Surge
Wednesday, January 14, 7:15 - 8:30 pm
Offered in person and online.
Find the Zoom link here.
https://www.mnzencenter.org/zoom-program-links.html

All are welcome to this gathering to speak and listen from the heart regarding how we are feeling and responding to the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Minnesota. This is an opportunity to get and show support and to learn of ways to support our communities.

01/06/2026

Join us tonight at 7:30 for
A Conversation between David Chadwick and Tim Burkett
Attend in person or online.
https://www.mnzencenter.org/zoom-program-links.html

Author and archivist David Chadwick (best known for "Crooked Cucumber") will discuss his latest book, "Tassajara Stories: A Sort of Memoir/Oral History of the First Zen Buddhist Monastery in the West—The First Year, 1967" in dialogue with MZMC's Tim Burkett. David will join us via Zoom, and Tim Burkett will be in person to chat with David and folks who attend.

01/05/2026

Spring Morning Study Group
Shinshu Roberts’ "Meeting the Myriad Things"
with Ted O'Toole
Tuesdays, February 3 - March 10, 8:10 - 9:30 a.m.
Offered online and in person.
Register
https://www.mnzencenter.org/classes.html

The focus of this study group will be "Meeting the Myriad Things," which is a new analysis by Shinshu Roberts of Dogen Zenji’s Genjokoan. In Roberts’ words, the Genjokoan is a crucial and comprehensive introduction to Dogen’s teachings. Only four pages long, it is dense, very poetic and beautiful, and at first, perhaps, seemingly impenetrable.

This is an advanced offering. Participants will be expected to understand the basics of Mahayana Buddhism and have some familiarity with Dogen. We will follow a class discussion format. There will be no assignment prior to the first meeting, but please acquire the book and bring it to the first meeting, where we will begin by reading aloud.

01/02/2026

Half-Day Sesshin (traditional-style Zen retreat)
with Jiryu Matt Cisler
Saturday, January 17, 5:45 am – noon
Vegetarian breakfast included.
Offered in person only.
Register
https://www.mnzencenter.org/retreats-and-workshops.html
This brief immersion in the traditional sesshin schedule is a good opportunity to become familiar with the forms, stay in practice, or brush up after some time away. This morning includes an orientation, zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), liturgy, a formal vegetarian breakfast using oryoki bowls, and one-to-one meetings with the teacher.

12/30/2025

Begin the year by joining us for this welcoming afternoon retreat.
Beginner's Mind Retreat
with Wayne Moskowitz
Saturday, January 24, 1 – 4 pm
Offered online and in person.
https://www.mnzencenter.org/retreats-and-workshops.html

Enter the transformative stillness of Zen retreat practice in this afternoon immersion in meditation, silence, and teachings. This brief retreat includes both guided and silent meditation as well as an introduction to the basics of traditional zen forms, walking meditation, and a short dharma talk.

12/26/2025

Therapy and Buddhist Practice: Experiencing Joy by Moving through Difficulty
with Tim Burkett and Judith Weyl
Thursday evenings, January 15 - March 5 (8 weeks)
7:15 – 8:45 pm
Offered online and in person.
Register
https://www.mnzencenter.org/store/p139/Therapy_and_Buddhist_Practice.html

This class will explore both Buddhist and conventional psychotherapeutic practices that open a practitioner to the intrinsic healing power of Buddha Nature, the heart-mind we already have within us.

Through dharma talks, discussion, and experience, the group will explore how healing happens when the practitioner mindfully and skillfully moves through the stress and heart break encountered in ordinary daily life. The class will explore the compatibility of ancient Buddhist and contemporary psychotherapeutic practices in transforming everyday difficulty into an opportunity, or opening, for greater awakening to the JOY of being.