Compassionate Ocean Zen Center

02/05/2026

Visit our website to sign up or for more information!

01/30/2026

This Saturday! Go to www.OceanZen.org for more information.

Haiku as a Spiritual Practice🪷

📌Compassionate Ocean Zen Center
​Online Via Zoom Only
Saturday, January 31
9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.

📝Facilitated by Mark Ostrander & Terry Miller​
​
By sharing and discussing classic examples of haiku from masters like Basho and Issa as well as contemporary works, participants will develop a deep appreciation for this elegant and simple form. Join us as we discover the way of haiku and how to cultivate mindfulness in three simple lines.

By Donation

Pre-registration required at www.OceanZen.org

01/28/2026

Help support our neighbors! 🏠💛

Join the Pillsbury Community School PTA in providing urgent housing and rent assistance for Northeast Minneapolis school families in need. Every donation goes directly to local families to help keep them safely housed. No gift is too small to make an impact.

Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/ysvbxtbb

01/25/2026

We are here for you. Come sit with us. 🪷

01/23/2026

Compassionate Ocean Zen Center supports everyone who is taking part in "ICED OUT" today. Please be safe and keep warm. 🙏

Quote in photo by Thich Nhat Hanh from the book "Zen and the art of saving the planet".

01/16/2026

Welcome Session for New People

Sunday, January 18
9:00–11:15 A.M.

This Sunday Gathering will include a welcome to new people, guidance on sitting and walking meditation, and a dharma talk oriented to new people. This is a great opportunity to attend your first sangha gathering, give Zen practice a try, or invite a Zen-curious friend to check out Compassionate Ocean for the first time.

Pre-registration is not required.

01/13/2026

About the Winter Online MBSR Course
Incorporating mindfulness, meditation, and gentle yoga to address stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, the MBSR program at Compassionate Ocean is built on the nationally acclaimed model developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

The winter session will be presented live on Zoom from Compassionate Ocean Zen Center in Minneapolis, MN, and taught by guiding teacher Michael O'Neal.

Presenting mindfulness as a universal practice for people of any (or no) religious background, this program helps you navigate daily life with a deeper sense of freedom, clarity, and compassion.

Note: The spring course will be held in-person, beginning March 31

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

🪷Eight weekly classes, Tuesdays, Jan. 20– Mar. 10
Online Via Zoom

📚Eight two-and-a-half hour sessions, Tuesday evenings 6:30–9:00 PM

💻Virtual retreat on Saturday, Mar. 7th, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM

📌Course also includes an individual pre-interview with the instructor, a copy of the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, four mp3s, and PDF handouts
27 CEUs are available for nurses, social workers, psychologists, and educators
Course fee of $350 includes materials.

Go to www.OceanZen.org to sign up or for more information!

01/05/2026

Join us for this special online event! Saturday Jan 31st from 9:00am to 11:00am.

Go to www.OceanZen.org to register!

Haiku as a Spiritual Practice🪷

📌Compassionate Ocean Zen Center
​Online Via Zoom Only
Saturday, January 31
9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.

📝Facilitated by Mark Ostrander & Terry Miller​
​
By sharing and discussing classic examples of haiku from masters like Basho and Issa as well as contemporary works, participants will develop a deep appreciation for this elegant and simple form. Join us as we discover the way of haiku and how to cultivate mindfulness in three simple lines.

By Donation

Pre-registration required at www.OceanZen.org

01/02/2026

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

🪷Eight weekly classes, Tuesdays, Jan. 20– Mar. 10
Online Via Zoom

📚Eight two-and-a-half hour sessions, Tuesday evenings 6:30–9:00 PM

💻Virtual retreat on Saturday, Mar. 7th, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM

📌Course also includes an individual pre-interview with the instructor, a copy of the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, four mp3s, and PDF handouts
27 CEUs are available for nurses, social workers, psychologists, and educators
Course fee of $350 includes materials.

Go to www.OceanZen.org to sign up or for more information!

01/01/2026

We resume Sunday Sangha this Sunday Jan 4th! And weekday sitting starting Monday Jan 5th.

Hope to see everyone soon!

12/21/2025

Our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course starts Jan 20th completely online! Go to www.OceanZen.org to sign up!

12/19/2025

Winter 2026 Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course

💻Online via Zoom Only
​​​
Tuesdays at 6:30–9:00 P.M.

Starting January 20 – March 10 (8 Classes)

​​​​​​🧘‍♀️This course includes a one-day retreat on Saturday, March 7, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

​
📌This program is a comprehensive, well-structured introduction to mindfulness practice in everyday life. It follows the nationally acclaimed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction model developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, presenting mindfulness as a universal practice for people of any (or no) religious background.

The program includes instruction and practice in sitting meditation, gentle yoga, body awareness meditation, and daily-life applications of mindfulness. It also includes information about stress and relaxation. The program enables participants to develop their own base in mindfulness practice integrated into everyday life.

The course includes eight weekly classes, an individual interview with the instructor, a Saturday retreat, the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, four mp3s, and handouts.

The course fee is $350. 27 CEUs are available for nurses, social workers, psychologists, and educators. Payment plans and limited need-based support are available. Please contact the Center to discuss.

If you are interested in participating, please sign up as early as possible so there will be time to schedule the individual interview before the first class. Go to www.OceanZen.org to register!

📚Instructor
Michael O'Neal.

Michael O’Neal is a Guiding Teacher of Compassionate Ocean Zen Center. He practiced for many years with Dainin Katagiri Roshi at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center and Hokyo-ji Zen Monastery. He also practiced with Thich Nhat Hanh in France and the United States, and completed a training for professionals with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Michael, a Zen priest, has been teaching this course continuously since 1995.