One River Zen

12/13/2025

Sometimes the path really is this clear!

You’re standing at the corner of Come to Meditation and Tomorrow at 9.

No grand resolution required. No fixing yourself first. Just show up, take a seat, and breathe with us.
Tomorrow is Saturday. We’ll be here—sitting together, practicing together, meeting the moment as it is. All are welcome.

12/10/2025

Stressed? Overwhelmed? You need a pause button. ⏸️

Join us for the Winter Light Zazenkai—a one-day retreat designed to help you release the holiday rush and settle into deep, restorative calm.

This is your chance to step away from the noise and connect with what truly matters.

What to Expect:

Shared Silence: Breathing, sitting, and walking meditation (Zazen).

Engaging Talks: Hear from Zen Teachers how to apply this practice in your everyday life

A Beautiful Space: Rest by the fire in our historic 1890s temple overlooking the river.

Open to All: Perfect for total beginners or seasoned practitioners.

📅 When: December 19–20 (Friday evening through Saturday afternoon) 📍 Where: One River Zen · Ottawa, IL

Spots are limited for this intimate in-person retreat! Don't wait to secure your space.

➡️ Take a Breath & Register Now: https://oneriverzen.org/retreats

12/09/2025

What is Sangha all about?
It’s the warmth of friendship shared over a cup of coffee.
It’s the courage to show up just as you are — without polish, without pretense.
It’s the steady encouragement to live this life fully awake.
Sangha is the community that remembers who we really are —
and helps us manifest that knowing as compassion in the world.
Join us for meditation.
Join us for connection.
Join us for the art of living.
🕊️ You belong here.

12/06/2025

A beautiful afternoon with our Artist-in-Residence, Ali Braboy —
offering poetry that brings our sangha together in wonder and connection.
We’re so grateful for the art that grows here.
🌱🖋️

12/06/2025

A profound bow of congratulations to Rev. Seth Myers on completing his role as Shusō and meeting the sangha in Dharma combat.
May this next step in his training continue to benefit all beings.
🙏✨

12/06/2025

Wonderful time practicing together as Ango 2025 comes to a close here at ORZ!

12/01/2025

Big news for ORZ! 🌟

One River Zen is planning an expansion into a new space in downtown Ottawa — the former Ottawa Times building on Jefferson Street!

This move, creating the One River Zen Community Center, will allow us to:

🧩 Launch David’s Clubhouse — a neurodiversity-affirming outreach supporting autistic children and their families, with a play & learning space open for all children to enjoy together
🍎 Expand Karuna Food Pantry to support local households
🙏 Create more room for connection, belonging, and the Dharma in everyday life

We’re so excited to deepen our roots here in the Illinois Valley ❤️

📖 Read more in the press release:
👉 https://world.einnews.com/article/871295709/one-river-zen-announces-pending-purchase-of-former-ottawa-times-facility-to-expand-community-programs-in-ottawa-il

11/28/2025

Saturday Morning Zen @ ORZ

Join us this weekend:

8:00 AM — Buddhist Service
9:00 AM — Meditation
9:45 AM — Dharma Talk

Join us in person at One River Zen in Ottawa, IL or online from anywhere.
Newcomers and experienced practitioners are always welcome.
Link in bio to learn more and join practice.

11/28/2025

“Your true nature begins where identities end.”

We do such a good job sometimes presenting ourselves as coherent and put together that we actually fall for ourselves. We walk around calling ourselves by our names, using our titles, and at some point, we start thinking these things are substantial. But when we take a deep step back and look within, we notice that we wear many different identities. We have many faces and jars we pull off the shelf for different reasons.

There’s the self we know as our self, the self we show at home, the self we show our employer or our teacher. All of these are different. When we come to sit, it’s important that we allow that cosmic parade of identities to continue to walk by — to be present — and that we take a clear look at each one we wear. Let them all sit on the cushion as well.

When we sit in this way — gathering all of those identities — we begin to recognize what it takes to become meta-aware of each of them rather than being seduced by or collapsing into them. Because we have a karmic-proclivity to fall into those identities at different times. And when we do, we become unavailable to our true nature — unavailable to manifest compassion in the world.

So when you sit on the cushion, make sure you bring your inner skeptic. Make sure you bring your inner critic. Bring all of the ones who are there. Allow them to come together and be seen. And as you do this clearly, begin to notice that the one who is aware of all of them is so much larger — and from there you can begin to assume your true identity.

11/20/2025

We’re putting on that little sparkle! It makes for a magical retreat experience December 5-7 or candlelight zazenkai December 19-20. Register today at oneriverzen.org ✨⭐️🎄❄️🧘🏼‍♂️

11/19/2025

✨ SILENT RADIANCE WEEKEND MEDITATION RETREAT

At the end of a long year, silence can feel like medicine.
Join us December 5–7 for the Silent Radiance Retreat at One River Zen — a warm, contemplative weekend where the noise falls away and your inner life has room to breathe.

🕯️ Over the weekend you’ll settle into:
• Sitting and walking meditation
• A spacious rhythm of practice that naturally supports you
• Time by the fire, shared presence, and gentle stillness
• A Dharma talk to deepen reflection without interrupting the quiet
• A community atmosphere that feels calm, steady, and real

Just a simple, steady space where clarity returns on its own.
If you’ve been running on empty…
If you’ve needed a reset you can actually feel…
This is your place to land.
Residential, commuter, and online options available.
👉 Reserve your spot: https://oneriverzen.org/silent

Explore transformative meditation retreats at One River Zen. Join us for guidance and practice, available online and in-person.

11/16/2025

Joy in the Leaves

Samu practice during Sesshin reminds us that awakening isn’t limited to the cushion.
Here, raking leaves becomes wholehearted practice—each stroke of the rake an expression of clarity, each shared smile a moment of effortless belonging.

Working side by side, we remember that simple tasks done with a clear mind can open the same gate as silent sitting.
Joy arises naturally when nothing is held back.