Rising Lotus Zen

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Rising Lotus Zen

We embrace an eclectic approach to practice, honoring where people are in their lives. Hello, I'm Kyoji.

Welcome to Rising Lotus Zen – an inclusive, accessible, and women-led online Zen community for those who may feel out of place in more traditional Zen settings. I am the founder and guiding teacher at Rising Lotus Sangha. Rising Lotus serves everyone but is intentionally open to those in the disability, neurodiverse, and chronic illness communities. I am a legally blind priest who strives to help make Zen practice open and available to everyone. I live in the eastern US with my husband, and our Boxer Dog, Henry.

06/10/2025

Tonight we celebrate Fusatsu — a full moon ceremony of remembrance and renewal.
May we return, again and again, to practice, compassion and clarity. 🌕

01/10/2025

Consistency isn’t perfection.
It’s returning — again and again — with an open heart.

We all fall out of rhythm sometimes.
We miss a sit, forget a chant, or lose touch with our practice for a while.
That doesn’t make us bad practitioners. It makes us human.

True practice isn’t about never wavering.
It’s about remembering the way home — and walking it, one breath at a time.

Begin again. Always with compassion.

27/09/2025

Engaged Buddhism reminds us that silence can become complicity.
When harm arises in our communities, our practice calls us to respond — not from anger, but from compassion.
Each act of courage, each word of truth, each moment of loving-kindness is a strand in the great web that binds us all.

Not all of us can march - if you can - do it.
Not all of us can speak truth to power - Ii you can - do it.
Each of us CAN act.
Each of us can offer metta — to ourselves, to the suffering, to the world trembling at the edge of change.

Wherever you are, however you can — show up for your community, your country. for the world - for love.

26/09/2025

My altar reflects who I am.

It’s eclectic, woven with many threads: my love for the Pagan Wheel of the Year rests right alongside my Zen practice. And that’s not only okay — it’s beautiful.

I once had a Zen teacher tell me I had to be one or the other. That left a mark. But practice has shown me the truth: we are never just one thing. We are a tapestry, rich with many colors, many celebrations, many ways of honoring the sacred.

Let your altar be a reflection of yourself. 🙏

23/09/2025

Practice won’t make life easier. It makes you more spacious within it.

Life will still bring its noise, its losses, its curveballs. Practice doesn’t erase any of that. What it gives us is space — a little more room to breathe, to pause, to respond instead of react.

In that spaciousness, we discover a freedom that isn’t about escaping life, but about being fully present within it.

16/09/2025

🍵 Enlightenment doesn’t follow tea — it is the tea.

We spend so much time waiting for the “big moment,” the breakthrough, the clarity. But practice shows us that awakening isn’t a destination — it’s in the warmth of the cup, the taste on your tongue, the pause that opens space in your day.

Sip slowly. You’re already here.

15/09/2025

🌿 Silence is an eloquent teacher.

Do not be afraid of silence. When the voice in your head pulls you into the past, or spins into the future, pause. Take a breath. Gently say, “Now.” It takes practice.

In the stillness of now, the chatter softens. The lesson of silence is simple but profound: we already have an anchor, always available.

Silence teaches us presence. Silence teaches us peace.

10/09/2025

Our practice doesn’t promise to erase pain, grief, or fear. Instead, it teaches us to meet what arises with presence and compassion.
When we stop running from our emotions, we find that even sorrow has its own wisdom, and even joy is more spacious when we don’t cling.

✨ How are you practicing “being with” today?

08/09/2025

🪷 Your life is your temple. Sweep the floor, light the candle.
Zen reminds us that sacredness isn’t somewhere else — it’s right here, in the everyday acts of care.
Tidy the space around you, tend to the body you live in, and honor the quiet flame within.

✨ What’s one small way you can honor your temple today?

And if you’d like to honor it in community, join us for Sunday sitting at noon — a simple, quiet space to practice together. We are a small, welcoming women's circle. Please message me for the link to our online meditation space.

'sGroup

07/08/2025

The Rising Lotus Zen Discord server is a small, quiet space free of the noise and pressure of social media. Everyone is welcome - whether you're new to the practice, a seasoned practitioner, or someone curious about Zen, this is an open, accessible, and inclusive space.

🪷 We sit together every Monday morning (cameras not necessary), share Dharma reflections, and offer each other gentle support through the ups and downs of life and practice.

So, you are welcome here. Come as you are. Come sit with us. 🍵 Message here for the link.

Lotus Zen

06/08/2025

But wow, how we prefer!
We prefer comfort over discomfort, noise over silence, praise over stillness.
And yet, the gate is always open, even in the middle of our grasping.
We practice not to be better, but to be real.

Today's quote comes from the Hsin Hsin Ming, also known as Faith in Mind, a foundational Zen poem attributed to Sengcan, the Third Chinese Patriarch. Written in the 6th century, it speaks directly to the heart of practice — letting go of preferences, dualistic thinking, and clinging. Something pertinent for all time.

Midweek reflections:
Can you soften around one preference today?
Can you notice what’s here without needing to change it?

Address

Opening Hours

Tuesday	22:00 - 23:00
Wednesday	15:00 - 17:00
Friday	15:00 - 17:00
Saturday	08:00 - 09:00
Sunday	12:00 - 13:30

Website

https://www.youtube.com/@risinglotuszen

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