Sanshin Zen Community

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sanshin Zen Community is a Soto Zen sangha in Bloomington, IN founded in 1996 by Shohaku Okumura. The style of practice at this zendo follows the lineage of Kosho Uchiyama roshi and his teacher, Kodo Sawaki roshi, who founded Antaiji temple, and greatly simplified the Soto Zen forms used there. The temple name, Sanshinji, refers to the 'three minds' cultivated by Zen practice: magnanimous mind, parental mind, and joyful mind. The sangha follows a modified monastic schedule, with a retreat each month. Sanshinji is perhaps the only Zen community offering a sesshin ('without toys') in the style of Uchiyama roshi, featuring 14 hours of zazen with no ceremonies, work, or dharma talks. Reverend Okumura also offers regular Genzo-e, a retreat devoted to studying one of the fascicles of Dōgen Zenji's Shōbōgenzō; he also travels to give them at other prominent North American Zen Centers.