"Sit With It" - Half Day Sit
Sep
19
8:30 AM08:30

"Sit With It" - Half Day Sit

A half-day sit led by Revs. Cathy Toldi and Rachel Grad

Location: In person and via SCZC Zoom

Leaders: Revs. Cathy Toldi and Rachel Grad

A morning of sitting meditation, suitable for all.  Come for all or any part, in person or via SCZC Zoom. Santa Cruz Zen Center relies on fees and donations to continue its mission. Please pay what you can and talk to the coordinators if you have questions. Suggested donation: $12 for sustaining members, $15 for contributing members and others. 

Schedule:

8:30-9:10 Zazen
9:10-9:20 Service
9:20-9:30 Kinhin
9:30-9:45 Talk
9:45-10:20 Zazen
10:20-10:35 Kinhin
10:35-11:05 Zazen
11:05-11:20 Talk
11:10-11:25 Talk
11:20-11:55 Zazen
11:55-12:00 Closing

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Introduction to Zen
Sep
19
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Sep
20
1:00 PM13:00

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 1:00-3:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely
Sep
20
4:30 PM16:30

Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely

The Aging Group will meet 4:30pm-5:30pm on the third Sunday of each month, starting February 16.

For those who are practicing with aging. In this group we will talk about how we are practicing with our aging bodies and minds.

We will use the book “this is getting old,” by Susan Moon, as our template for discussion. Click on the book image below for a link to the publisher’s info.

View Event →
Zen in Art
Sep
26
1:30 PM13:30

Zen in Art

Meet fellow Zendo creatives and art lovers once a month to explore the intersection of Art & Zen. Let’s support our creative practices in art and life via prompts and exercises offered by Valéria (“Val”) Miranda, inspired by John Daido Loori’s book The Zen of Creativity and Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.

Val is a long term SCZC practitioner who is an arts administrator and practices dance and visual arts. Please bring a journal with unruled pages or a sketchbook, pencil, and/or pen, and, as an option, art materials such as colored pencils/watercolors/, and images and words cut out from magazines. 

Monthly on Saturdays - 1:30-3 pm in the Sangha Home

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Foundations of Buddhism
Oct
1
6:40 PM18:40

Foundations of Buddhism


@ 6:40 pm In person at SCZC or on Zoom.

We usually meet one evening a month, 6:40 in-person and on Zoom to study some of the foundational teachings of our Buddhist lineage.

The new book that we are reading for this foundations class is :"The Wholehearted Way, a translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa with commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi."

Translated by Shohaku Okumura and Teigen Daniel Leighton








View Event →
Introduction to Zen
Oct
10
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Oct
11
6:45 PM18:45

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 6:45 to 8:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Oct
15
1:00 PM13:00

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 1:00-3:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Introduction to Zen
Oct
17
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →
Zen in Art
Oct
24
1:30 PM13:30

Zen in Art

Meet fellow Zendo creatives and art lovers once a month to explore the intersection of Art & Zen. Let’s support our creative practices in art and life via prompts and exercises offered by Valéria (“Val”) Miranda, inspired by John Daido Loori’s book The Zen of Creativity and Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.

Val is a long term SCZC practitioner who is an arts administrator and practices dance and visual arts. Please bring a journal with unruled pages or a sketchbook, pencil, and/or pen, and, as an option, art materials such as colored pencils/watercolors/, and images and words cut out from magazines. 

Monthly on Saturdays - 1:30-3 pm in the Sangha Home

View Event →
Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely
Oct
25
4:30 PM16:30

Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely

The Aging Group will meet 4:30pm-5:30pm on the third Sunday of each month, starting February 16.

For those who are practicing with aging. In this group we will talk about how we are practicing with our aging bodies and minds.

We will use the book “this is getting old,” by Susan Moon, as our template for discussion. Click on the book image below for a link to the publisher’s info.

View Event →
Moon Viewing Party
Oct
26
6:40 PM18:40

Moon Viewing Party

Moon Viewing Party

When: Monday, October 26, ~6:40 p.m. (after the full moon ceremony) onward.  End time could be around 8 p.m.

Location: In person at SCZC

On the evening of the autumn full harvest moon, Dogen Zenji and his assembly spent the night gazing at the moon, writing poems, delivering "moon sermons" and having a special snack or tea. Join us in the SCZC courtyard for a moon viewing party of our own! No signup needed and no cost. Bring poetry, a story, a moon, or... ?  

More on moon viewing from The Dogen Institute.

View Event →
Foundations of Buddhism
Nov
12
6:40 PM18:40

Foundations of Buddhism

@ 6:40 pm In person at SCZC or on Zoom.

We usually meet one evening a month, 6:40 in-person and on Zoom to study some of the foundational teachings of our Buddhist lineage.

We are studying the Diamond Sutra this year. We'll examine Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary, the Diamond that Cuts Through Delusion. Katherine Roshi used this book in a class she taught in the mid '90s. I still have my underlined copy! On the internet I see many used book sites that sell it for less than $10 and here is a pdf version online as well.

The Sutra is divided into 32 short chapters, some of the chapters are just a few sentences long.








View Event →
Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely
Nov
15
4:30 PM16:30

Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely

The Aging Group will meet 4:30pm-5:30pm on the third Sunday of each month, starting February 16.

For those who are practicing with aging. In this group we will talk about how we are practicing with our aging bodies and minds.

We will use the book “this is getting old,” by Susan Moon, as our template for discussion. Click on the book image below for a link to the publisher’s info.

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Nov
19
6:45 PM18:45

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 6:45 to 8:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Introduction to Zen
Nov
21
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Nov
22
1:00 PM13:00

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 1:00-3:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Zen in Art
Nov
28
1:30 PM13:30

Zen in Art

Meet fellow Zendo creatives and art lovers once a month to explore the intersection of Art & Zen. Let’s support our creative practices in art and life via prompts and exercises offered by Valéria (“Val”) Miranda, inspired by John Daido Loori’s book The Zen of Creativity and Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.

Val is a long term SCZC practitioner who is an arts administrator and practices dance and visual arts. Please bring a journal with unruled pages or a sketchbook, pencil, and/or pen, and, as an option, art materials such as colored pencils/watercolors/, and images and words cut out from magazines. 

Monthly on Saturdays - 1:30-3 pm in the Sangha Home

View Event →
Foundations of Buddhism
Dec
10
6:40 PM18:40

Foundations of Buddhism


@ 6:40 pm In person at SCZC or on Zoom.

We usually meet one evening a month, 6:40 in-person and on Zoom to study some of the foundational teachings of our Buddhist lineage.

The new book that we are reading for this foundations class is :"The Wholehearted Way, a translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa with commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi."

Translated by Shohaku Okumura and Teigen Daniel Leighton








View Event →
Robe Sewing
Dec
17
6:45 PM18:45

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 6:45 to 8:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Introduction to Zen
Dec
19
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Dec
20
1:00 PM13:00

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 1:00-3:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →

Robe Sewing
Sep
17
6:45 PM18:45

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 6:45 to 8:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Peace Day
Sep
13
1:00 PM13:00

Peace Day

Peace Day Celebration - Santa Cruz Community

For more information, please see https://www.wisdomcentersc.org/scpeace

PEACE BEGINS WITHIN

Santa Cruz Comes Together for U.N. International Peace Day

In recognition of the United Nations International Peace Day**, Santa Cruz is doing what it does best—coming together to celebrate the many local people, organizations, and groups dedicated to cultivating peace as the foundation for personal transformation and collective harmony.

When we operate from a place of inner peace, every action ripples outward into our neighborhoods, our schools, and our streets. To guide us on this journey, we have invited speakers from some of Santa Cruz’s most deeply rooted community organizations. These are the folks who work daily on the front lines of empathy, conflict resolution, and ethical grounding. These organizations have been invited to speak and table to share all that they do!

Peace isn’t just a concept to be discussed—it is an experience to be felt, emotions and misunderstanding to be navigated. Throughout the day, the community is invited to dive into experiential workshops designed to soothe the nervous system and awaken an inner clarity and open heart. 

Peace is a multigenerational practice. The Children’s Garden will have their very own collaborative art projects, a puppet show, joyful singing, and soulful storytelling, our youth will explore what interconnection means to them. It’s a space built for wonder, play, and cultivating kindness from an early age.

What is a Santa Cruz gathering without the arts? We are thrilled to feature live performances from incredible local artists who weave messages of healing and unity into their craft. Be moved by the transcendent sounds and expressions of local performers offering a sonic inspiraton. 

We can’t wait to share this beautiful day!

Volunteers welcome! Contact: wisdomcenter.sc@gmail.com

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Healing Ceremony
Sep
12
8:30 AM08:30

Healing Ceremony

  • Santa Cruz Zen Center and nearby park (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Remembering Our Wholeness:

Tending to Wounds of the Heart through Ceremony 

September 12, 2026

8:30 to 9:20 a.m.  Meditation
Morning Service
9:20-10:15 a.m.  Ceremony  in the Park Nearby

Zen offers a deep tradition of using ceremony to heal wounded hearts. We were never meant to carry these burdens alone. 

Through ceremony, we have an opportunity to create a sacred container together, a place where wounds, traumas, and other difficulties can be named and witnessed in community, then made into an offering. 

These offerings can then be held by ancestors and bodhisattvas, beings with far greater spiritual capacities than our individual, small selves. In doing so, our burdens often end up feeling lighter, as we remember our own Buddha Body, our Innate Wholeness, connected to all of life. 

We will offer a simple ceremony that includes meditation, creating a circle of community support, chanting, reciting blessings, making offerings, and releasing our wounds to the Earth.  

All are welcome. For more information, please email steve@stevepalmisano.com or sarammclellan@gmail.com

Please note: this is not group therapy, nor group process, but rather a way to transform our relationship with difficulties through ceremony. 

View Event →
Foundations of Buddhism
Sep
10
6:40 PM18:40

Foundations of Buddhism

@ 6:40 pm In person at SCZC or on Zoom.

We usually meet one evening a month, 6:40 in-person and on Zoom to study some of the foundational teachings of our Buddhist lineage.

The new book that we are reading for this foundations class is :"The Wholehearted Way, a translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa with commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi."

Translated by Shohaku Okumura and Teigen Daniel Leighton

The Sutra is divided into 32 short chapters, some of the chapters are just a few sentences long.








View Event →
Sangha Work Day
Sep
5
9:30 AM09:30

Sangha Work Day

@ 9:30 am to 12:00 pm

Work practice, samu, is naturally a part of community life, giving us the chance to interact informally. Come to School Street and enjoy the company of dharma companions as we care for the grounds and the zendo.

There will be a pot luck after the work.

View Event →
Summer Sesshin
Aug
28
to Aug 30

Summer Sesshin

  • Santa Cruz Zen Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

“Sesshin” means to gather the heart/mind. Over the three days of extended sitting, participants have the opportunity to quiet the habitual chatter of the ego, and settle deeply into the True Self. Sesshin practice is a challenge to both body and mind and it is recommended that participants have done at least one day-sit or other extended meditation in the past.

Sign up below, and indicate what days you will attend, if you need oryoki bowls and/or need oryoki instruction, any food allergies.

There will be a Dharma talk each day, a daily work period, and formal oryoki meals. Those in attendance should plan on practicing the whole schedule, from 5:40am until 8:30pm each day (Sesshin ends at 3:15pm on Sunday). If unable to attend all 3 days, please sign up for at least two consecutive days.

The sesshin schedule is here.

The suggested donation for both Zoom and zendo participants is $35/day for contributing member, $40/day all others.  But your participation is what we value the most, so please contribute only what your budget will allow.

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Aug
23
1:00 PM13:00

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 1:00-3:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Zen in Art
Aug
22
1:30 PM13:30

Zen in Art

Meet fellow Zendo creatives and art lovers once a month to explore the intersection of Art & Zen. Let’s support our creative practices in art and life via prompts and exercises offered by Valéria (“Val”) Miranda, inspired by John Daido Loori’s book The Zen of Creativity and Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.

Val is a long term SCZC practitioner who is an arts administrator and practices dance and visual arts. Please bring a journal with unruled pages or a sketchbook, pencil, and/or pen, and, as an option, art materials such as colored pencils/watercolors/, and images and words cut out from magazines. 

Monthly on Saturdays - 1:30-3 pm in the Sangha Home

View Event →
Robe Sewing
Aug
20
6:45 PM18:45

Robe Sewing

Sewing Buddha’s Robe

Led by Rev. Gene Bush

@ 6:45 to 8:00 pm

Anybody who is sewing a rakusu with the permission of their teacher is welcome to sew with us. Please come for instruction or community. Participation by those who need to sew an envelope, repair an old rakusu or robe, or wish to sew a robe as a gift, is also encouraged.

More Information

Contact Rev. Gene Bush

View Event →
Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely
Aug
16
4:30 PM16:30

Aging Openly, Honestly, and Wisely

The Aging Group will meet 4:30pm-5:30pm on the third Sunday of each month, starting February 16.

For those who are practicing with aging. In this group we will talk about how we are practicing with our aging bodies and minds.

We will use the book “this is getting old,” by Susan Moon, as our template for discussion. Click on the book image below for a link to the publisher’s info.

View Event →
Introduction to Zen
Aug
15
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →
Foundations of Buddhism
Aug
13
6:40 PM18:40

Foundations of Buddhism


@ 6:40 pm In person at SCZC or on Zoom.

We usually meet one evening a month, 6:40 in-person and on Zoom to study some of the foundational teachings of our Buddhist lineage.

The new book that we are reading for this foundations class is :"The Wholehearted Way, a translation of Eihei Dogen's Bendowa with commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi."

Translated by Shohaku Okumura and Teigen Daniel Leighton








View Event →
STONE and SELF With Michael Bashista
Jul
31
to Aug 2

STONE and SELF With Michael Bashista

  • Santa Cruz Zen Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Dates and times:

Friday July 31 – After evening zazen. Aug. 1, 8AM – 4PM, Aug 2, Most of the day.

Carving stone evokes a relationship of exposing secrets and accepting boundaries. Stone surrenders to the touch when honoring its strengths. The self-surrenders to the vision when attachments are released. Using hand tools, our goal will be to shape, refine, sand, and polish an alabaster stone which is relatively soft. Face your apprehensions and release your creativity.

$100 Limited to 5.

Entire fee donated to SCZC.

Bring a lunch and water

Includes one, 5 -10 lb. stone, use of tools and safety equipment. Bring gloves.

To register, mail check to Santa Cruz Zen Center, 113 School St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 or place it in the donation box. Make checks payable to SCZC. Note on the check it is for “Stone & Self”.

View Event →
Zen in Art
Jul
25
1:30 PM13:30

Zen in Art

Meet fellow Zendo creatives and art lovers once a month to explore the intersection of Art & Zen. Let’s support our creative practices in art and life via prompts and exercises offered by Valéria (“Val”) Miranda, inspired by John Daido Loori’s book The Zen of Creativity and Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.

Val is a long term SCZC practitioner who is an arts administrator and practices dance and visual arts. Please bring a journal with unruled pages or a sketchbook, pencil, and/or pen, and, as an option, art materials such as colored pencils/watercolors/, and images and words cut out from magazines. 

Monthly on Saturdays - 1:30-3 pm in the Sangha Home

View Event →
Introduction to Zen
Jul
25
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Zen

All are welcome to join us for this introductory class which is usually held on the third Saturday of each month. Feel free to join and invite your friends to learn about the world of Zen Buddhism.

You will receive an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at Santa Cruz Zen Center. This includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation forms as well as an open discussion.

There is no charge for this class.

Please join us in person at the Santa Cruz Zen Center.

Illustration by Tomi Um.

View Event →