Ongoing Classes and Groups
Below are the classes and groups that are ongoing throughout the year at Santa Cruz Zen Center.
We also offer many special classes and workshops and information on these may be found on our front page under Upcoming Events.
Suggested donation for each study group is $10 for sustaining members and $13 for contributing members.
Santa Cruz Zen Center relies on fees and donations to continue its mission. If you can pay more, please consider doing so. If you cannot pay the fee listed, please pay what you can. We invite you to approach the teacher/leader of your group if you have questions about fees.
Please check the MASTER calendar TO CONFIRM ONGOING CLASS DATES AS THEY DO CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME TO ACCOMODATE CEREMONIES, SESSHIN AND HOLIDAYS.
Ongoing: Mondays 7:50-8:30am
Weekly Dharma Study Group on Mondays
Led by Rev. Patrick Teverbaugh
Weekly Dharma Study Group on Monday mornings at 7:50 a.m. in person in the Sangha Home or on Zoom.
We are reading Silent Illumination by Guo Gu.
ongoing: 2nd wednesday of each month 5-5:45 pm
Monthly Sutra Reading Group
The Sutra reading group is on the second Wednesday of each month from 5-5:45 pm. We will begin with the Lotus Sutra translation & introduction by Gene Reeves. We will read the Sutra out loud together in the Sangha House.
Ongoing: one Sunday Evening per month 7-8 pm
Aging Opening, Honestly and Wisely
Sun, June 16, 7-8 pm, Sangha Home with Zoom option
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 are using the book “this is getting old,” by Susan Moon, as our template for discussion.
Ongoing: one SATURDAY MORNING per month 9:30-10:30 AM sangha home
Parent Practice Group
This is our new support group for parents and people who are helping parents or children. Let’s provide support for each other by listening to one another. We will discuss how we care for our families, make time for practice, how practice helps us, and other topics. Also on Zoom. Please email sarammclellan@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Ongoing: one tuesday at noon per month
Earth Care Group
How can we engage in care for the Earth as an expression of our spiritual practice?
How might we weave together activism and our Bodhisattva Vows? Please join us monthly at noon on Tuesday in the Sangha House to explore ways we can engage in our practice to address the environmental and climate crises.
May we bring the Warm Jewels of our practice out into the world: Presence, Compassion, Interbeing, Service.
For more information, contact Steve at Steve@stevepalmisano.com
Ongoing: one saturday per month 1:30-3pm in the sangha home
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 and a local nonprofit arts administrator who 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.
Ongoing: first Tuesdays, 6:40-8:00 pm
Awakening Together
Led by Val Miranda and Rev. Patrick Teverbaugh
A study discussion group taking an inward look at race and racism within our hearts and minds.
We are currently studying:
Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path by Liên Shutt.
Ongoing: FIRST THURSDAYS 6:35-8PM
Foundations of Buddhism
Led by Rev. Patrick Teverbaugh
We are studying The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion includes Thich Nhat Hanh’s translation of the Sutra from the Chinese and, in his commentaries, his own diamond sharp insight, including new work on the environmental implications of the Diamond Sutra
Ongoing: some Thursdays, 6:45-8pm and Some sundays, 1:00-3:00pm
please check the calendar below for dates
Sewing Buddha’s Robe
Led by Rev. Gene Bush
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
Ongoing: Generally Third Saturday of the month, 1:00-2:00pm
please check the calendar below for dates
Introduction To Zen
A monthly introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms of practice at SCZC. This meeting includes sitting and walking meditation, and discussion. Everyone is welcome. This usually occurs the third Saturday of every month, but please double-check the monthly events calendar to confirm.
friday evenings 7-8 pm at sczc
Recovery Group - Meditate and End Addiction with Hungry Ghosts United
Friday evenings, in-person at SCZC, 7pm to 8pm, beginning September 2, 2022.
Hungry Ghosts United is a meditation-based addiction recovery society. We use meditation as the foundation for a complete recovery practice. This is an opportunity to receive support for substance use recovery efforts. Along with Buddhist practitioners, we meditate and offer support to each other. These meetings are in person at Santa Cruz Zen Center on School Street. Everyone is welcome.