Welcome to the Zen Community of Oregon
The primary purpose of ZCO is to express and make accessible the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha’s teachings, as transmitted through an authentic, historical lineage and to support and maintain Zen Buddhist practice in order to realize our true nature and actualize the Buddha nature in everyday life.
Great Vow Zen Monastery
A residential Zen community of lay and ordained people practicing and evolving spiritual community in response to our times. Grounded in our lineage inheritance, with an eye open to perspectives and methods that serve our vow for Awakening, we aspire to create and uphold a dynamic and connected community and practice life.
We are accepting applications for residency. Email the director of training, training@zendust.org for an application.
The Zen Community of Oregon welcomes everyone. We study together and practice for the benefit of all beings and this living earth. We recognize the suffering caused by biases, prejudices, systems of power, privilege, and oppression based on race, sex, class, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, ability, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. We aspire to do no harm and to dismantle barriers that cause separation and suffering, recognizing that our liberation is interconnected with the liberation of all.
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Located in northeast Portland, Heart of Wisdom is a sanctuary of serenity and community where a spectrum of Buddhist teachings are offered ranging from daily meditation to social action initiatives.
Service to the Temple
May 3, 2025
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Working together is part of our spiritual practice, and allows us to honor and care for the sacred space that Heart of Wisdom provides in our city. Please join with community for this morning of practice and work together.
New Member Tea
May 10, 2025
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Calling New Members~ The ZCO membership committee joyfully invites you to join us at our New Member Tea! New member tea is open to ZCO members who joined in the 2024/2025 calendar year. Come connect, make new friends, tour the temple, learn about ways to practice and the organization as a whole. It's a great opportunity to ask questions! Please RSVP so we can provide enough tea and treats.
Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living – in person
With Ed Gensho Welsh
May 11 - June 15, 2025
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
These one hour online 5 Precepts classes will happen every Wednesday for six weeks. We all want to live a compassionate life. The precepts give us a framework for what it means to live an ethical life. More then a set of rules to follow, the precepts are deep inquiries into the actual living of our lives with attention and love. The format is an introductory talk followed by class discussion. Participants will be encouraged to do a short writing on each precept and practice with the precept during the week. There are also some supplemental readings.
Jukai Ceremony at Great Vow Zen Monastery
May 18, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery and Online
Jukai is the process and public ceremony of taking up the 16 precepts, committing to practicing them in everyday life. People take jukai after some years of practicing with the community, establishing a relationship with one of the teachers, and taking part in sesshin. In this ceremony, people join the lineage so formally become a Zen Buddhist.
The Work: a weekend Inquiry workshop
With Eduardo Zambrano
May 22 - 25, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery
During this Workshop, we will use Byron Katie’s method of inquiry called The Work to investigate our core beliefs and fixed ideas which cause suffering in our world. What ideas to you have about your life and the world that actually are not in service to the development of compassion? We hold many views simply from habit. In this retreat we will be given tools to expand beyond what we believe to be our limitations, and see our world from a place of insight and deeper wisdom. The monastery environment provides an ideal setting in which to deepen the practice of…
Jizo Ceremony for Children Who Have Died
With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi
May 31, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The loss of a child often opens a well of profound grief. No matter how the child dies, suddenly or slowly, whether through illness, accident, miscarriage, abortion, or suicide, our sorrow is deep and may be long-lasting.
Summer Residency Program 2025
July 8 - August 17, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The Summer Program at Great Vow Zen Monastery is an opportunity to plunge into Zen practice with the support of community and teachers, and to taste the benefits of calming the mind and opening the heart. Our Summer Program is a special part of our on-going residential program at the monastery. It is designed to give you a genuine immersion in Zen practice, through the practices of meditation, mindful eating. ritual/liturgy, movement practices (yoga/qi gong), and temple work.
November Sesshin – Gratitude
With Laura Jomon Martin, Myoyu Haley Voekel and Anusha Enryu Fernando
November 10 - 16, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery
With gratitude for our beloved sangha near and far, the Monastery joyfully offers another sesshin. This sesshin has no set price. All are welcome to attend, and donations from the heart are welcome. During this week of practice, we will eat only the offerings brought to us specifically for this retreat. So food donations, while always welcome, are particularly helpful! Bring food that you like to eat, bring food that will challenge our kitchen team and cook. The head cook (tenzo) will need to dive into creativity and allow the surprises of each donation manifest our meals. We will otherwise…