Oakland Zen Center

Literally Kojin-an means “good people's gathering place.” It is a small Soto Zen temple modeled on the family temples of Japan. On the grounds are a zendo (a hall for meditation and ceremonies); a tea room; a private residence which includes space for occasional workshops and other special events; and a koi pond with a waterfall.Zen meditation and chanting are practiced six days per week. Training in tea ceremony (Omotosenke style) is offered two days per week.Occasional workshops also provide instruction in other arts such as Japanese calligraphy sumi-e (brush painting) ikebana (flower arranging) temple cooking and spiritual interpretive dance.Through such studies the good people of Kojin-an practice carrying the Zen mind of compassion and awareness into every activity of daily life so we can live in harmony with other people and with the natural world.Kojin-an Zendo welcomes beginners and explorers though our style is best suited to people who have an established Zen practice and want a beautiful place to meditate without much formal instruction. This is because we are a small family temple rather than a training monastery or an American-style Zen center. Not all residents are involved in temple activities and their privacy at home is respected.A note about accessibility: neither the tea room nor the zendo is accessible to wheelchairs and because the path to both consists mostly of stepping stones access is not easy for those with mobility problems. (It is possible however to sit in a chair during meditation or ceremonies.)Despite its constraints Kojin-an has a warm extended community most of whom practice either meditation or tea ceremony or both. The training atmosphere is rigorous yet friendly. Conversations occur in both English and Japanese often over a cup of tea. If you would like to visit the best time is on a Sunday morning. We conduct morning Zazen and formal Sutra services daily and frequent classes and workshops. Contact [email protected] 510.612.4410