We’ll begin the weekend with a short welcome, an introduction to the intention behind this gathering, and a walk-through of the structure and schedule.

You’ll hear a bit about what to expect, how to find your way through the sessions, and how we hope this space can support shared exploration over the coming days.

How can ancient wisdom traditions be shared and practiced in a way that speaks to the realities of our time? In this talk, Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi explores different ways of knowing – from conceptual understanding to embodied, enacted wisdom – and how these modes of learning shape the way teachings are transmitted.

Drawing from the Zen tradition as well as pedagogical insights, she will reflect on what it means to create spaces where timeless principles can be received, explored, and lived – not as abstract ideas, but as a living response to the conditions of the present.

In this breakout session, we’ll meet in small groups to reflect on what helps us sustain our practice in daily life. Participants are invited to share what they’ve found meaningful, challenging, or surprising about practicing outside of structured settings.

This session offers a practical introduction to meditation for those new to the practice. We’ll cover the basics: posture, breath, attention, and how to begin navigating the mind with curiosity and patience. No prior experience needed.

Just Sitting Together! With Baker Roshi.

Just Sitting Together!

In a time of fragmentation and urgency, how do we cultivate inner stability, real connection, and a grounded sense of belonging? This live conversation brings together Rahshaana Green and Nicole Baden Roshi in an open dialogue about what it means to stay centered, to belong, and to meet difference with integrity and care.

Together, they’ll explore:

How resilience and inner centering create the ground for openness

What it takes to embody belonging — in our own skin and in community

How contemplative practice can support ethical presence in a divided world

Rooted in Rahshaana’s work on embodiment, resilience, and equity — and guided by the Zen teaching of “Original Mind” — this session invites participants into a deeper inquiry: Who are we, really, beneath the stories and identities we’ve been given? And how might wisdom take shape in the space between self and other?

In this lecture, Baker Roshi offers a personal and historical perspective on the early unfolding of Zen practice in the West. As the Dharma heir of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and an early participant in the formation of the San Francisco Zen Center, the first Zen Monastery in the Western hemisphere, he reflects on formative moments that helped shape how Zen began to take root outside of Asia.

He will speak about pivotal decisions, missed turns, and cultural adaptations that could have led Zen down very different paths – and what these choices continue to mean for us today. Looking forward, he will share his vision of a Culture of Wisdom in which the core principles of Zen yogic practice are not limited to monastic settings, but integrated into our daily and societal lives.

Baker Roshi has lived through more than six decades of practice and teaching that span both East and West, tradition and innovation. This talk may resonate especially with those interested in how spiritual practice not only transforms individuals, but also has the potential to shape culture, ethics, and ways of living together.

In a world marked by polarization, injustice, and intensifying harm, what does it mean to respond wisely? This live conversation invites two thoughtful speakers to reflect on their own journey toward what they now recognize as Wisdom—and how that wisdom meets the challenges of our time.

Together, we’ll explore:

How to act with integrity in the face of injustice

How to speak with clarity and compassion across divides

How to respond to intentional harm without losing ethical clarity

Held in the spirit of Dharma friendship, this session is a space for honest meeting and shared inquiry.

Valerian will guide you through the key features and possibilities of our Online Campus – including the Online Zendo, the Community Space, and the Library (our growing archive of online teachings). He will also offer a preview of upcoming courses and content.

There will be space for your questions, ideas, and suggestions – we warmly invite you to help shape this evolving space together with us.

Sarabinh Levy-Brightman will reflect on how zen (and the teachings of this lineage) has affected her work in the world and how, in turn, work can open avenues to a more penetrating practice. She will attend particularly to the challenges and opportunities of teaching and building community on line.

Further details will follow.

In times marked by uncertainty and fragmentation, the question of what it means to live wisely becomes both deeply personal and inherently shared.

In this talk, Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi explores how Buddhist perspectives can support us in navigating uncertainty – not by providing fixed views, but by reflecting on how the human mind functions. Through the lens of the Three Experiential Horizons (Tridhatu), she examines how individual practice connects with wider cultural patterns, and how clarity can emerge even when outcomes remain open.

Just Sitting Together! With Baker Roshi.

Just Sitting Together!

In a world increasingly shaped by crisis – ecological collapse, war, inequality, and collective anxiety – many are asking: How can I make a difference? This panel brings together senior Zen abbots from leading centers in the U.S. to explore a question that resonates far beyond the Dharma world: What can contemplative practice really offer in times of urgency? What are the limits of introspective paths like Zen when it comes to engaging with systemic suffering? And what unique forms of insight, resilience, and action might they enable?

This panel conversation will not attempt to prescribe solutions, but rather illuminate pathways: where Zen can be a resource, where it may fall short, and how it might serve not only personal awakening but collective transformation.

Core Questions:

· What is the appropriate role of Zen in a time of global suffering?

· How can Zen practice support effective, ethical action – and how does it fall short?

· How do Zen leaders themselves navigate these tensions in their own communities?

Small Group, Breakout Sessions: What are you taking away from this event?