Sanshin Zen Community
  • Home
  • New to Sanshin?
  • Schedules and calendars
  • Giving to Sanshin
  • About Sanshin Zen Community
    • Ethics & conflict restorative policies
    • Zendo guidelines
  • FAQ
  • Resources for practice
  • Resources for small groups
    • 108 Gates SS
  • Sangha News
  • Sanshin network
  • Contact
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Join us for Soto Zen Buddhist practice in Bloomington, Indiana.

We practice Buddhism within the Soto Zen tradition that comes to us from Japan, following the particular style of our immediate three ancestors: Kodo Sawaki, Kosho Uchiyama and Shohaku Okumura.  

Some of us are lay practitioners and some are ordained clergy, but we all engage in the same practices and walk the Buddha Way together.  Everyone, whether beginner or experienced practitioner, is welcome.
New to Sanshin?
Schedules & Calendars

Several of the links throughout this website will connect you to our companion-site, Sanshin Source: a multimedia library of resources and in-depth information organized around our practice vision. Check back regularly for new content.
explore
​sanshin source
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Our practice

Our main activities are zazen, sitting quietly and letting go of thinking; working together to take care of our temple and grounds and to develop wise and compassionate leadership according to the Buddha's teachings; studying the teachings of the Buddha and the ancestors of our lineage; and engaging in ritual that brings our community together across space and time. We do all this in the context of our six practice guidelines and support each other in carrying forward this concentrated experience of interconnectedness throughout our everyday activities and communities. See our overall practice vision here.
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Our practice theme this year

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In 2026 we'll be exploring how we understand and express what it means to be "a Soto Zen Buddhist."  Learn more and get the latest content and resources here!
Our mission
Sanshin Zen Community enables and encourages the practice of authentically transmitted Soto Zen Buddhism as handed down by our 20th century ancestors: Kodo Sawaki, Kosho Uchiyama and Shohaku Okumura.  We do this by offering zazen, work, study and ritual in the context of community.
Our vision
Sanshin aspires to offer sustainable intensive Soto Zen practice to both residential and non-residential practitioners (note that residential practice is not currently available at Sanshin).  We will remain firmly grounded in the authentic Soto Zen tradition as stewarded by the denomination and deeply value our connection with the larger Soto Zen community in Japan and around the world.  At the same time, we will take a clear and realistic view of what it means to bring the dharma we've inherited from our 20th century ancestors to modern and midwestern North America with these bodies and minds and in this culture.

See our practice vision here for an in-depth look at how we manifest these principles in practice here at Sanshin.
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We appreciate the financial support of our many friends and community members, locally and worldwide. Coming together as a sangha to take care of our temple and practice in this way is simply an instance of the universe carrying out its functioning. Thank you for your participation!
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The button above will take you to our online donation page via PayPal. If you prefer, you are welcome to mail a check made out to Sanshin Zen Community to:
​PO Box 1577, Bloomington, IN 47402.
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Got a question?

Start with our FAQ, and if you still need help, contact us.

Sanshin's foreign language sanghas

Hispanohablante     --     Francophone     --     ​Deutschprachige

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  • Home
  • New to Sanshin?
  • Schedules and calendars
  • Giving to Sanshin
  • About Sanshin Zen Community
    • Ethics & conflict restorative policies
    • Zendo guidelines
  • FAQ
  • Resources for practice
  • Resources for small groups
    • 108 Gates SS
  • Sangha News
  • Sanshin network
  • Contact