Sanshin is your regional dharma center

We are happy to make resources available to small sitting groups practicing together within a few hours of Sanshin.

Formal affiliation with Sanshin or Soto Zen is not necessary; we simply want to offer what we can to the small groups of wholehearted practitioners in our region which may be practicing without a teacher, a formal organization or a dedicated facility. See below for information about visiting Sanshin as a group, visits from Sanshin practice leaders to your sangha in our region, and other resources from Sanshin which may support your own group's study and practice.

For a wider general collection of study and practice materials, see Resources for Practice.

A few ways Sanshin can support your sangha (make your request below)

Visits and dharma talks by Hoko or other dharma leaders
Members of our ordained sangha are available for dharma talks and discussion, classroom presentations, workshops, retreats/sesshin and more.  

One-day retreats at Sanshin just for your group
We can arrange a day of practice just for your group that includes your preferred activities on your own schedule, or we can suggest a plan for the day based on our experience with similar events.  Note also it is not uncommon for groups of practitioners that practice together elsewhere in our region to make the trip together to Sanshin to participate in our regularly scheduled sesshins or other practice activities.
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Workshops and resources on chanting services
If your group's activities include liturgy, or you would like to add it to your regular schedule, we'll be happy to provide training for those ringing bells and leading chanting.  Whether you need a tune-up or a start-from-scratch session, we can help service leaders feel comfortable in their roles and provide information that will help your group understand and appreciate the liturgy.  Assistance with short, basic Japanese services is available as well as services in English.

Other assistance by request
Is your group considering how to organize practice, planning a special practice event, or working on a new program initiative?  Sanshin might be able to help you think through your options.

Make your request

Resources for practice leaders and board members

As part of our work practice, we give particular attention to strategically and sustainably governing, administering, and carrying out the functions of the temple. Check out our resources on bodhisattva leadership and stewarding the sangha as practice leaders and board members. Feel free to follow up with any questions that may arise from engaging with these resources.

A resource for discussion groups: 108 Gates

Sanshin's senior dharma teacher Hoko Karnegis' comments and discussion questions about the Ippyakuhachi Homyomon, or 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination, are now being posted every Monday to our 108 Gates webpage.  This resource may be particularly helpful for small discussion groups looking for dharma topics to explore, as the 108 Gates cover a broad territory that relates directly to our daily practice life.  Groups can take up a new gate each week, read the commentary together or before their meetings, and use the discussion questions as a springboard for a conversation about what it means for them.