Zen Fellowship of Bakersfield

01/17/2026

Fresh arrivals.

09/02/2025

Immerse yourself in Zen practice at the Dust Bowl Dojo. The morning will begin with an opening lesson, followed by instruction in dojo etiquette, zazen (sitting concentration), kinhin (walking meditation), and chanting of the Heart Sutra. After a brief mondo (question and answer), the morning will conclude with a traditional monk's breakfast of genmai, tea, and fellowship.

Suggested Donation: $25 (students $15) via PayPal or check.

Reservations required.
Contact:
zen.fellowship@gmail.com
or via messenger

06/05/2025

Saturday, June 7, 7:15-8:30. Introduce yourself to Zen practice with the Zen Fellowship. Learn the posture, breath, and attitude of mind of zazen (Zen meditation), dojo etiquette, and more.

$20 donation or $10 students is appreciated but not required.

Zoom is available for those who cannot attend in person.

Email zen.fellowship@gmail.com or Instagram message us to reserve your spot and receive directions.

02/08/2025

Disappearing Heart Sutra.

01/04/2025

Newly hung portraits of our teachers Kodo Sawaki, Taisen Deshimaru, and Robert Livingston.

11/30/2024

We are for the holiday weekend and will open for regularly scheduled zazen this coming week.

10/30/2024

“Zen Work,” the latest blog by Richard Collins.

It is upon us to begin the work; It is not upon us to complete it. – Talmud Zen work begins with samu 作務. Samu is physical and sometimes intellectual labor done in the spirit of mushotoku, with no thought of personal profit, without complaint or compensation, for the benefit of the sang

05/30/2024

The latest kusen from Richard Collins Roshi:

Richard Reishin Collins Spring “Cicada” Sesshin, 24-26 May 2024 Stone Nest Dojo, Sewanee The Spring Sesshin at Stone Nest Dojo of Sewanee Zen took place near the end of May, with a small group of practitioners, some who had practiced some ten or twenty years, some fewer, and one who had

12/13/2023

What follows are the memorial remarks made at Stone Nest Dojo on 10 December 2023 by Richard Collins, Abbot of the New Orleans Zen Temple, on the death of Aubrey LeBlanc.

What follows are the memorial remarks made at Stone Nest Dojo on 10 December 2023 by Richard Collins, Abbot of the New Orleans Zen Temple, on the death of Aubrey LeBlanc. Endless Journey When the great Zen master Sengai (1750-1837) was asked by a parishioner for a blessing for his new baby,

07/10/2023

Enjoy this short piece about practice at Mon Ko Dojo Zen in Mexico City. Below is a portion.

(My blog has been banned by Meta. To read the rest of the travelogue entry, go to garyenns dot com. Just type it in, old school, no spaces.✌🏻🇲🇽)

——

At Mon Ko Dojo Zen it’s just the two of us this morning. Over nine-million people in Mexico City, and nobody else shows up. Probably not surprising to other Zen practitioners. It’s early on a weekday, over an hour commitment, and for what? “What’s zazen good for?” Kodo Sawaki asks, then answers, “Absolutely nothing! This ‘good for nothing’ has got to sink into your flesh and bones until you actually practice what is truly good for nothing.” When you face the precipice of this good-for-nothing, Zen can initially seem stark, or worse yet, downright bleak. The vast stillness suddenly reveals, in stark contrast, all your terrifying demons and ghosts. S…! This is me?! You’ve cornered the ego, and there’s no escape for it or for you, unless of course you jump up, run down the spiral staircase, and get back to “normal.” Why would anybody choose to take precious time out of their day to do practice this?

The small showing, though not surprising, feels significant, like seeing, at the pound, something special in the emaciated kitten nobody else wants. You are the one who chooses it, you take it up in your arms, and suddenly your life changes, your path forks off into unknown territories, the kitten in your arms becomes a lion—your lion. Here, at Mon Ko Dojo, we two have chosen something that nine million other ciudedanos have not, and this moment shines.

05/16/2023

Recent Intro to Zen Practice, Saturday, 13 May, Dust Bowl Dojo.