Madison Rinzai Zen - Ryugenji 龍源寺

11/16/2025

We completed the November Dai-sesshin. Unfortunately, several students were unable to get here due to the government shutdown effect on flights. But It was still a healthy group, with participants arriving successfully from across USA and Europe.

This year the November sesshin was scheduled a little later in the month than usual, due to our special Sado training at the beginning of the month. So now we have 2 weeks to catch our breaths, and then begin the Rohatsu Dai-sesshin - the most intense Zen retreat of the year - held December 1-8.

We are very grateful for everyone's support and hard work, which made this retreat such a great success.

(Apologies for the lens distortion. We promise that attending sesshin does not make anyone's head swell up like a balloon!)

11/16/2025

11/16/2025

Now that the leaves are down, we can see across our valley.

11/16/2025

11/11/2025

SEAMLESS PRACTICE: USING THE FORMS OF OUR TRAINING

Just dropped on Korinji's Patreon, an ever-growing online library of Rinzai Zen instructional videos, dharma talks, and other resources supporting your home practice. We invite you to gain instant access by joining. Your contributions go to a good cause: supporting our monastery and international community. Thank you so much!

www.patreon.com/korinji

In this illuminating talk, Meido Roshi discusses how the communal forms of our training, which developed in China and are a hallmark of the Zen school, help us establish a seamless continuity of practice. As Zen students we are yogic practitioners, with intent no different from our forebears in ancient India and throughout Buddhist history. Yet the monastic and sesshin forms we've inherited in Zen provide a uniquely powerful scaffold upon which to construct a practice of non-departure from samadhi, the state of meditative absorption.

Using the mealtime forms as a example (and after reviewing inner aspects of that ritual connected to segaki offerings), Roshi gives practical advice for extending one's practice into all activities. Recorded at Korinji during the November 2025 Dai-sesshin.

11/06/2025

Free resources online. Please share with anyone!

HEALING THROUGH STILLNESS - ONLINE

Now we have added the first 2 videos in our Healing Through Stillness program: online meditation instruction specifically for vets, survivors of trauma, and anyone else who may benefit from it:

https://www.korinji.org/veterans

This instruction is free to all, non-religious, and able to be modified for almost any physical condition. We expect a total of 6 videos, with a new one dropping weekly going forward.

Please share this link to anyone!

The first video is the Introduction, explaining the program.

Part 1 is titled "Getting Back in Our Skins": simple self-massage and breathing instruction as a foundation.

On deck and coming soon:

Part 2, "Breathing to the Core"

Part 3, "A Panoramic View"

Part 4, "Focused Awareness"

Part 5, "Cutting Through Obstacles"

We are grateful for the support of the Korinji Foundation, the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin, and the Wagner Fund for Spiritual Arts, which have made this programming possible.