Madison Rinzai Zen - Ryugenji 龍源寺

09/11/2025

09/04/2025

Nov 11th 2023. 茶×アート×鎌倉イベント　移動式茶室"浮浪庵"での、壺月遠州流禪茶道宗家•中村如栴による点前　主催:鎌倉歴史交流館　ASAL

09/04/2025

Just released on Korinji's Patreon, our online collection of Zen instructional videos and dharma talks. We invite you to join and gain instant access to hundreds of resources supporting your home practice, like this one:

ZEN: ONE SCHOOL, ONE MIND - Part 1

On August 8-10th, 2025, two American Zen teachers - Dosho Port Roshi and Meido Moore Roshi - met at Korinji Monastery in Wisconsin, USA for a weekend of practice and dialogue presenting both Rinzai and Soto Zen perspectives.

Their discussions affirmed the truth that Zen is not divided into sects: it is truly one school, taking Buddha-mind as both gate and foundation of the Way....

The is the first of the three recorded dialogues that we'll release this month.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/zen-one-school-1-137599848

09/04/2025

08/24/2025

For those of you interested in martial arts - traditional budo, modern applications, and related training curriculum at Korinji - please follow this page. We will be using it to post that focused content:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578012975548

08/08/2025

A new dharma talk from the recent sesshin in Switzerland:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CMg5zfQqE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

New dharma talked dropped on our Patreon, an online library of Rinzai Zen resources supporting your home practice. The Patreon keeps our monastery and community afloat, and we're so grateful for your support!

"Conditions Don't Affect Your Practice: They ARE Your Practice"

patreon.com/korinji

It is often our habit to observe so-called conditions, both inner and outer, as if they support or hinder our practice. If we have afflictive states arise during meditation, for example, we often think, "Oh, right now my meditation is affected by this, it's a negative condition I'm dealing with." Likewise, if the weather is perfect, we may think, "It's really ideal for zazen today, I'm so happy the conditions are supporting me." If someone feels "off" to us, we may blame them: "The kiai of that person is so weird, I just can't stand to be around him, he makes me feel so uncomfortable." And so on.

But in fact, this is a completely wrong way of thinking, and not the approach of a practitioner. It does not go past our usual dualistic way of experiencing. The truth is that all conditions are not separate from us and our practice. They are not things that act upon us, as if we are victims. Those conditions ARE our practice.

If we can realize the practical meaning of this, we may eventually understand what practice is, and to what it points. A talk given at the July 2025 Dai-sesshin in Switzerland.

08/08/2025

A moving poem shared during a recent talk:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1F4D2q3inG/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Poem from Daito Kokushi, quoted in the dharma talk just posted. Words worth considering, again and again. The implications they hold for practice, our lives, and our deaths is immense:

With no umbrella,

getting soaked:

I'll use the rain

as my raincoat.

08/03/2025

Even on a Sunday in summer, when many students typically have family commitments or vacation plans, we still have a group like this showing up each week in Madison. Wonderful!

Today we enjoyed sitting together, conducted dokusan, and then reviewed the oral instruction regarding the purposes and manner of practicing kinhin (walking meditation).

07/31/2025

Announcement of Rinzai Zen International - the new name of our worldwide sangha:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16njFE7ppd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Announcement Regarding Our Worldwide Sangha's Name - https://mailchi.mp/korinji/sangha_name

07/03/2025

06/25/2025

Going-away party tonight for one of our Madison members, Doshin David Smith. Safe travels, and looking forward to seeing you when you come back for sesshin!

05/18/2025

Several Ryugengi regulars attended the May Dai-Sesshin at Korinji, including two first-time attendees of a full 7-day retreat. Looking forward to the Sesshin in June, July, November, and December, right here in southern Wisconsin!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BzGLpX3cj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

This afternoon we completed our May Dai-sesshin at Korinji. A wonderful, solid group. Thank you everyone for your inspiring effort!

Now we're looking forward to June and July events: Dai-sesshin and Shugendo Mine-gyo (mountain training) both at Korinji and in Switzerland. See korinji.org/calendar for details.