Find a Center / Group

“Of the three precious jewels (buddha, dharma, & sangha),” a monk onced asked Zen Master Un Mun, “which is the most precious?”
Without missing a beat the teacher replied, “Sangha.”

One of the most helpful things for people just starting out their practice of meditation is to find a practicing community to sit with. Sangha, or the practicing community, is the fruit of practice; the Way would not exist were it not for the people following it together.

In the Americas, information on practice groups in the Kwan Um School of Zen can be found here. Europe practice groups can be found here, and in Asia/Pacific practice groups can be found here. I sit with the Chogye International Zen Center of NY, and they meet Wednesday evenings 6-740 pm over zoom, and Saturday mornings from

If you’d like to join me for practice, I lead a number of different groups:
- International Dateline Zen Group, meeting on Sunday evenings from 9-10 pm ET.
- Flatbush Zen Group, meeting Tuesday evenings from 6-7 pm ET.
- email me at mbruffee@gmail.com to get information for both of those meetings.

I encourage you to find one style and stick with it; however, some people will vibe better with different traditions. The Brooklyn Zen Center and the Village Zendo are two New York City centers in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Plum Village is the lineage of Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Master, and you can find groups in NYC here. If you like Vipassana (Insight Meditation), try groups here or here.

Read More

The best and comprehensive book I’ve ever read on Zen is:
The Compass of Zen by Zen Master Seung Sahn.
It has the great way and a dozen side paths, and helps explain everything.

Also check out:
- Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, by Zen Master Seung Sahn
- Wanting Enlightenment is a Big Mistake, by Zen Master Seung Sahn
- The Wisdom of Solitude, by Jane McLaughlin-Dobisz (now Zen Master Bon Yeon)
- Elegant Failure, by Richard Schrobe (Zen Master Wu Kwang)
- Open Mouth, Already a Mistake, by Richard Schrobe
- When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times, by Pema Chödrön