The Sangha is one of the Three Treasures in Buddhism along the with Buddha and the Dharma.   Traditionally, the Sangha includes those who seek to live following the Way of the Buddha and the Teaching of the Dharma:  male and female monastics, and lay men and lay women.  Whether in a monastery or in a marketplace, the mind of meditation is accessible by all.

The means of training are thousandfold, 
but pure meditation must be done.

Dogen    Rules for Meditation

The core of our practice is Serene Reflection Meditation or Soto Zen.  Meditation – observing what our mind is doing, not holding on, not pushing away – becomes an essential part of  daily life, not just as we sit in formal meditation, but in the ways we carry this practice into our family and relationships, our work and professional activities, even the ways we relax and enjoy the world around us.

Daily Life offers ways to strengthen one’s in-the-world daily practice, including deepening one’s relationship with the Lay Sangha, whether through the local Mount Shasta congregation, a Meditation Group or Priory near you, or with the Abbey.   Becoming a Buddhist  brochure provides information on making a commitment to a life of Precepts and to meditation practice.

The Buddha said that this practice is for all. Gender, age, physical disability, social status, financial status, previous religious background – none of these stand in the way of True Practice.