What we’re about
The Clear Water Zen Center is an authentic Zen Buddhist meditation practice center for Tampa Bay – St. Petersburg.
We are a lay group of Zen Buddhist practitioners who meet at scheduled times every week for meditation, chanting, dharma talks, and discussion. We have several intensive meditation retreats per year. The complete schedule is at clearwaterzencenter.org.
We are affiliated with the Windhorse Zen Community, and our teacher is Roshi Lawson Sachter. Roshi Lawson is a dharma heir of Roshi Philip Kapleau, author of The Three Pillars of Zen and founder of the Rochester Zen Center.
Roshi Lawson authorized Jeff George to be the assistant dharma teacher for the sangha.
The Zen Center's zendo (meditation hall) is fully equipped, so you don't need to bring anything when you visit.
If you are looking for a no-nonsense, authentic Zen practice center, you have found it.
2476 Nursery Road, Clearwater, FL 33764
For more information, please visit clearwaterzencenter.org.
This Meetup website says that the group was started in 2009. Well, that's when we started a Meetup group! The meditation group was started in the 1980s by Ken Rosen.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Sunday Zazen MeditationClear Water Zen Center, Clearwater, FL
The Center is fully open for in-person attendance. If you have been fully vaccinated, you will not need to wear a mask in the Center. If you have not been vaccinated, please wear a mask if you choose to attend. And if you feel more comfortable wearing a mask for any reason, vaccinated or not, please do. Please see our website Updates page for details and any new developments.
Our doors open @ 9:00am, service starts promptly at 9:30am. On first visits, please arrive by 9:15am so that we can show you around.First Sunday of each month: A first sitting meditation of 35 minutes is followed by a few minutes of walking meditation known as kinhin. We have a chanting program for 35 minutes, followed by kinhin and another 35 minute round of zazen meditation.
Second Sunday of each month: A first round of sitting meditation of 35 minutes is followed by a few minutes of walking meditation known as kinhin and a dharma talk by Jeff George, a senior student of Roshi Lawson Sachter, followed by kinhin and a second 35 minute sitting.
Third Sunday of each month: A first round of sitting meditation of 35 minutes is followed by a few minutes of walking meditation known as kinhin and a dharma talk by Jeff George, a senior student of Roshi Lawson Sachter, followed by kinhin and a second 35 minute sitting.
Fourth Sunday of each month: Three rounds of sitting meditation of 35 minutes each, with kinhin following each sitting. During any sitting, participants may quietly leave their sitting cushion and go to a separate room of the Zen Center for daisan, a private and confidential consultation with Jeff George concerning matters of practice.
On rare fifth Sundays, there are three rounds of sitting meditation of 35 minutes each, with a kinhin following each sitting.Every Sunday practice session ends at 11:30 and is followed by an informal social gathering with tea, coffee, and snacks, except for the first Sunday of the month, when we have our board meeting.
The Center is open each week for sittings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at 7:00 pm and on Sunday morning from 9:30am-11:30am. All of our scheduled sittings are open to all who wish to practice. Weekdays are more informal than Sundays, although everyone is welcome to all of our events. You may subscribe to our emails and also view a calendar of upcoming events at the link below. If it is your first time attending the center, please arrive 15 minutes earlier so you can be given a quick guide to the procedures.
https://www.clearwaterzencenter.org/my-calendar/schedule
