Welcome. Come sit with us on Wednesdays at 7 PM and experience silence in community.

We also offer monthly Saturday zazenkai (day of Zen) meditations, practice intensives, and retreats.

We offer an Introduction to Zen Practice by appointment before our Wednesday program. Visit our newcomers page for more information and to make arrangements. You can also read more about our Zen practice or contact information@oneheartsangha.org with questions. Wear comfortable clothing. Come as you are. You may sit on a cushion or a chair. Feel free to bring your own cushion or bench if you wish.

In Zen, everyone is a beginner in each moment.

Practice Schedule

Wednesday Evenings 7:00-8:30 p.m., Washington Ethical Society

Visit our Location page for detailed directions, transit and parking information, and a map.

Arrive at 6:45 pm, find a cushion, seiza bench, or chair, and be seated by 6:55. At 7:00 we ring the opening bell for the incense offering and first sit. We sit three 25-minute zazen periods with kinhin (walking meditation) between. Chant practice is during the third sit. While we encourage you to sit zazen for all three periods, you may attend as many sitting periods as your schedule or comfort permits.

If you arrive late, please wait outside of the zendo on one of the benches or chairs in the main foyer until the next kinhin period starts. Set up your cushion and join the zendo during kinhin. If you need to leave early, use the restroom downstairs, or change your seat, please do so during kinhin.

Monthly Saturday Zazenkai - Day of Zazen 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We hold a zazenkai on the second or third Saturday of each month. Zazenkai or “Day of Zen” is a chance to deepen our practice by sitting together for longer than on Wednesday evenings. Please visit our Zazenkai page for more details or to register.

Haiku Study on Sunday afternoons 4:30-5:30 p.m., on Zoom

Zen has a longstanding haiku poetry tradition. For more information, or to join the haiku study email list, contact Sensei Bob at RobertErtman@msn.com.

Special Events

Sesshin - Residential Retreats

Periodically we hold three day residential sesshins, for an immersive period of silence and living in community. They are generally held over a weekend in May, September, or January. Please visit our Sesshin page for more details.

Term Intensives

Sometimes we offer Zen intensives as a way to deepen practice. You can speak to a teacher about the Zen 108 at any time. Group events are announced in advance.

Bearing Witness Retreats

In September 2025, there will be a Bearing Witness Street Retreat in downtown Washington DC. Street retreats are an opportunity to bear witness to the living conditions on the street. Visit the Street Retreat page for more information.