Photo of Early Fall Sesshin in Pikesville MD.

Six members of All Beings Zen Sangha joined the One Heart Sangha for a wonderful Early Fall Sesshin at Holy Trinity Retreat Center in Pikesville MD. A strong and dedicated practice was in evidence! We all enjoyed the Kinhin outside in the beautiful surrounds of the retreat center buildings. Sensei Barbara Craig, Sensei Rose Mary Dougherty and Rev. Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger co-lead the retreat.photo

May All Beings Be Happy!

The All Beings Zen Sangha welcomes and affirms all who come here to seek the Way, and who will work toward respectful acceptance of others across our many differences, harmonizing the one and the many.

Donate By Paypal

Using the button or QR code below, you can make a one-time donation or set up a recurring monthly donation.

Donate By Venmo

We now accept donations through Venmo. Get the app and search for “All Beings Zen Sangha.”

Get Venmo for iPhone

Get Venmo for Android

Donate By Check

Checks can be mailed to:

All Beings Zen Sangha
27290 Woodburn Hill Road
Mechanicsville, MD 20659

or to:

All Beings Zen Sangha
C/O  Rev. Inryū Ponce-Barger,
2801 Adams Mill Road NW 402
Washington DC 20009

Tag: Holy Trinity Retreat Center

  • From All Beings Zen Sangha visit to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in July 2024

    July 9-14 2024 All Beings Zen Sangha at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center

    Photo by Richard Urban – 2024 ABZS Sangha Week participants at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
    Photo by Richard Urban – All Beings Zen Sangha and Enso Village Sangha week participants outside the zendo of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center on Sunday July 14th, 2024

  • Call for Artists for the 2025 ABZS Art Calendar

    All Beings Zen Sangha is announcing a call to artists for the 2025 Sangha calendar project.
    Submissions are now being accepted for drawings, paintings, photography, poetry, brief writings, and other forms in digital format.


    Please submit up to three works for consideration via e-mail to Rev. Inryū Sensei at inryu@allbeingszen.org and to John Flanagan at emailjohnf@gmail.com


    Visit us at:
    https://www.allbeingszen.org/

    Sumi painting by Dairyū Michael Wenger Roshi
  • 2024 Sangha Week at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center

    July 9-14 2024 All Beings Zen Sangha at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center

    Photo by Richard Urban – 2024 ABZS Sangha Week participants at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
    Photo by Richard Urban – All Beings Zen Sangha and Enso Village Sangha week participants outside the zendo of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center on Sunday July 14th, 2024
  • New Dharma Book Club First Meeting July 1, 2024 7pm Eastern

    Monday, July 1, 2024 7pm-8pm. Planning meeting for NEW Dharma Book Club –


    Starting this summer interested membersof the All Beings Zen Sangha are warmly welcome to join sangha member Shoku Doshin in a new dharma book club. If you are interested please reach out to Shoku (Cristina) on email at cristinamariabenavides@gmail.com.

    Our objective is to provide a semi-casual space for Dharma book discussion. We will focus on books or essays written for lay audiences, mostly focusing on books with an explicit Buddhist perspective but with an openness to non-Buddhist books with nonetheless rich themes for exploration — the dharma is everywhere! 


    The current thinking is to meet monthly online, in coordination with Inryǔ Sensei as there may be months where the sangha has a different dharma study focus for Ango or through our library and vast Branching Streams network. 
    If you are interested please reach out to Shoku (Cristina) on email at cristinamariabenavides@gmail.com.

    We are asking for as many participants as are interested and also a few volunteers to help ensure the book club continues steadily if other parts of life require the attention the organizers.

    Let’s gather on zoom on Monday July 1st at 7pm to decide upon guidelines for participation and to select books for August and September. Use this link to join. If asked for a password use 606657

  • June 22, 2024 Celebrating MRFS’s first pottery show

    Members of All Beings Zen Sangha join MRFS Naomi Knoble for her first potter show hosted by Greenbridge Pottery in Maryland.

  • Dharma Tea for June 11th, 2024 2-2:45pm Eastern “Suzuki Roshi’s Home Temple- Rinso-in” led by Inryū Sensei

    Tuesday  – Dharma Tea  –  June 11th, 2024  2:-2:45pm Eastern – Dharma Tea with Sensei Inryū. During this Dharma tea Sensei Inryū will  share photographs from her April 2024 visit to Suzuki Roshi’s home Temple, Rinso-in which is in the mountains above Yaizu Japan.  Online only.

    Inryū Sensei offering incense at Shunryū Suzuki Roshi’s grave near Rinso-in Temple, Japan on April 24, 2024

    to join use this link.  If asked for a password  use 712120.  You can also go to www.allbeingszen.org home page to sign in.

    For the All Beings Zen Sangha Tuesday Teas at Two, a topic is introduced and then a few questions are proposed for discussion by those present. The Teas are online only.

    We start with 5 minutes of silent tea drinking.The dharma tea concludes at 2:45pm Eastern. All are welcome.

  • Evening Practice for May 30, 2024 7pm Eastern

    Here is the link to join us via the cloud zendo at 7PM  for the All Beings Zen Sangha evening program.  Tonight we will have a short service before one period of Zazen. We will then have a Dharma Inryū Sensei or Guiding Teacher and end with the chanting of the refuges.  

    If you are asked for a password please use this  806719

    ABZS does keep an attendance of participation in sangha events*  this is done for the welfare of it’s members and for guidance in future programing

    Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.

    Order of Service

    Greeting by the Kokyo

    Enmei in Japanese (7 times)

    Heart Sutra in English

    25 minute period of zazen

    5 minutes of kinhin

    Talk by Rev. Seidō David Sarpal

    Refuges in Pali

    Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo

    KAN ZEON                

    NA MU BUTSU

    YO BUTSU U IN

    YO BUTSU U EN

    BUP PO SO  EN            

    JO RAKU GA JO

    CHO NEN KANZEON

    BO NEN KANZEON

    NEN NEN JU SHIN KI      

    NEN NEN FU RI SHIN

    Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra

    Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva,

    when deeply practicing prajña paramita,

    clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty

    and thus relieved all suffering.

    Shariputra,

    form does not differ from emptiness,

    emptiness does not differ from form.

    Form itself is emptiness,

    emptiness itself form.

    Sensations, perceptions, formations,

    and consciousness are also like this.

    Shariputra,

    all dharmas are marked by emptiness;

    they neither arise nor cease,

    are neither defiled nor pure,

    neither increase nor decrease.

    Therefore, given emptiness, there is

    no form, no sensation, no perception,

    no formation no consciousness;

    no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue,

    no body, no mind;

    no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste,

    no touch, no object of mind;

    no realm of sight… no realm of mind consciousness

    There is neither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance…

    neither old age and death,

    nor extinction of old age and death;

    no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path;

    no knowledge and no attainment.

    With nothing to attain,

    a bodhisattva relies on prajña paramita,

    and thus the mind is without hindrance.

    Without hindrance, there is no fear.

    Far beyond all inverted views, one realizes nirvana.

    All buddhas of past, present, and future

    rely on prajña paramita and thereby attain

    unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

    Therefore, know the prajña paramita as

    the great miraculous mantra,

    the great bright mantra,

    the supreme mantra,

    the incomparable mantra,

    which removes all suffering

    and is true, not false.

    Therefore we proclaim the prajña paramita mantra,

    the mantra that says:

    “Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.” ∅

    Refuges in Pali (Call and Response)

    Accapella, inflections as follows:

    ➞Buddham Saranam Ga➚cha➘mi➞iii

    BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

  • Dharma Tea on Tuesday at Two pm for May 28, 2024 2-2:45pm Eastern

    Tuesday  – Dharma Tea on Tuesday 2-2:45pm Eastern – for May 28, 2024.  2:-2:45pm Eastern – Dharma Tea with Sensei Inryū. During this Dharma tea Sensei Inryū will  share photographs from her April visit to Sojiji Temple in Yokohama, Japan

    Photo by Zen-etsu Clay

    to join use this link.  If asked for a password  use 712120.  You can also go to www.allbeingszen.org home page to sign in.

    For the All Beings Zen Sangha Tuesday Teas at Two, a topic is introduced and then a few questions are proposed for discussion by those present. The Teas are online only.

    We start with 5 minutes of silent tea drinking.The dharma tea concludes at 2:45pm Eastern. All are welcome.

  • Dharma Tea on Tuesdays for May 21, 2024 – Eihei-ji Temple

    Tuesday  – Dharma Tea on Tuesday 2-2:45pm Eastern – Dharma Tea with Sensei Inryū. Inryū will offer a tea to share some photographs and stories from her April visit to Eihei-ji Temple. All are welcome.

    to join use this link.  If asked for a password  use 712120.  You can also go to www.allbeingszen.org home page to sign in.

    For the All Beings Zen Sangha Tuesday Teas at Two, a topic is introduced and then a few questions are proposed for discussion by those present. The Teas are online only.

    We start with 5 minutes of silent tea drinking. 

    The dharma tea concludes at 2:45pm Eastern.

  • Dharma Tea on Tuesday – Baika – 2-2:45pm Eastern

    Tuesday  – Dharma Tea on Tuesday 2-2:45pm Eastern – for May 14, 2024.  Led by Seiryū Paula Chiplis this Tea will focus on the Soto Zen practice of Baika (hymns).  Seiryū assisted by Zen’etsu Clay Crowell will share their enthusiasm for this form of Dharma practice and some basics that can be used this spring/summer at various All Beings Zen Sangha events.  

    to join use this link.  If asked for a password  use 712120.  You can also go to www.allbeingszen.org home page to sign in.

    For the All Beings Zen Sangha Tuesday Teas at Two, a topic is introduced and then a few questions are proposed for discussion by those present. The Teas are online only.

    We start with 5 minutes of silent tea drinking. 

    The dharma tea concludes at 2:45pm Eastern. All are welcome.