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Our new Membership program begins in June 2023.
Here's a breakdown of how it works...
More Dharma. Less Money.
Over the last few years we added a number of extra classes and retreats associated with our One-Year Big Mind Zen and Four-Year Four Yana Programs. Those programs are coming to an end, and so, it has given us an opportunity to reflect on how we can better serve the Sangha. We've gathered feedback from many of our members and participants and here's the result.
1. We have added even more new classes, retreats and resources to our schedule.
2. We will run everything year around instead of in One-Year or Four-Year increments.
3. Memberships include a wide variety of offerings suited to your schedule and interests.
4. Membership is much less expensive than signing up for the same classes and retreats individually.
We hope that you will see the value and benefits to this new approach. Check out the chart below to find the Membership that works for you.
| Membership Levels | Kanzeon Contact | Student Membership | Student Plus Membership | Active Student Membership | Active Student Plus Membership |
Classes, Retreats and Resources | Free | $75 / Month Prepay 6 Months 10% Discount Prepay 1 Year 15% Discount Membership Includes: | $150 / Month Prepay 6 Months 10% Discount Prepay 1 Year 15% Discount Membership Includes: | $250 / Month Prepay 6 Months 10% Discount Prepay 1 Year 15% Discount Membership Includes: | $1000 / Month Prepay 6 Months 10% Discount Prepay 1 Year 15% Discount Membership Includes: |
| Email Notifications and News | * | * | * | * | * |
| Saturday Introduction to Zen Classes | * | * | * | * | |
| Sunday Sangha Zen Talks w/ Genpo Roshi | * | * | * | * | |
| Tuesday Teacher Q & A Meetups | * | * | * | ||
| Wednesday Women's Group Meetups | * | * | * | * | |
| Thursday Teacher Q & A Meetups | * | * | * | * | |
| 2-Day Weekend Retreats w/ Genpo Roshi | * | * | * | ||
| 7-Day Annual May Retreat in Salt Lake | * | * | * | ||
| Active Student Sunday Talks w/ Genpo Roshi | * | * | |||
| Active Student Small Groups w/ Genpo Roshi | * | * | |||
Big Mind Zen Facilitator Training Program | * | * | |||
| Media Archive Access | * | * | * | ||
| Personal Access to Assistant Teachers | * | * | * | ||
| Personal Access to Genpo Roshi | * | * | |||
| Koan Study Program (by application) | * | * | |||
| 7-Day Retreat in Hawaii with Genpo Roshi | * |
More Schedule DetailsHere is an approximate number of the Classes and Events listed above that we offer per year. Holidays and various scheduling issues make these somewhat variable. We work hard so you can get your Zen life practice going quickly. Sangha Sunday Zen Talks with Genpo Roshi. About 20 per year. Active Student Sunday Zen Talks with Genpo Roshi. About 20 per year. Saturday Intro to Zen Classes. About 36 per year. Tuesday Teacher Q & A Sessions About 45 per year. Wednesday Women's Group Meetings. About 45 per year. Thursday Teacher Q & A Sessions. About 45 per year. 2-Day Weekend Retreats with Genpo Roshi. About 9 per year. Active Student Small Group sessions with Genpo Roshi. About 12 per year. Big Mind Zen Facilitator Training. About 3 per year with ongoing practice sessions. 7-Day Retreats. One per year in late May. In person in Salt Lake CIty and broadcast on Zoom. Big Heart small retreats in Hawaii with Genpo Roshi. We offer several opportunities every year to be with Genpo Roshi in Hawaii for intensive teaching and Big Mind work with a small group of 7-10 people. Anyone can register for these but Active Student Plus Members get one a year for Free. About Your My Profile PageWhether you are a member or a participant in a class or event when you work with us our website assigns you a My Profile page. Here you will have access to all the records of your participation with us. Here you can cancel, upgrade or downgrade your membership level anytime, and update your credit card, contact information and password. Here you will see all records of your payments for Membership, Events and Donations even if you are a non-member. You can choose to set up your profile with your picture or avatar. You can create a photo album to share with other members and contact others through the Membership Directory. Privacy You have complete control over your Privacy settings and only the things you wish to show will be shown in the Member Directory. All information on your My Profile Page is default set to show nothing until you allow it. | Can I participate without being a Member? Yes! Try Zen a la Carte.While Kanzeon Big Mind Membership holds many benefits (see chart above), we understand that for some people Membership may not be the right option. No Worries! Many of the Classes and Retreats included in our Membership Plans are also open to non-members. We call these standalone events. Anyone can sign up for these without being a member. Click the links below to find out details about these offerings... About UsKanzeon Big Mind is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Salt Lake CIty, Utah for over 40 years. Founded by Genpo Roshi, a successor of Taizan Maezumi Roshi, of the Los Angeles Zen Center, we are dedicated to teaching Zen Buddhist principles and practices to Western students in a way that harmonizes with modern life. In addition to Genpo Roshi, who's been a monk and Zen Teacher for 50 years and is the author of numerous books, you will work with his successor teachers shown below. They are all experienced Zen teachers in their own right. Our team approach gives you the benefit of hearing many different perspectives. Their wide range of both life and Zen practice experiences will help your Zen practice and understanding be well rounded. Mark Kanchi Esterman, Roshi Mary Ellen Seien Sloan, Sensei Alexandra Mushin Gericke, Sensei Charlotte Jigen Juul, Hoshi Bruce Hogen Lambson, Hoshi All of our Classes and Events are broadcast live on Zoom. Times are US Mountain Time and scheduled so that our members in both Europe and North America can find convenient times to attend. Some of our in-person events are also broadcast on Zoom. Classes and Events are also recorded and available to Members in our Media Archive for review or in case you miss a class. |
About Our Media ArchiveAlmost every Class and Event we offer is recorded live. These unedited recordings are held in our Media Archive. Certain ones of these are only viewable by the participants in a particular Class or Event but the vast majority are available to everyone. There are currently over 3,600 audio and video files stored there that go back to the 1970's starting at the Los Angeles Zen Center and continue through the years up to our current offerings. They include Zen teachings on a vast number of Zen topics by numerous different teachers. They are arranged by year and topic. (Check out the Media Archive Index Page here). Recordings of our current classes are posted within a day or so of the event so our students can go back and review or catch up on a class they missed. The Media Archive is one of our great treasures and real benefit of having Kanzeon Big Mind Membership. Your Membership will allow you to review the vast majority of the historical files in the Archive as much as you like, and you will have access to the current schedule of classes you might attend according to your Membership level or participation as a non-member. However, we do not give access to current recordings of classes and events that are not a part of your particular Membership level. Kanzeon Big Mind Membership or participation in a class or event implies your permission to record and archive our classes. If you do not want to be identified on these recordings you may leave your zoom camera off or use an avatar with a different name. That being said, we have a warm and friendly membership group that is respectful and caring about your preferences. | Priests, Monks and LaypeopleNot everyone wants to take the path of becoming a monk or a Zen priest such as a Sensei or Roshi. However, Genpo Roshi has ordained over 500 men and women to become Zen monks and a number of them have gone on to become a Sensei or Roshi and have established their own Zen Teaching Centers in North America and Europe. If this does interest and inspire you we can definitely guide you through the process. For the vast majority of people, many thousands who have studied with Kanzeon Big Mind, Zen practice is something that they have incorporated into their lives as a way of better appreciating and supporting their lives as parents, co-workers, and members of their local communities. This is a very important way for Zen principles and practices to become embedded in the social fabric of modern Western life to the benefit of all. Our regular classes and events are therefore focused on showing how our practice is relevant to, and beneficial for, daily life and not so much on the formal procedures and ceremonies that accompany most Buddhist Monasteries and training centers. You will have opportunities to witness and participate in services and ceremonies if you wish but these are not required to bring Zen into your life as a useful tool. The Buddha is not a God and he is not worshipped but rather is honored for the insights of his enlightenment and for the teachings that have been passed down to us. The ceremonies and services we do are directed toward bringing peace and harmony to all beings through the efforts of all of us, individually and as a community, each day. |