Zen Mountain Monastery

Zen Mountain Monastery (Doshinji), meaning "Temple of the Way of Reality," is a prominent Zen Buddhist monastery and training center situated on a 220-acre forested property in the Catskill Mountains of Mount Tremper, New York. Founded in 1980 by John Daido Loori, it initially began as the Zen Arts Center and has since grown into a significant institution for Zen practice and study.

History and Development

The site itself has a history dating back to the 1930s when it was established as Camp Wapanachki. The primary structures, including the main house and chapel, were built in an Arts and Crafts style between approximately 1935 and 1938. The main building, constructed with local bluestone and white oak, was later designated a historic landmark at both national and state levels in 1994. John Daido Loori purchased the property on September 30, 1980, for $100,000.

Training and Practice

Zen Mountain Monastery is known for its comprehensive training program, guided by Daido Roshi's Eight Gates of Zen matrix. This matrix outlines eight key areas of practice: zazen (seated meditation), face-to-face teaching, liturgy, moral and ethical teachings, work practice, body practice, art practice, and academic study. These practices are undertaken by both lay students and monastics, with lay practitioners often engaging in weekend retreats and sesshin (meditation intensives) at the monastery or practicing at home. The curriculum also includes a wide array of activities such as painting, poetry, shakuhachi performance, kyūdō (Japanese archery), and qigong. The monastery is home to monastic practitioners who have taken vows of simplicity, selflessness, stability, service, and accomplishing the Buddha's Way, dedicating themselves entirely to the monastery's mission.

The Mountains and Rivers Order

Zen Mountain Monastery serves as the main house of the Mountains and Rivers Order, an organization founded by John Daido Loori in 1980. This order is inspired by the teachings of Dogen, as articulated in the Mountains and Rivers Sutra. The Order encompasses several branches, including Dharma Communications, which handles publications and supplies for practitioners; the Society of Mountains and Rivers, comprising affiliate sitting groups; the National Buddhist Archives, dedicated to preserving the history of Buddhism in America; the Zen Environmental Studies Institute, which focuses on environmental mindfulness and research; the National Buddhist Prison Sangha, providing spiritual resources to inmates; and the Fire Lotus Temple, a residential Zen training facility in New York City.

Buildings and Grounds

Beyond the historic Main House, the monastery grounds feature several other important structures. The Sangha House, completed in 2012, provides facilities for events, retreats, a store, and various practice rooms. In 2021, the new Jizo House was constructed to better accommodate retreat participants, particularly those with mobility issues, and includes an infirmary and end-of-life quarters. Administrative offices, designed by Michelle Yoshin Lacaditto, were built in 2000 to centralize operations. A traditional Japanese tea house facilitates tea ceremony practice, while hermitages offer secluded spaces for deep practice. The grounds also include gardens for produce and flowers, as well as an orchard. The monastery cemetery is the final resting place for its abbots and other monastics and lay students.