our sangha and shared stewardship

We are an informal, intimate group of meditation practitioners who provide safety and support for each other’s spiritual journeys. In addition to sitting together, we engage in samu, a silent, mindful work practice caring for our temple and grounds. Once a month, during our full-day sitting, we practice Oryoki, a three-bowl ceremonial lunch. In the American spirit of diversity and egalitarianism, our sangha members share the responsibilities and joys of enacting our forms and teaching the Dharma.

What is Shared Stewardship?
O-An Zendo is evolving and embracing Shared Stewardship, a growing trend in American Zen. This model shifts the work of the Zendo from a single leader in a hierarchical structure to a collaborative approach of co-creation—inviting all Sangha members to contribute to all aspects of O-An’s activities. The graphic below illustrates our five Shared Stewardship Circles. Each Circle has a guide to help with implementation. There is a short mission statement for each Circle that we hope to update with your help once members are in place.  
    This model allows us to include distant Sangha members—if you are in California, Missouri, Switzerland, Spain or elsewhere, do not hesitate to join us. Signing up is easy! Just respond to this message to participate in your choice of one or two of the Circles described below. We're excited to have you join us!

O-An Zendo—Five Circles of Shared Stewardship

OUR OUTREACH CIRCLE spreads kindness and compassion by serving both the Sangha and local community. Our activities include prison outreach, Dharma Recovery program, helping at homeless shelters and food banks. We invite the Sangha to join these efforts and contribute creatively to share Zen Buddhism's benefits with our community and beyond.

OUR TEACHING CIRCLE oversees all activities and events at The Zendo. As members of this circle, we recruit visiting teachers, schedule and offer Dharma Talks, design our quarterly sesshins, develop workshops in Zen and associated practices, plan on-line Dharma Study and weekly meditation opportunities. We also meet newcomers to practice and offer beginner’s instruction. When appropriate, we may offer Dokusan or private meetings with individual sangha members. We welcome the honor of joining our 2600 year-old lineage of transmitting the Dharma from warm hand to warm hand, warm heart to warm heart.

OUR ADMINISTRATIVE CIRCLE manages O-An's business operations. This circle focuses on six main areas: 1.Managing O-An’s online communications (email, social media, website), 2. Managing the sale of O-An’s online and in-person merchandise including items such as T-shirts, teas, and incense, 3. Coordinating building rentals for events and fundraisers at the Zendo, 4. Managing annual fundraisers such as CentreGives, Giving Tuesday, and silent auctions, 5. Coordinating local public relations and media coverage, 6. Managing all aspects of O-An memberships. We are dedicated to helping O-An run smoothly and supporting our mission in the community.

OUR BUILDING AND GROUNDS CIRCLE offers an opportunity to engage in the time-honored zen practice of cleaning and caretaking. Outside—maintaining the landscaping, gardens, lawn, and meditation trail. Inside—cleaning the floors, cushions, windows, toilets, and altars. Tending to the well-being of our environment, we clean our minds while we support those who visit the Zendo and its surroundings.

OUR TEMPLE FUNCTIONS CIRCLE works to ensure that interested sangha members are able to perform service roles that are essential to our in-person offerings. These roles include serving as Doan or Jisha, playing the Han, setting up and cleaning the tea table after service, and preparing the Zendo for service. Additionally, more experienced sangha members may offer to serve as Tenzo, or the cook, for sesshin and other in-person offerings. This is an essential role for supporting the sangha during intensive practice periods. The Tenzo is often described as being at the base of an inverted pyramid, supporting all other members of the sangha while we practice. Please consider joining the Temple Functions Circle to support the sangha. Training will be provided to any sangha members interested in these service opportunities.