- A 90-Day Online Guided Practice Period
Zen Wisdom for Everyday living
January 10th – April 8th, 2024
Remaining*
*Register now and gain access to any resources or recorded dharma talks that have already been shared on our course platform.
About Commit to Sit
For new and advanced practitioners alike, Commit to Sit is a guided 90-day practice period designed to empower you on your Zen meditation journey through a structured and supportive environment led by experienced teachers.
This unique practice period includes:
A Classic Zen Text as our Guide
This Winter’s Commit to Sit guiding text will be To You: The Zen Sayings of Kodo Sawaki, a compilation of pithy teachings from Kodo Sawaki Rōshi, also known as “Homeless Kodo,” a prominent Sōtō Zen teacher of the 20th century.
Weekly Dharma Talks and Q&A Sessions
16 renowned Zen teachers from across the US and Japan will join us for a weekly talk and interactive Q&A — live-streamed Monday evenings at 7:00pm ET and available afterwards via video recordings.
In-Depth Learning with Daily Emails
An email with selections from the guiding text and a reflection for the day by our Guiding Teacher, Koshin Sensei, will be sent to your inbox each day of the practice period. These serve as supportive tools in the learning process and offer consistent guidance.
Video Interview Series with the Translator
Reiho Jesse Haasch, one of the English translators of To You, shares his inspiration for translating the book, his favorite teachings, his advice for beginner or advanced meditators, and more!
Daily Meditation Opportunities with a Global Community
Learn and practice in our Online & In-Person Zendo (the “One-do”) with participants from around the world. Foster a sense of community wherever you are.
Discussion Opportunities
Engage in reflective discussions with fellow Commit to Sit practitioners through a private online forum.
...and more!
An International Group of Sōtō Zen Teachers
Led by New York Zen Center’s Guiding Teacher Koshin Paley Ellison with weekly dharma talks from 16 incredible Zen teachers from the US and Japan.
Commit today
The standard cost of this program is $108 — all payment levels offer the same access to the program. Please choose a payment level that works for your financial situation. Supporter level and above pricing is available for those who wish to increase their support of NYZC and our work to make the dharma accessible to all.
What Participants Are Saying
“This has been a reawakening and a deepening of my practice. Through the text and discussions I was able to see through my limited experience to a deeper understanding that allowed my practice to bloom. Moments of clarity and tempering expectations helped me find the dedication to maintain my practice. I have never had a stronger practice with the continued understanding to let it be what it is. This has been life changing.”
“I have participated in every Commit to Sit. I do it, and will continue to do it, because it provides me things that I lack in my own practice: structure, discipline, and community support. CTS is gentle, reliable, well organized, and consistent.”
“This has been very special for me – communal support to deepen my practice. I’m a long-time meditator going mostly solo. The daily emails with the texts and the weekly dharma talks and the sense of sangha have been incredibly supportive. This is my first CTS with NYZC and I’m so grateful.”
“It’s a way to keep in touch with the practice, beyond my daily meditation – a way to keep a finger touching the universe.”
“This summer’s Commit to Sit has brought each day into the reality of what is – to be awaiting each day’s offering was a gift beyond belief.”
“Commit to Sit has come to mean a lot to me. I feel that through my association with NYZC via Commit to Sit that I’m able to access the larger Sangha. Commit to Sit enables me to have a regular structured practice within Sangha relationship that fits my schedule and inclinations. I especially appreciate the abilty to access dharma talks videos after the fact as I’m not often able to be present for the live Zoom sessions.”
“Extremely generous offering of the dharma. So many thanks for the huge amount of work this took.”
“For me, the daily readings and the dharma talks are very important. The writings that have been selected for the sessions and the associated dharma talks have opened my mind to a greater understanding of Zen practice and meaning.”
“Awakening the mind” means “saving the others before I save myself”.
Kodo Sawaki, To You: Zen Sayings of Kodo Sawaki
About Kodo Sawaki
About Kodo sawaki
Kodo Sawaki (1880-1965) was a prominent Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist teacher known for his straightforward and practical approach to Zen practice. He is often associated with the teaching phrase “To You,” which emphasizes the direct, experiential nature of Zen practice. His teachings emphasized rigorous zazen, particularly the practice of “shikantaza” or “just sitting”, and he often described Zen as “wonderfully useless”, discouraging the pursuit of special experiences or states of consciousness. His teachings continue to be influential, both in Japan and internationally, particularly for practitioners seeking a more direct, no-nonsense approach to Zen.
Expand your practice
Commit to Sit started January 10th but there is still plenty of practice period left until we close on April 8th! The standard cost of this program is $108 and all payment levels provide access to the same program materials. Please choose a payment level that works for your financial situation.
