enpuku-ji

RINZAI ZEN Centre

Enpuku-ji is a Rinzai Zen practice centre located in a lively neighbourhood of Montreal. The centre provides a daily schedule of Zen practice in the style and spirit of the teaching of Kyōzan Jōshū Sasaki, Rōshi. The resident monk and abbot is Zengetsu Myōkyō. In addition to the regular zazen schedule, the Zen Centre offers one-day retreats, five-day sesshins, Buddha ceremonies and personal ceremonies such as weddings and memorials.

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THE ABBOT

Myōkyō began her training with Jōshū Rōshi in 1980 and moved to Mt. Baldy in 1985. She was ordained as a Zen monk in 1986 at Mt. Baldy Zen Center, and practiced at Mt. Baldy and Rinzai-ji Zen Centers in California and Bodhi Manda and Albuquerque Zen Centers in New Mexico before returning to Canada in 1995. She was ordained as a Zen Osho (Priest) in 1999, receiving the religious name Zengetsu, and continued to study with Jōshū Rōshi until his death in July, 2014. In Montreal, Myōkyō is involved with the larger Buddhist community. She served as Associate Buddhist Chaplain at Concordia University and at McGill University for two decades.

HISTORY

Centre Zen de la Main was founded in 1995 by Myōkyō, with the help of generous donors. In 2009, its name was changed to Enpuku-ji with the move to its new location at 4620 Saint-Dominique Street. Enpuku-ji is the temple name which was given to Myōkyō by her teacher. The meaning of the kanji for Enpuku-ji is Temple of Full Prosperity. Enpuku-ji is an affiliate centre of Rinzai-ji in Los Angeles, the motherhouse of a network of centres which are committed to practicing Rinzai Zen as was taught by Kyōzan Jōshū Sasaki, Rōshi. It has grown in its first decades to the point of being able to provide a strong and consistent practice environment for members, newcomers, lay monks and practice residents.

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SCHEDULE

In-Person

Tuesday and Thursday

6:00 AM - 7:00 AM

Monday, Wednesday and Friday

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Saturday

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Online (Zoom)

Monday to Friday

6:00 AM - 7:00 AM

Monday, Wednesday and Friday

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Saturday

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Dharma Talk

A dharma talk is occasionally offered during the Saturday morning zazen session and is part of retreat schedules.

Zazenkai

Zazenkai (one-day silent retreats) are held on a Sunday. The schedule includes sutra chanting, formal meal, nitten soji, dharma talk, meeting with Myōkyō, and zazen. Participants are expected to be familiar with the practice etiquette. Part-time participation is possible, although preference is given to those attending full-time.

All people new to Enpuku-ji, regardless of their practice background,
are asked to attend a newcomers session.

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ZEN BUDDHISM

Why practice Zen?

“The real Zen practice is to realize that you have the center of gravity of the universe. When you realize that you have the center of gravity which is one with the center of gravity of the universe, then you unify the world and you are unified by the world. You are embraced by the world. When you unify the world and you are unified by the world, that center of gravity is only one. So you cannot call it your own center of gravity. That center of gravity doesn’t need to call itself “self,” because there is no object. Since it unifies the world. There is no object. It is very difficult to understand, so you need more zazen to experience it.”

- Kyōzan Jōshū Sasaki, Rōshi
Excerpt from Buddha is the Center of Gravity

NEWCOMERS

Those interested in formal Zen practice are asked to attend an instruction session in order to join the regular zazen schedule. The instruction session is usually held on the second Saturday of each month from 12:00pm to 1:30pm. The session outlines the form and etiquette of practice, as well as a brief history of the Centre and Jōshū Rōshi.

  • Reserve your spot

    Please confirm your attendance by email to [email protected]

  • Find the main entrance

    The main entrance for Enpuku-ji is in the garden. Follow the path to the left of the parking area and go through the gate to the deck doors with the Enpuku-ji logo.

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News, Winter 2024/25

  • As the weather changes with our first frost, the Zen Centre settles into a change-of-season garden and house clean-up.

    Very good attendance for our first day-long zazenkai in a long while in early September! The next is planned for Sunday, December 08. Please let the Zen Centre know if you plan on attending.

    The inauguration retreat and ceremony for Seiun’s zendo in Risaralda, Colombia is set for January 19, 2025. The Zen Centre will be closed from January 17 to 24 during which time Myokyo, together with two Enpuku-ji members, will be in Colombia.

    The Zen Centre is undertaking a project to house a very large and beautiful scroll of Kannon/Kwan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, gifted to us last year by Haku-un-ji Zen Center in Tempe, Arizona. A generous donation has been promised to help with the building of a shallow alcove (tokonoma) on the wall facing the zendo by the exterior double doors. The tokonoma will hold the scroll and a low shelf for a flower arrangement and an incense bowl. We are fortunate to have the services of a fine woodworker/cabinet maker, attentive to the traditional tokonoma style.

    A plan is in the works for a curated yard-sale in the early spring. Please keep an eye out for those precious things that are taking up too much space and which you would love to donate to Enpuku-ji for this fundraising event.

    The Board has approved an increase to monthly contributions/membership donations after nineteen years! The website has been updated with the changes:

    • Retired/full-time students - $40
    • General - $50
    • Family - $70
    • Supporting - $125

    Affiliate members remain at $20. Steps for changing the amount of your current contribution on CanadaHelps are simple:

    1. 1. Log in to your Donor Account
    2. 2. Select the Monthly Donations tab
    3. 3. Select the Manage button for the donation that you want to change
    4. 4. Edit the Amount field
    5. 5. Save changes

    There is much appreciation for the many other types of support you all have provided in the last months (food, supplies, rides, garden stuff, and help with tasks around the centre beyond our new custom in the past year of “nitten soji” - daily cleaning after zendo on Saturday mornings).

    Dates to remember:

    • Sunday, December 08: zazenkai, 9am-4pm
    • Friday, January 17 to Friday 24, inclusive: Zen Centre closed

 

Enpuku-ji apple tree, with reluctant apples...

  • A reminder

    The Zen Centre continues to keep its doors open and a zazen schedule in place because of your monthly contributions. Please do make that donation, after your newcomers session, through the CanadaHelps link.

COMMUNITY

 

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Lay Monks

Seiun Thomas Henderson, autism and education specialist, was an integral part of Enpuku-ji for a decade, assisting Myōkyō with all of the programs/events that the Zen Centre offers, until he moved to Colombia in early 2023. Seiun has built a zendo on his farm and has established a weekly zazen group in the small city of Pereira. Ekyō Diane Poissant, retired administrator and educator, lives in Kingston, Ontario. She established a zendo, Ryokusui-an, in her home in 2013, where a regular schedule of zazen is offered. Jion Ned Shepard, DJ, producer, musician and remixer, was a regular practitioner at Enpuku-ji for eight years before moving to Los Angeles, CA in 2012. He created a beautiful zendo in his Beverly Hills home for which Myōkyō bestowed the name, Kattō-an - Hermitage of Entangling Vines. Jion lends invaluable support to Rinzai-ji, Myōkyō's motherhouse, in LA.

The tokudo-shiki (ordination) ceremony for Seiun and Jion was held at Enpuku-ji in January, 2011 and that for Ekyō at Ryokusui-an in October, 2013.



Volunteers

Volunteers and the understanding of dana have always been important aspects of the Zen Centre. Dana is considered to be the Buddhist practice of cultivating generosity, or some might say, selfless spontaneous giving.

Enpuku-ji has always had much help from members and from friends of the Zen Centre, those who do not come to practice but want to support the existence and future of Enpuku-ji. We have help with the garden, the current Zen Centre dog, Listen, house maintenance, snow-shovelling, the website, translation, and so on. Most of this help goes unnoticed by others but is essential to the spirit and stewardship of Enpuku-ji.

 

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Montreal Zen Poetry Festival

The Montreal Zen Poetry Festival was conceived of by several young poets who were practitioners at the Zen Centre around 2005. We held three festivals – 2007, 2009 and 2011. We have been fortunate to have hosted the likes of Jane Hirshfield, Robert Bringhurst, Red Pine, Steve Sanfield, David Budbill, Peter Levitt, Chase Twichell, Kaz Tanahashi and others. The Montreal Zen Poetry Festival, a small niche festival, led to rich collaborations with McGill University and with the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival over the years.

Enpuku-ji published two collections of the works of our 2007 and 2009 invitees under the imprint of Enpuku-ji Press. The collections, "Forget the Words" and "Words have no Meaning", are available for purchase at the Zen Centre.

The Rumi Li Zen Poetry Library, housed on the second floor at Enpuku-ji, has a special collection of Zen poetry and haiku works. People are invited to sit and read, by appointment. An offshoot of the Festivals has been the acquisition by Myōkyō and a former resident practitioner and Festival volunteer, Ian Sullivan Cant, of a small letterpress.

The rabbit fish logo, for the 2009 festival, was created by Ian who is a very fine zine artist and illustrator.

GIVING & MEMBERSHIP

Enpuku-ji is incorporated under Federal law as a charitable organization and, as such, issues tax receipts for donations and membership payments via CanadaHelps. The Centre is supported by general donations, membership payments, retreat and ceremony fees, resident and guest practitioner income and donations to the Abbot, Membership, General Donations, Practice Scholarship and Temple Maintenance Funds.

Those attending regularly are asked to contribute as a member after their newcomers session. Donations and membership payments are payable online through CanadaHelps. To make such a payment via CanadaHelps, simply click on the “Contribute” button on this page. A screen with the Enpuku-ji logo will appear. Then choose "Donate Monthly" for a membership payment and follow the instructions. If you wish to make a single donation, click on "Donate Now" and, on the next screen, after entering the amount, go to “Fund/Designation” and choose which fund you would like to contribute to. CanadaHelps allows donors to download a tax receipt at any time. Payments other than donations and membership payments are not tax-receiptable and are made by Interac e-transfer to [email protected].

  • Your support of Enpuku-ji is greatly appreciated, and will help to ensure its future as an urban centre dedicated to contemplative Zen practice.
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MEMBERSHIP

Supporting Member

$125/month

General Member

$50/month

Full-time Student/Retired

$40/month

Family Member

$70/month

Affiliate Member

$20/month

non-practicing supporter

Alternative arrangements

No one will be excluded from practicing at the Zen Centre because of inability to pay.
It is possible to make alternate arrangements involving work at the Zen Centre and/or in-kind contributions.