Individual face-to-face meetings with an authorized teacher teaching are part of the Zen tradition. These private meetings are called dokusan (pronounced “doke-san”).  The purpose of dokusan is to provide individualized spiritual guidance. 

Please read More about Dokusan.  This is a place to discuss your practice, bringing your practice into your life, or ask questions about what we do here at GBZC (e.g., liturgy, koans, retreats). If interested, email [email protected].

You may have also heard about the ceremony of shoken. This is the act of becoming a formal student of a fully transmitted Zen teacher. Whether, when and with whom to do this is a very personal decision. Shoken is NOT a requirement for participation in any aspect of our GBZC community life. The only practical implication of shoken that if you follow the Zen path long enough to become a lineage holder yourself, your lineage will flow through your shoken teacher.