Northern Kentucky Zen Center

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Welcome

The Northern Kentucky Zen Center community supports those inquiring into the matter of this human life in the context and lineage of the Zen tradition.

We make a vow to find and live from our compassionate true nature, and we come together to support each other in this work.

The NKYZC was founded in 2026 as part of the Furnace Mountain Sangha, a Zen community under the direction of Guiding Teacher Zen Master Dae Gak.

Our Resident Teacher is Jun Je Soen-sa.

We are a non-profit religious organization solely supported by donations, event fees, and the generosity and energy of community.

Thank you for your interest in the practice of the Dharma. May our direction and efforts be of benefit.

Weekly Schedule

In-Person Meditation

Sundays at 8:00 am to 9:15 am
Mondays at 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm

4037 Dixie Highway Rear, Elsmere, Kentucky 41018
(At blue lantern)

Special Events

In addition to the weekly practice sessions listed above, join us for Intro Workshops, Day-long retreats, Weekend Retreats, and other classes.

Introduction to Zen – Held on Saturdays – Next Date Coming Soon

This workshop provides an orientation to sitting and walking meditation and opportunity to practice the forms. The format is interactive, with time for questions and discussion. Visiting Teachers from Furnace Mountain, Resident Teacher Jun Je, or NKYZC Dharma Teachers and senior practitioners lead the workshop.

Zen

Zen simply means meditation. It is the Japanese term that is most commonly used in the U.S., although the words Seon in Korean, Chan in Chinese, and Dhyana in Sanskrit all point to the same practice.

It is a practice of looking into the matter of our lives directly—for ourselves—to investigate the fundamental questions that arise from our sentience:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is my correct role in this troubled world?

In keeping these questions alive without constraining them in tidy answers or taking the words of others, we awaken to seeing ourselves, others, and the world as they truly are—that is, as the change and flux which is the nature of reality itself.

In this openness appears our original nature—compassionate, caring, committed to alleviating suffering for all beings.

To study Zen is to take up this practice within a community and with a teacher who traces their lineage back to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni 2500 years ago. In this way, Zen practice is a living lineage, rather than the study of dead words.

Practice

We practice Sitting, Walking, and Chanting meditation.

Sitting is the activity of stillness, of looking directly into the nature of the mind. We sit for periods of 30 minutes. There are many postures appropriate for sitting practice—including kneeling on cushions or using a chair—so discomfort can be minimized.

Walking offers the opportunity to take the mind of practice into motion and movement, bridging the gap that can arise between experience on and off the cushion.

Chanting is a practice consistent worldwide among contemplative traditions. When we chant, the singular voice interacts and merges with the group voice. Chant sheets are provided.

Our meditation sessions consist of opening with Chanting, then Sitting for two periods of 30-minutes each with a Walking period in between.

Please arrive ten minutes early, since we lock the doors to maintain privacy and security promptly at the start times.

Although dress is casual and comfortable, clothing is an element and expression of the meditation experience. Subdued colors are most supportive of practice.

Please don’t let unfamiliarity with meditation forms be a reason for not investigating Zen. Participants at ALL levels of experience are always welcome.

Beginners

First and foremost, welcome!

Our intention is that you feel invited and included—and that much of the mystery that is perceived to be part of this practice is put to rest. We welcome beginners at all our regular practice sessions.

Or for an even more in-depth orientation, please join us for one of our Intro to Zen workshops held every couple months.

Know also that you are free and welcome, however, to just show up for any of our regular sitting periods. Come 15 minutes early, let someone know it is your first time, and you will receive a brief orientation to our forms.

As part of orientation, you will be shown a variety of postures, including sitting or kneeling using cushions or a bench or chair. All these postures support sitting upright and still while offering options that minimize discomfort.

If you plan to visit as part of a school project, please contact us beforehand so we may plan to be available to answer your class-related questions. Special arrangements should be made to accommodate 3 or more students.

Teachers

Zen Master Dae Gak, Guiding Teacher

“Find your original job and do it impeccably. Never give up. While failure is possible, there is nothing that cannot be transmuted. Our mistakes are our teachers and our alchemy is in our heart’s blood. Our breath is our point of entry to truth. It is with us always, as us, as all of creation. Find the breath in everything.”

Zen Master Dae Gak is the Founder, Abbot, and Guiding Teacher of Furnace Mountain and its affiliate centers. He received Inka (permission to teach) in 1986 and final Dharma transmission from Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1994.

He has directed his life toward supporting others to realize their original nature of fearless immediacy and unbounded compassion, following the clear teaching of the Zen Ancestors, and his own realization that the practice of spiritual inquiry cannot be fixed, organized, or institutionalized.

Jun Je Soen-sa, Resident Teacher

I have spent almost 40 years in the world of academia, medicine and healthcare. It is the world of the intellect, striving and accomplishment; filled with good people perpetually striving to fix and make better.

It was the complete failure to fix that woke me up to the dystopia………I was withdrawing life support on a baby and handing him to his mother to die. ‘How do I do this?!?!’ became my koan for the next few months before I was graced with the answer: You simply be with the family and help them be with tremendous suffering.

Over 20 years later and more babies than I can ever remember, this lesson has served as a life direction and an approach to be with my own suffering. Zen practice has stabilized, clarified, and energized this direction. Understanding that our capacity to ‘simply be’ is a source of healing is a lesson I am continually trying to teach. Paradoxically, the deepest healing is realizing that there is nothing and no one to heal. And yet, the call to heal and the work of healing never ceases.

These days, my favorite work is the ‘together action’ of retreats. Together, facing the perpetual mind of wanting, the occasional freedom from that mind, and the clarity of heart to meet each moment of this life with great compassion.

Contribution

Dana is the Buddhist practice of generosity, appreciation, and contribution.

We are a non-profit religious organization solely supported by the generosity of its community.

We gratefully accept donations in any amount, as well as contributions of time, energy, and talent. We also fully appreciate that people have different life circumstances, and we welcome anyone regardless of ability to pay.

All donations can be either one-time or monthly sustaining contributions.

Northern Kentucky Zen Center – 859-802-7400 – info@nkzc.org