Zen practice · Greenville, South Carolina

A quiet place to sit
in Greenville.

Greenville Zen Center is a welcoming Zen practice community for beginners and experienced practitioners. We sit, walk, learn, and practice together.

Always free to attend. No prior experience or special beliefs required, and everyone is welcome.

RSVP for a sitting Start Here Stay in Touch

Next sitting · Sunday, October 18 · Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing · Free to attend · See the schedule

Sangha calendar

Sittings, the reading group and retreats, all in one place

Coming up

  1. Sitting · TodaySunday zazen8:00–9:30 a.m. · Cancer Survivors Park
  2. SittingSunday zazen8:00–9:30 a.m. · Cancer Survivors Park
  3. Reading groupGenjo Koan reading group6:30 p.m. · contact Jennie for the location
  4. SittingSunday zazen8:00–9:30 a.m. · Cancer Survivors Park
  5. SittingSunday zazen8:00–9:30 a.m. · Cancer Survivors Park
  6. Reading groupGenjo Koan reading group6:30 p.m. · contact Jennie for the location
  7. SesshinNovember Sesshin at Great TreeNov 13–15 · Alexander
  8. SesshinRohatsu Sesshin at Chapel Hill Zen CenterDec 11–16 · Chapel Hill

October 2026

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  • Sunday sitting
  • Reading group
  • Retreat
  • Change

Add to your calendar Retreats & reading group RSVP on Luma

An RSVP for Sunday sittings is welcome but never required; anyone may simply arrive.

Practice note

New to Zen? You are welcome here.
You can arrive with no experience, no special vocabulary, and no need to perform. We will show you how to sit, what to do, and where to begin.

What to expect on your first visit →
01The practice

What is Zen?

Zen is a practice of seated meditation, walking meditation, everyday awareness, and community. The heart of the practice is zazen: sitting upright, breathing naturally, and returning to this moment.

Sit
upright

Take a steady seat on a cushion, bench, or chair.

Breathe
naturally

Let the breath settle on its own. Nothing to force.

Return
again

When the mind wanders, gently begin again.

Understanding can come later. Practice starts with sitting down.

What we practice

We practice zazen, seated meditation, in the Sōtō Zen tradition. A typical gathering includes simple instruction, silent sitting, walking meditation called kinhin, and time for tea and questions afterward.

  • Zazen, seated meditation
  • Kinhin, walking meditation
  • Dharma reflection, a short teaching or reading
  • Tea and questions, a relaxed time to connect
A watercolor of a row of round zafu cushions on square mats along the wall of our meditation hall.
02A morning

Every Sunday morning

Beginning September 6, we sit every Sunday morning at Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing in Greenville. Nothing about the morning will surprise you. If you are new, someone will quietly show you what to do.

The sangha keeps an email list for walks, reading, and rides to retreats. Ask to join it.

  1. New student orientation

    If it is your first visit, arrive by 7:50 for a short, friendly orientation. You may come and go quietly while it is underway.

  2. Zazen

    The bell rings at 8:15 exactly, a strict and silent start. Please try not to enter after it. If you arrive late, join us at kinhin.

  3. Kinhin

    A slow, quiet walk between sitting periods. It is also the natural time to come or go if you need to: bow and step in, or bow and step out.

  4. Zazen

    Return to the cushion or chair.

  5. Dharma reading and conversation

    A brief reading and a simple, open conversation.

  6. Dismissal

    We end on time.

When and where

Every Sunday morning at Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing, 52 Cleveland Street, Greenville (free parking at 44 Cleveland). Sittings are silent and adults-only, free to attend, volunteer-led, and open to every adult. We gather at Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing, with gratitude to the Cancer Survivors Park Alliance for welcoming our practice to this quiet place beside the river.

Plan your first visit Open in maps
Beyond Sunday morning

Retreats and reading together

Sunday zazen is the heart of the week. Between Sundays, members read together and go to sesshin together at the temples that have helped GZC get started. Everyone is welcome, and you do not have to go alone.

New to sesshin? Curious what sesshin is actually like? Jay, one of GZC’s founders, wrote about his own three days of silent sitting. Read “Submission as Freedom: Three Days in a Silent Sesshin”
Sesshin Nov 13–15, 2026 Friday 4:00 p.m. to Sunday noon

November Sesshin at Great Tree

Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple · Alexander, North Carolina, near Asheville

Going together. Several of us from GZC are going, so there is no Sunday sitting in Greenville on November 15.

A weekend of sesshin led by the Rev. Teijo Munnich, dharma heir of Katagiri Roshi. All are welcome, and sleeping space is available at the temple. Much of how GZC sittings are organized comes from Great Tree, so if you have sat with us, you already know the shape of the day.

Register with Great Tree Ask us about carpooling

Sesshin Dec 11–16, 2026 Friday 7:00 p.m. to Wednesday afternoon

Rohatsu Sesshin at Chapel Hill Zen Center

Chapel Hill Zen Center · Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Going together. A good group of us from GZC is going. Come with us, and we will help with carpools and places to stay.

Rohatsu marks the Buddha’s awakening, and it is the deepest sesshin of the year. Zenki Kathleen Batson leads it. Each day runs from 6:00 a.m. to about 9:30 p.m. with zazen, kinhin, a dharma talk, work period, formal oryoki meals and dokusan with Zenki Sensei. You may come for part of it if you attend Friday’s 7:00 p.m. orientation (the zendo opens at 5:00) and stay at least two days; priority goes to people sitting the whole sesshin.

  • Fees: $60 a day, or $50 a day for Chapel Hill participating members. No one is turned away for lack of funds; to ask for a scholarship, write Danielle Bouchard at danielle.bouchard@gmail.com.
  • You are welcome to sleep at the Zen Center. Bring a pad or portable bed, sleeping bag, pillow, towel and washcloth, slip-on shoes, work clothes and layers.
  • Questions: info@chzc.org.

Return the registration form with a $50 deposit by Wednesday, December 2.

Registration form Chapel Hill events page Ask us about carpooling

Reading group Every other Tuesday 6:30 p.m.

Reading Group: Dōgen’s Genjo Koan

A sangha member’s home in Greenville

We are reading Dōgen’s Genjo Koan slowly, with the commentaries of Nishiari Bokusan, Shunryu Suzuki and Kōshō Uchiyama. For most of us it is a first reading of Dōgen, so we take our time, and newcomers are welcome to join at any meeting.

Dōgen’s Genjo Koan with Three Commentaries (Counterpoint Press)

To join, or for the next meeting’s location, contact Jennie Neighbors

(864) 431-2344 neighborsjl@me.com

The Sitting Room

One short Zen reflection, a practice for the week, and what’s happening at Greenville Zen Center. About twice a month, and you can leave anytime.

03How to sit

How to sit

The posture is upright and relaxed. You can sit on a cushion, bench, or chair.

Greenville Zen Center · watch on YouTube
How to sit, a simple guide for beginners. A watercolor figure seated on a cushion, labeled: tall spine, soft shoulders, hands in lap, relaxed gaze, natural breath, grounded seat. Chairs are welcome; a steady, upright, comfortable posture is the aim.
Read the Beginner Guide →
“To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.”
Dōgen Zenji · Genjōkōan
04Community

Practicing together

Zen practice is personal, and it is supported by community. We sit together so returning becomes easier, and so we can carry practice into work, relationships, and ordinary life.

Greenville Zen Center is a young Zen practice community, growing carefully. Our hope is to create a place that can outgrow its founders and serve the community for years to come.

Stay in touch →
Practitioners sitting zazen together along the wall of the meditation hall on a Sunday morning at Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing.
05Dāna, the practice of giving

Help us build this.

Every sitting is free, and always will be. Keeping it that way, and growing into something lasting, takes real support. A gift is dāna, the old practice of generosity, and it is what carries the practice forward.

  • Cushions and mats. Zafu, zabuton, and the simple things that let anyone walk in and sit.
  • Guest teachers. Bringing teachers to the Upstate to sit with us and offer the dharma.
  • A home of our own. In time, a dedicated, permanent place to practice in Greenville.
Give a gift Support a permanent home →

Give once, or become a monthly supporter · a registered 501(c)(3), so your gift is tax-deductible · we use Zeffy, so every dollar reaches the practice · no one is ever turned away.

Cover of A Beginner’s Guide to Zen, Greenville Zen Center
The companion guide

Take the guide home.

A short, beautifully illustrated introduction to sitting, walking, breathing, and beginning practice at home. Enter your name and email and we’ll send it to you, free, as a keepsake PDF.

  • What is Zen?
  • How to sit
  • What to expect
  • A simple practice at home
  • Common questions
Get the beginner’s guide

Always free. You’ll also join The Sitting Room, our occasional note from the center. Leave anytime. Questions? Write to hello@greenvillezen.org.

In their words

From people who sit with us

“Everyone was so welcoming, and the space was great.”
New to meditation
“I’m glad a Zen center is finally coming to Greenville.”
A Greenville sitter
“The time of day was perfect, and everyone was very helpful and welcoming.”
New to Zen
“I appreciate the energy and effort put into making this happen.”
An experienced practitioner
A few common questions

Still wondering?

Never meditated?

None needed. Many people sit for the very first time with us, and the 8:00 orientation is made exactly for newcomers.

Do I have to be Buddhist?

No. You do not have to be Buddhist or hold any belief. Zen is something you do, not something you sign. Come as you are.

Can I sit in a chair?

Yes. Chairs are always available, and sitting in a chair is a complete way to practice.

Read all the questions →

Greenville Zen Center ensō with red seal

Come sit with us.

Stay in Touch

View the schedule