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

Schedule & Location

When and where we sit

Every Sunday morning at Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing in Greenville, weekly from September 6. Sittings are silent and adults-only, free to attend, and every adult is welcome, whether you are new to sitting or have practiced for years.

A watercolor of a temple bell in the soft light of a misty Sunday morning.
01The next sitting
When and where

Sunday, October 18, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.
Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing, Greenville. We sit in the building at 52 Cleveland Street; free public parking is at 44 Cleveland Street. Free to attend, beginners welcome, adults. First time? Arrive around 7:50 a.m. Orientation begins at 8:00. Zazen begins promptly at 8:15. Bring your own cushion if you like, or use one of ours.

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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

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

02The morning

What a morning holds

A typical morning holds two periods of zazen with walking meditation between them and a brief dharma reading and conversation to close. If you are new, come at 8:00 a.m. for a short orientation and meditation instruction beforehand.

  1. New student orientation

  2. Zazen, seated meditation

  3. Kinhin, walking meditation

  4. Zazen, seated meditation

  5. Brief dharma reading and conversation

  6. Dismissal

03The rhythm

We sit every Sunday morning, weekly beginning September 6. Sitting begins at 8:15 a.m., and we end on time, with dismissal at 9:30 a.m.

We are a young group, forming carefully. The next dates are always on the calendar at the top of this page, along with the reading group and the retreats members are going to together.

04Beyond Sunday
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

05Our home
The pavilion at Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing: a round stone building topped by a tall, tent-like silver spire, beside a terraced rock-and-water garden and green lawn.

Cancer Survivors Park Center for Hope & Healing

52 Cleveland Street, Greenville, SC 29601

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.

Free public parking is in the lot at 44 Cleveland Street, a short walk from the building. From the lot, walk down the hill toward the river and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Our entrance is the building at 52 Cleveland Street, beneath the large white sculpture that looks like a circus tent, on the trail by the river. There are restrooms inside.

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Greenville Zen Center ensō with red seal

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