Dogen sangha sitting groups

Dogen Sangha is a worldwide group of zazen practitioners. The name Dogen Sangha signifies that we are a sangha (a group or association of zazen practitioners) who follow the teachings of Zen Master Dogen, a 13th century Buddhist monk and founder of the Soto school of Buddhism. Dōgen’s teachings and reflections are compiled in the collection of works called Shōbōgenzō (正法眼蔵 – Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. All four books of Shobogenzo can be viewed or downloaded HERE.

Dogen Sangha was established in Japan in 1987 by Gudo Wafu Nishijima Roshi and five of his students as a group separate from the Soto School, with the aim of spreading the practice of zazen and the philosophy of Dogen inside and outside Japan, unencumbered by the hierarchy and bureaucracy of formal temple life in Japan.

This website covers Dogen Sangha’s sitting groups in the UK, and in Czechia and Slovakia. We are independent and autonomous groups of practitioners who follow the teachings of Dogen as introduced by Michael and Yoko Luetchford through the group they established in Bristol in 1999.

Dogen Sangha is not a formal organisation and so has no official organisational structure. Each group follows the teachings as they have understood them based on the practice of zazen and organises its own independent events. From time to time, members of different groups meet together for joint sesshins.