Flowing River Sangha

04/06/2026

Sensei Courtney will be giving a talk online tomorrow, April 7 from 12-1:30 to the Zen Peacemakers! You can register here: https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/events/204941! All are welcome!

Sensei will reflect on Zen topics such as impermanence, being with what life presents and compassion explored in part through the movie, W***y Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. If you wish, feel free to watch the 1971 W***y Wonka and the Chocolate Factory version with Gene Wilder although it is not necessary.

Tuesday, April 7th 12:00pm US Eastern Time please join Sensei Courtney Michak  for an interactive presentation:  Awaken Imagination: Compassion in Action Join Sensei Courtney Michak of Flowing River Sangha in discussing imagination and wonder used as skillful means in navigating life's path. Sens...

02/24/2026

Sensei Courtney will be giving the talk at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Wyoming Valley on this coming Sunday, March 1st at 10:30am. We would love to welcome the sangha to come out and support Gessho Sensei either in person or on Zoom. More information on the UU and how to attend the services in person or virtually can be found here: https://www.wyomingvalleyuu.org/worship.html.

Our worship services begin at 10:30 on Sunday morning and combine a mixture of music, speaking, and silence. The topics for our services vary greatly from week to week, so we encourage you to attend...

02/22/2026

As a Zen Peacemakers affiliate sangha, we would like to share this upcoming opportunity to Bear Witness. Follow the link below to learn more about Zen Peacemakers Bearing Witness to Racism in America retreat in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama from April 23-28, 2026.
https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/events/206071

02/22/2026

Reminder: our sangha is meeting for our first discussion this coming Tuesday, February 24, at 7:30pm over Zoom. We will be discussing the first chapter of Robert Aiken's "The Mind of Clover".

Sensei Judy sent out the Zoom link, but if you need it, please let us know!

We hope to see you there!

02/07/2026

📌 Join with Us - Global Loving-Kindness Meditation - Feb 11, 2026

We warmly invite everyone from across the nation and the world to join us for a special loving-kindness meditation session with the venerable monks and Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara.

📅 Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (Our Day 109)
⏰ Time: 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM EST
📍 Location: George Washington University Smith Center
🔴 Online: Livestream available

This session will be livestreamed on our page and website so everyone can participate at the same time, no matter where you are in the world.
When thousands of hearts meditate together in the same moment, our collective loving-kindness ripples outward, touching hearts, healing wounds, and planting seeds of peace everywhere. Your presence matters. Your meditation matters. Your loving-kindness matters.

Please mark your calendars and invite your friends, family, and community. Together, we will join in meditation and send loving-kindness to all beings.

Livestream available on:
• Facebook: Walk for Peace
• Website: (Link in the comment section of this post and always pinned at the top of our page)

May everyone and all beings be well, happy anWalk for Peace

02/01/2026

Update: Zazenkai is CANCELLED this Saturday, Feb. 7th due to an illness and potentially bad weather. The board meeting that would follow is postponed to a date to be determined. We will keep you posted!

01/27/2026

Coming Soon!

Flowing River Sangha will offer a text study of Robert Aitken’s The Mind of Clover. We will meet the last Tuesday of every month on Zoom, starting in February. This book covers the Buddhist precepts. We hope you can join us! More details will be available as the date gets closer!

01/25/2026

At Flowing River Sangha we have decided to dedicate our "sittings" the week of Jan.25th in solidarity with the Monks walking for peace. Our plan is simple, before we "sit" we will set the intention to be a peaceful presence in the world. If you or your Sangha are so inclined please join us that week in doing the same. Our hope is to send lots of peaceful energy out into the universe.

You can access the updated map of the Monks' journey here: https://dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/live-map/

01/17/2026

📣 Opportunity for service from the Friedman JCC in Kingston, PA:

“O’Donnell Law Firm, Friedman Jewish Community Center, and Luzerne County NAACP in cooperation with the Wilkes-Barre Health Department will be conducting the third annual “Blankets and Broth” program which will take place at the Friedman JCC in Kingston (S.J. Strauss Lane) on Monday, January 19, 2026, with arrival beginning at 8:00 AM and the event starting at 9:00 AM. Held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, this third annual service event brings volunteers together to make no-sew fringe blankets and collect non-perishable food for neighbors in need.

Volunteers are invited to spend part of the morning working side-by-side on blankets that will be distributed to Ruth’s Place, Project Warm for Veterans Affairs, and the Salvation Army Kirby House. Nonperishable food donations will also be collected for Sara’s Table, the Friedman JCC food pantry.

Materials are supplied, and no pre-registration is required. Participants are encouraged to bring a pair of scissors if possible. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the O’Donnell Law Office at [email protected] or 570-208-4287 for more information.”

01/16/2026

We are so grateful to Zen Peacemakers for sharing our sangha’s service projects with the greater community via their newsletter and website. We are blessed to be part of a large network of likeminded sanghas who believe in practice both on and off the cushion!

Link to their post:

Flowing River Sangha, a Zen Meditation group based in Northeast Pennsylvania, recently came together in compassionate action to support unhoused neighbors at Camp Orchard Hill. Sangha members prepared and served a warm breakfast while also assembling and distributing knapsacks filled with essential....