Dharma Centers Reopen Their Doors

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Last spring, dharma centers across the United States made the difficult decision to close their doors due to COVID-19. Unable to host in-person gatherings, Buddhist centers quickly adapted to the confinement of the pandemic by shifting their offerings online. Through virtual events, Zoom meditations, and live-stream talks, sanghas were able to stay connected while practicing apart. 

Now, as restrictions ease and more people get vaccinated, some centers have begun the careful process of reopening for in-person events. For those who have missed sitting alongside fellow practitioners, here is a growing list of centers that have reopened or are planning to reopen within the year. (Check back for updates.) You can visit each center’s website to learn more about their COVID-19 safety protocols, vaccination policy, and capacity restrictions. 

In addition to in-person events, many centers on this list will continue to offer online programming for the foreseeable future. 

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Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community, Vermont
Status: Open
Located in Cornwall, Vermont, the Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community has reopened for in-person daily zazen practice, with plans to resume in-person dharma talks in the near future. Visit their events calendar page for updates on new in-person offerings.

Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center, Missouri
Status: Open from May through October
The Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, Missouri opened its doors for on-site retreats back in May. In the immediate future, the center will be offering 7–14 day retreats in the meditation practice of Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation through the end of October 2021. 

Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing, New York
Status: Open
The Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing reopened in March, offering both in-person programs and personal retreats at their Cragsmoor, New York center in the Catskill Mountains.

Dharma Drum Retreat Center, New York
Status: Opening on July 11 
The Dharma Drum Retreat Center in Pine Bush, New York will host its first in-person event in July. The seven-day “How to Meditate” retreat will run from July 11–17.

Dharma Rain Zen Center, Oregon
Status: Open
Located in Portland, Oregon, the Dharma Rain Zen Center is currently open for in-person events, with a limit of 50 people per event.

Heartwood Refuge, North Carolina
Status: Open
Heartwood Refuge in Hendersonville, North Carolina is now offering in-person retreats for fully vaccinated sangha members. 

Houston Zen Center, Texas
Status: Partially reopen
The Houston Zen Center is gradually reopening for participants who have been fully vaccinated. Currently, weekday morning and afternoon zazen practice, held Monday through Thursday, is open for limited in-person attendance, and all other programs remain over Zoom.

Insight Meditation Society, Massachusetts
Status: Opening in-person retreats in October and November
The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts will reopen its two on-campus retreat programs this fall, with the Retreat Center opening on October 5 and the Forest Refuge opening on November 1. 

New York Insight, New York
Status: Partially reopen
The New York Insight Meditation Center in central Manhattan will continue to offer a hybrid of in-person and virtual programs, with its next upcoming in-person event scheduled for July 24.  

Spirit Rock Meditation Center, California
Status: Opening on August 14 
Located in West Marin County, California, Spirit Rock Meditation Center will reopen for in-person retreats on August 14. 

Upaya Zen Center, New Mexico
Status: Opening on December 1 
Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico hopes to open its temple doors for an onsite Rohatsu Sesshin in December.

Village Zendo, New York
Status: Open
The Village Zendo in Manhattan reopened for in-person sitting on June 21, requiring all visitors to provide proof of vaccination. The Zendo’s first in-person retreat, “Summer Ango In-Person Sesshin,” will take place from August 6–14. 

Zen Center of New York City, New York
Status: Open
The Zen Center of New York City, located in Brooklyn, and the Zen Mountain Monastery, located in Mount Tremper, New York, have both opened their doors to a limited number of in-person visitors. 

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To share news about a dharma center reopening, you can email editorial@tricycle.org.