Fabric printed in Korean temple designs, for our future home

Two opportunities next week: Virtual morning service Monday at 7am: www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/... Live evening service Wednesday at 7pm, featuring a formal dharma talk: www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

"Balwoogongyang" is a formal meal practice that is essential to the Korean Buddhist tradition we are planning to incorporate into the life of our community after our move. The link below is for an excellent video from BBC about the practice -- highly recommended. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d7M...

Progress is being made on our future home! In the meantime, we continue to operate in our current space. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Monday the 2nd -- 7am -- morning service on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/... Wednesday the 4th -- 7pm -- evening service in person! www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

As of now, we are still planning to hold our regular Wednesday evening service, centered on loving-kindness meditation -- though we are going to keep an eye on the weather and road conditions. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Almost 2,600 years ago, the Buddha's mind broke through, and he said, "At this moment all beings and I awaken together." Given the dangerous weather conditions, our Buddha's Enlightenment service this evening at 7pm Eastern time will be streaming here: youtube.com/live/nkPtdDi...

Prayers for the victims, the oppressed, and the oppressors youtu.be/Yu28Iar_pmo

This week's service will feature dharma discourse — open time for conversation about whatever folks need to discuss. It's a great night for a first-time visit --please arrive by 6:45 early to get oriented to the space and practice. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

On Monday, there are two opportunities to join our practice without even leaving your house! 7am morning service: www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/... 7pm virtual New Moon service, sign up here for link: teamup.com/event/show/i... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

We've decided to share our practice by offering a New Moon virtual service for the next few months. Anyone, anywhere, is invited to participate in this service. If you follow the link below to sign up, you'll be sent the link for the service on the day of the event. teamup.com/event/show/i...

Tonight's dharma talk-- Watch here: youtu.be/ym0GRWg_hV4 Or listen here: belmontzen.podbean.com/e/because-of... Or on your favorite podcast platform

This week's service, Wednesday at 7pm, will include a formal dharma talk. All are welcome! www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

On Monday we will be streaming our morning service on YouTube at 7am Eastern Time. You are invited to participate live, or use the recording to support your practice later: www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Sunday at 6:30pm we'll be showing "Are We One," a documentary about the compatibility of Zen and Christianity. Refreshments provided, no charge, donations gratefully accepted! Please sign up here: teamup.com/event/show/i...

The new video linked below is very relevant to the scripture we are going to be focusing on during tonight's service at the Center. The Buddhadharma is just as much about the external state of the world as it is about the internal state of the mind. youtu.be/9xpzIIu4Dpw?...

Events in the next 7 days: Morning service tomorrow, live-streamed on YouTube @ 7am: www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/... Evening service Wednesday @ 7pm Movie night Sunday @ 6:30pm, please sign up here: teamup.com/event/show/i... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

On Monday the 29th at 7am we will be continuing our series of live-streamed morning services, for your live participation or later use of the recording -- this time from the Center here in St. C. www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/...

This Monday morning, 7am Eastern time, we will continue our series of live-streamed morning services for the winter intensive practice period. Participate live, or use the recording at another time or on another day. www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/...

On Monday at 7am we are going to be having our (unintentional) first morning service of Dong Angeo, the winter intensive practice period. Streams live on our YouTube, then available for use later in the day, or on another day, to support your home practice. youtube.com/live/BFGPmqI...

This is just a little teaser image, for any locals who might be in the know.

We hope that by spring we will be in a position to provide a practice space that can accommodate more people for more events and a wider variety of activities. We hope this re-potting will allow us to grow deeper roots and wider branches. Please stay tuned for updates! 🙏

We are already in negotiations with a property owner to rent a new location, still in St. Clairsville, with about triple the space, more comfortable bathrooms, less restrictive parking, and better accessibility and visibility.

Following up on a very successful pledge drive for 2026 donations, at last night's annual business meeting the community agreed to pursue relocating to a bigger, more accessible location.

This fall our official membership grew to 11, with another half-dozen involved people who may develop into members soon. At this point, we are counting on people *not* showing up in order to hold our services and other events.

After six months we moved into a larger space, where practicality (and our arrangement with St. C's zoning board) restricted participation to 12. The possibility of outgrowing this new pot was a reality from the beginning, but with no clear timeline for when that day might come. Months? Maybe years?

In January of 2023 we started holding in-person events in a very small rented space in an office building on Main Street here in St. Clairsville. It could hold four people comfortably, six cozily, but it was a small peat pot in which the seed of the Center could germinate.

Belmont Zen Center started at the height of the Covid lockdown as a completely online experience, existing completely on a website and Facebook (and, it could be argued, in Rev. Dae Jaang's imagination).

An unfortunate technical problem is keeping us from streaming this morning's service. We'll straighten it out by next week!

This Wednesday we are having an abbreviated service, followed by our annual business meeting. Big stuff is on the agenda, so member and other active participants are urged to attend. If you've never been before, this probably wouldn't be a good first visit.

This Wednesday's Full Moon service marks the beginning of Dong Angeo, the winter intensive practice period. Our Monday-morning services, streamed at 7am on YouTube, will begin on Monday, 12/8. www.youtube.com/@belmontzen/... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

A wish for all people -- peace, joy, and love a life without hunger or fear a mind filled with clarity a heart filed with gratitude

Through a coincidence of the calendar, in place of our usual evening service we'll be holding our Full Moon Service for December — this Service is focused on the Buddha's ethical teachings, which are the foundation of the faith. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

This week's service, Wednesday at 7, will center on the practice of maitri / metta / loving-kindness meditation. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

We still have room for 5 more folks at our intro workshop this Saturday - sign up here: teamup.com/event/show/i... We will be having a service next Wednesday, with a focus on loving-kindness meditation. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Every third week we center our service on dharma discourse: open time for members of our community, and anyone else who attends, to raise concerns, ask questions, and share thoughts and wisdom with the sangha. All are welcome! www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

There's still time to sign up for tomorrow's movie! teamup.com/event/show/i... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

THIS WEEKEND: Movie night on Sunday, sign up here: teamup.com/event/show/i... NEXT WEEKEND: Introductory workshop Saturday morning, register here: teamup.com/event/show/i... No charge for either event, donations gratefully accepted www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Tonight's dharma talk was delivered by seminary student Gong Deok Logan Buzzard. youtu.be/0GOp8HC823Q

We are very happy to see that the Supreme Court refused to attempt to overturn the right of every loving couple to marry in the USA. apnews.com/article/supr... www.belmontzen.org/rites-of-pas...

Other upcoming events, click the link to sign up: MOVIE NIGHT on the 16th: teamup.com/event/show/i... INTRO WORKSHOP on the 22nd: teamup.com/event/show/i... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Next week's service will include a dharma talk by Gong Deok Logan Buzzard, one of our members who is a student in the seminary program run by our Taego Parish. All are welcome, no registration needed. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

This section of the Dhammapada chapter our online group will discuss tomorrow seems timely: Hunger is the supreme sickness, conditions the supreme suffering, knowing this as it really is, Nibbāna is the supreme good.

Next Wednesday we'll be holding our Full Moon Service: an opportunity to reflect on our lives and actions. On Nov. 16 we'll be showing the film Saffron Road: click here for more information or to sign up: teamup.com/.../id/S4BfA... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

This week's service is one of those rare 5th weeks when we center our service on the practice of chanting, using sound as our meditative object, focusing our minds on the physical sensations of the voice. All are welcome! www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Here is today's dharma talk from Muddy Water Zen Temple in Royal Oak, Michigan: youtu.be/pfaql5tCC6c www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

Our next will be a rare 5th-week-of-the-month service, so it will center on kido (way of energy) chanting. All are welcome! www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

This Sunday, 2pm: Saffron Heart movie — No charge, refreshments! — Sign up here: teamup.com/event/show/i... Next Wednesday: Our 7pm service will center on loving-kindness (metta) meditation. No registration needed, all are welcome. www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/

This Wednesday at 7pm, our usual service. No registration required. This Sunday at 2pm, we're screening the movie "Saffron Heart." No charge, refreshments provided, please register in advance here: teamup.com/event/show/i... www.belmontzen.org/for-visitors/ www.belmontzen.org/getting-here/