Mountain Moon Sangha of Ottawa

Sangha is one of the three treasures of Zen practice (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) but what really is Sangha? Sangha is a Sanskrit word that means assembly or community and has been used to refer to the community of followers of the Buddha. It is often used to refer to the community of practitioners under one teacher – one’s companions on the way. My teacher once said to me, wherever there is a teacher and a student, that is sangha. And it is. But my own experience is more complex than that.

For me, Sangha unfolds in concentric circles of support, companionship and oneness that encompass the group of people I sit with under the banner of Mountain Moon Sangha; the broader community of practitioners and teachers that meet online and in person through Mountain Cloud Zen Centre; the group of teachers/friends I train with under Abbott Yamada Ryoun Roshi of Sanbo Zen International; and the broader community of humans, other species, rivers, lakes, rocks and clouds that hold space for practice. Perhaps we can call this The Sangha of Sanghas. Let me introduce you to some aspects of my Sangha.

Mountain Moon Sangha of Ottawa

Mountain Moon Sangha of Ottawa (MMSO) is the practice community of Zen Teacher Carolyn Seburn and her students. The name was gifted to Carolyn by her teacher, Sei’un An Roshi (Roselyn Stone) who founded Mountain Moon Sangha and taught in Toronto, Canada and Brisbane, Australia. MMSO has sister sanghas on Manitoulin Island, Canada (Northern Lights Sangha/Moonlit Crane Zendo) and in Brisbane (Mountain Moon Sangha of Brisbane, Sun Mountain Sangha and Pathways Zen), all arising from Sei’un An’s teaching lineage. Sei’un An was authorized to teach by Yamada Koun Roshi, second Abbot of Sanbo Zen.

(Carolyn discussing sound signals with Will Brennan at Mountain Cloud Zen Centre. Photo Credit Grant Goulet)

Mountain Cloud Zen Centre (MCZC), led by Guiding Teacher and Associate Zen Master Valerie Forstman, is a practice centre in Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA) with a vibrant, place-based, lay Zen practice community that has grown into a hybrid practice space with an international practice community. Carolyn joined the teaching staff at Mountain Cloud in 2023. Carolyn supports the online programming at Mountain Cloud by accepting student referrals, giving teishos (formal Dharma talks), offering dokusan to online participants in hybrid sesshin (meditation retreats) and giving talks as part of the 30-days of Zen programs. These activities help to further Mountain Cloud’s efforts to open the world of Zen practice to students who do not have ready access to a local teacher.

While anyone who becomes a formal student of Carolyn is automatically a member of Mountain Moon Sangha of Ottawa, students who come to Carolyn through MCZC are also encouraged to become members of MCZC through their Global Membership program which helps to fund the infrastructure for this programming.

Sanbo Zen is a lay lineage of Zen practice, based in Kamakura, Japan. Sanbo (Three Treasures) Zen combines a Soto heritage with a program of Rinzai koan study, offering students access to important teachings of both Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen practice. Sanbo Zen International is the worldwide community of Sanbo Zen which extends throughout Europe, North America, Australia and Asia and extends into South America and the Middle East. Sanbo Zen International also provides training and teaching materials to develop teachers within the Sanbo Zen lineage.

Any of Carolyn’s students who are working on post-kensho koan practice are encouraged to become members of Sanbo Zen International. Membership provides access to recorded teishos from Abbot Yamada Ryoun Roshi, Kyosho magazine and translations of key koan collections.

(North American Sanbo Zen Sesshin with Abbot Yamada Ryoun Roshi at Mountain Cloud Zen Centre. Photo credit Grant Goulet).