Founding Circle: Downtown Zen Community

What to Expect
This is our first gathering for the Downtown Toronto Zen Buddhists Conversation & Community. The goal is to introduce ourselves, chat, and build the foundation of a real Zen sangha downtown.
We’ll start with a relaxed round of introductions, then explore a few core questions together:
• What brought you to Zen?
• What do you struggle with most in applying it day-to-day?
• What do you actually want from a community like this?
No pressure to be “wise” or philosophical. Just show up as you are.

After introductions, we’ll move into a set of gentle prompts designed to give everyone a chance to share and reflect without anyone dominating the conversation. These are designed to be starting points for honest discussion:
• Karma & habits: why patterns are hard to change, and how past intentions show up in the present
• Recurring emotional reactions: pick one you notice often and explore it with curiosity, not judgment
• Influential media: a book or video series that shaped how you see Zen or daily life
• Optional share: I’m currently reading Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara by Ben Connelly and can share a few insights if helpful