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🧘 About Us: Queen City Soto Zen Meditation Group
The Queen City Soto Zen Meditation Group is a quiet gathering of individuals committed to the practice of zazen—seated meditation—in the tradition of Soto Zen Buddhism. Whether you're new to meditation or have been sitting for years, our group offers a space to return to stillness, cultivate awareness, and explore the teachings of Zen in community.

🕰️ Weekly Meetings
We meet every Wednesday at 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church located at 501 N. Tryon St, Charlotte, NC. The church is centrally located and easily accessible by public transit.

Each session includes:

Zazen (seated meditation)

Kinhin (walking meditation)

Short Dharma reading or reflection

Optional time for informal conversation

Sessions typically last about 75 minutes. We begin and end with quiet respect, allowing each person to settle into their own rhythm of practice.

🚗 Accessibility
Free parking is available on-site!

The parking garage is at 163 W. Ninth St.
https://charlottefirst.org/directions-and-parking

Please park on the first or second levels. Please use the First UMC elevator on the RIGHT to come up to ground level, then cross over to the Church and come up to the second floor to Room 201.

Bring your parking pass with you so you can validate it on the device beside the elevator on the ground floor. Make sure you always wait for a confirmation message.

Must bring your own cushions, chairs are provided.

💛 Dana (Suggested Donation)
We suggest a donation of $5 or more to help support the space and materials. No one is turned away for lack of funds—your presence is always welcome.

🌱 Why We Sit
In the Soto Zen tradition, we sit not to attain something, rather to embody the path itself. Zazen is a practice of radical simplicity—just sitting, just breathing, just being. In a world full of noise and distraction, we offer a space to return to what is quiet, clear, and true.

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