About
Korinji
A crow flies over this valley,
white with frost.
Dawn comes with flashing blade
and a bowstring’s hum,
thrusting through with her spear
the poles of the spinning world.
What is the goal of the Patriarchs?
Gathering twigs for a fire,
pulling in our chins
against the cold.
– Korinji's founding poem, November 2013
"What is the uniqueness of Korinji?
...It is a place in the heartland of North America where anyone determined to realize the highest potentials of human wisdom and compassion can enter a path of awakening. It is a Zen Buddhist monastery preserving an unusually rigorous curriculum, including koan training and the orally transmitted practices of the Rinzai lineage. It is a non-sectarian temple, offering gateways to multiple Japanese Buddhist traditions. It is a center for the arts. It is open to everyone, monastics and laypersons alike.
It is all these things. There is no other place quite like Korinji in the West, or in the world. Yet here, remarkably, it sits in this silent Wisconsin valley. And the feet of sincere people from around the world walk the forest trail to our gate."
– Meido Moore Roshi
Korinji is located on 17 forested acres about 50 miles from Madison, Wisconsin USA. Dedicated in 2013 as a center for preserving and planting Zen teachings widely, Korinji has blossomed into the headquarters of an international sangha: the Korinji Rinzai Zen Community. It is additionally recognizeed as a place for the practice of Shingon, Tendai, and Shugendo teachings. It houses the Korinji Center for the Contemplative Arts, promoting the unity of spirituality, artistic endeavor, and physical culture.
Opportunities
Korinji's annual and daily Zen training schedules are modeled on those experienced by our teachers at Japanese Rinzai monasteries, including Tenryuji in Kyoto. Beyond the opportunities of residency and training for Buddhist ordination, we offer many public events at the monastery and internationally: intensive Zen meditation retreats (sesshin), Intro to Zen days, monthly goma (fire ritual) and other ritual observances, Shugendo training, classes in the arts, seminars with eminent visiting teachers, and more. We also provide membership with a rich online collection of digital resources to support your home practice.
Community
The monastery is maintained by The Korinji Foundation, a federally recognized not-for-profit charity, and funded by a grassroots network of donors from around the world. We invite you to join Korinji's community, and walk this path together with us.
Inclusivity Statement: The community headquartered by Korinji is an inclusive one, welcoming all regardless of age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status. The Korinji Foundation has established a Harassment Policy and other community policies for its members. Due to its natural terrain limitations and distance from available parking facilities, Korinji Monastery is not currently able to accommodate residents or guests using wheelchairs, or those unable to navigate steep slopes and stairways.