Dharma Teacher Weekend 2025

October 18 - 19, 2025

In-Person and Online at Providence Zen Center

The Kwan Um School of Zen Dharma Teacher Weekend is right around the corner and we would like to invite you to join us as we practice together and share together and maybe learn something along the way. This year’s theme is: Rooting, Growing, Thriving: From grounding ourselves in the essentials of teaching, to extending Dharma into relationships and communities, to envisioning our future together, we’ll explore our unfolding path as teachers.

Join us for a weekend of grounding, connection, and inspiration as we deepen our roots, grow in community, and thrive into the future. This is a chance to learn, share, and envision together what it means to teach Dharma in today’s world.

We hope you find this weekend encouraging for your personal practice and growth and we look forward to welcoming you to the Providence Zen Center in October. 

Safe travels,
- The Dharma Teacher Weekend Committee: Kwan Haeng Sunim JDPS, Carol Boudreau (SDT), and Edahn Small (DT)

The Kwan Um School of Zen | Americas is hosting the Dharma Teacher Weekend both in-person and on Zoom this year. This Weekend is open to all Kwan Um School of Zen Dharma Teachers and Dharma Teachers-in-Training.

We invite Dharma Teachers and Dharma Teachers-in-Training from all the Kwan Um School of Zen sanghas worldwide. Since the event is in-person as well, the times will naturally be more accommodating for those in the US time zones. We ask for your understanding in this, and we’re happy to have you join us in this event as you can!

Plenaries and workshops will be broadcast on Zoom to those participating online.

Our Covid policy for the weekend is:

  • We ask that you self-test the day of your expected arrival at the event. If you are positive, PLEASE STAY HOME.

  • If you had contact with a Covid positive case in the last week before arrival, are sick, or are experiencing Covid-like symptoms, PLEASE STAY HOME.

  • Masks are optional.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Weekend Schedule

Friday Evening, October 17th

Greet participants and show them to their rooms.

6:30pm: Special chanting, regular chanting, short sitting period

Saturday, October 18th

5:00am: Wake up

5:15am - 7:30am: Bow to our Teachers, 108 Bows, chanting & sitting with kong-an interviews
Location: Main Dharma Room

7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast
Location: Dining Room

9:15am - 10:00am: Introductory Circle Talk, led by Edahn Small, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

10:15am - 11:30am: Ethics Plenary, led by Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes) 
Location: Main Dharma Room

11:40am - 12:30pm: You’re a Dharma Teacher, Now What? led by Kwan Haeng Sunim JDPS & Edahn Small, DT
Location: Lounge #1

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Lunch
Location: Dining Room

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Refuge Recovery Meeting, led by Don Boudreau, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

12:30pm - 1:00pm: Yoga, led by Jacqueline Vischer, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room                         

1:45pm - 2:45pm: Concurrent Breakouts
Breakout #1: Dealing with Emotions in Practice, led by Nancy Hathaway, SDT
Location: Upstairs Dharma Room

Breakout #2: Starting, Nourishing, and Growing a Sangha, led by Zen Master Bon Haeng (Mark Houghton) & Gary Kahn, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

3:00pm - 3:45pm: Concurrent Breakouts
Breakout #1: Zen & AI, led by Raimondas Lencevicius, SDT
Location: TBD

Breakout #2: Teacher training workshop: Buddhism & Addiction, led by Don Boudreau, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

Breakout #3: Zen & Neurodivergence, led by Steve Valerio, DT
Location: TBD

4:00pm - 5:00pm: Concurrent Breakouts
Breakout #1: When Mental Health Issues present in Zen practice - Tools for the Dharma Teacher, led by George Fernandez, DT
Location: TBD

Breakout #2: Marketing, led by Eva Kaniasty
Location: TBD

5:00pm - 6:15pm: Dinner
Location: Dining Room

5:00pm - 5:30pm: Yoga, led by Jacqueline Vischer, DT
Location: Main Dharma Room

6:30pm - 7:15pm: Chanting: Special chanting, Evening Bell Chant, Heart Sutra, Great Dharani
Location: Main Dharma Room

7:30pm - 9:30pm: Socializing

7:30pm - 8:30pm: Art Experience with Willy Garver, SDT & Paul Bloom, SDT
Location: Main Dharma Room

8:30pm - 9:30pm: Sound Bath, led by Lisa Odom-Villella, DTiT & Danielle Alpher, DTiT
Location: Main Dharma Room

Sunday, October 19th

5:00am: Wake up

5:15am - 7:30am: Bow to our Teachers, 108 Bows, chanting & sitting with kong-an interviews
Location: Main Dharma Room

7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast
Location: Dining Room

9:15am - 10:15am: Concurrent Breakouts
Breakout #1: Giving Dharma Talks, led by James Hudspeth, DTiT
Location: TBD

Breakout #2: Psychotherapy and Zen: Parallels, Differences, and Integration (for Therapist Dharma Teachers, but open to anyone), led by George Fernandez, DT
Location: TBD

10:30am - 11:30am: “Nature and Dharma” Plenary, led by guest speaker Lama Liz Monson from Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH
Location: Main Dharma Room

11:45am - 12:45pm: Closing Circle Talk
Location: Main Dharma Room

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunch
Location: Dining Room