Previously Scheduled Lectures and Group Classes for 2026 have concluded.

Zen Session - Individual Zen Teaching
An old practice for contemporary life.

Simply Seeing all Things Simply

"I like to explain Zen with a phrase I coined many years ago:

Simply seeing all things simply.

The phrase does not mean merely seeing things without judgment, as 'mindfulness' is often described today.

It refers to something more fundamental:

Encountering things directly before they become obscured by our accumulated
knowledge, judgments, labels, expectations, and assumptions.

In the practice of Zazen, Session is the time when student and teacher interact.

I have offered Session since the mid-1990s.  I don’t see Session as therapy, life coaching, or conventional mindfulness instruction. The distinction might be expressed in this way:

Life coaching asks:
What do you want to accomplish, and how can I help you get there?

Session asks:
What is actually happening here?

Session isn’t primarily about becoming a better version of yourself. It is an opportunity to better actually see yourself."

What happens during a Zen Session?

After approximately ten minutes of breathing and attention to posture, he will ask simply:

“Do you have a question?”

From that point forward, there is no predetermined curriculum.
The student’s question determines where Session goes.
Subsequent Sessions begin with a shorter period of breathing and attention to posture, followed by the question.

Where does Zen Session Take Place?

As part of our Mobile Monk Community Outreach Program Cerpok Sensei will come to you.
This can be in a home, an office, a park... even virtual! Basically anywhere you choose.

How often should you attend Zen Session?

Weekly Individual Session works best. The week between Session is important.
It gives the practitioner enough time to live with what arose during the previous Session and to develop questions from actual experience, while keeping the interval short enough that the thread isn’t lost.

The teaching doesn’t exist only during Session.

Life between Sessions is part of the practice.

What Does a Zen Session Cost?

Session, as with all of our programs, is offered on a donation only basis.

Is Zen Session Right for You?

Zen Session is not a religious practice. It does not require a particular faith, belief system, or religious affiliation. You don't need to know anything about meditation. You don't even need to know anything about Zen!

Session is for anyone interested in exploring Zazen, Zen Philosophy, or a different way of looking at the experiences of everyday life.

The practice begins with your actual experience and your questions.

If you would like additional information on suggested donation or would like to schedule your first Session please email us at [email protected]

What People are Saying

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"The training addresses every aspect of life... a spiritual and mental awareness which has effected my decision making in a positive way."
-  A.F., Superior Court Judge

"I couldn't help thinking as my students reacted to your lecture that they had just experienced, however briefly, something profoundly sacred germinating within themselves."
- Prof. Brian McMorrow, The Evergreen State College
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"...the teachings instill strength, confidence, and a greater knowledge of self."
- Prof. Rachid Benkhalti, Pacific Lutheran Univ.

This website is supported by
Personal Development Center, Inc.
a 501c3 non-profit corporation
​Fountain Hills Arizona