Upaya Zen Center SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
Our Buddhist monastery offers daily Zen meditation, weekly dharma talks, and programs on Buddhist teachings, Buddhist art, neuroscience, and social engagement. We also conduct professional trainings for end-of-life care and Buddhist chaplaincy.
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM UPAYA
"Hatred is never appeased by hatred."
—Dhammapada, 5
Upaya Zen Center's global community finds itself grieving the tragic loss of life in Ukraine, Gaza/Israel, and the thirty other wars and genocides raging on our planet at this moment. We stand upright and open as we call not only for a cease fire, but a ceasing of war in our time. Our hearts cannot turn away from the truth of pervasive suffering, sorrow, and death as a result of war. And for this, we urge that this be a time of deep dialogue reaching past differences, of recognizing that the terrible cost of war passes through generations, that the impact of war on our earth is inestimable, and that we must realize our basic humanity and sanity for the sake of all at this time and those who are yet to be born.
Announcements
JOIN THE LOCAL SANGHA
Stay up to date on local sangha meetings, events, and happenings. Check out our local sangha page here.
POLICY UPDATES
Upaya has updated out health protocol for in-person programs.
Read our updated ethics statement here
If you have any questions or comments please write to us at [email protected]
Featured Writing
Roshi Joan Halifax’ latest blog: The 12th-century Zen teacher Eihei Dōgen emphasized that undivided activity (zenki) is not something we manufacture. It is the way things already function: all phenomena, every moment, every action, every being, every aspect of reality is part of one great seamless and interdependent functioning organism—alive with impermanence, alive with interbeing, and empty of a separate self.
Unless otherwise noted, we will host zazen in-person and on Upaya's YouTube channel daily at 7:00 a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time. As well as in-person (only) zazen at 12:20 p.m., Wednesday - Sunday. Please see the meditation and Dharma talk calendar for details.
Dharma Talks are held on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Please join us online on Upaya's YouTube channel or in-person at Upaya.
If anything comes up during the YouTube livestream like sound or video issues, please write to [email protected] so we can fix it as quickly as possible.
We encourage you to offer dana to support our teachers and Upaya.
UPCOMING DHARMA TALK
Featured Video Series
Upaya’s Contemplative Residency
As residents, we live together as a sangha in Upaya’s deep field of practice. We have the rare opportunity to participate in meditation, liturgy, work practice, intensive practice periods, and a diverse course of study with teachers of socially engaged Buddhism, Buddhist studies, and contemplative science. Learn more and apply here.
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NEW YEAR'S EVE SIT (2024 – 2025 In Person and Online)
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 with Roshi Joan and the Upaya Resident Sangha
Join us in Upaya’s Circle of the Way Zendo for a special New Year’s Eve meditation and talk with Roshi Joan, from 10:00 p.m. to midnight, Mountain Standard Time (MST), when Roshi will speak to the coming year. During the fire ceremony, we will burn the names of those who passed away this year and have been on the altar for 49 days, honoring their lives and wishing them well on their journey. Learn more and register here for the In Person Program here, or the Online Program here.
Sharon and Frank
QUEER & TRANS Sangha (Online 2026)
QUEER & TRANS Sangha with Ro Grace and Danny Wolf ~ First Thursday of each month. Jan 1, Feb 5, Mar 5, Apr 2, May 7, June 4, July 2, Aug 6, Sept 3, Oct 1, Nov 5, Dec 3, 2026
Upaya is delighted to offer this monthly program. Open to all self-identified Queer, Trans, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-spirit. Learn more and register for the Program here.
DRAFT Awareness in Action
THE MEASURE OF OUR HUMANITY: Actualizing Compassionate Action In These Tangled Times – Special Speaker Series (Online 2026)
Sundays: January 4, February 1, March 29, April 12, May 3, June 7, July 12, August 30, September 20, October 25, November 15, December 13, 2026
Stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kodo Roen, and Sensei Dainin Lau
Join specially invited teachers and the global sangha from 11:00AM–12:30PM Mountain Time (MT), as we explore what defines our moral worth, what we stand for, and how to move forward in our tangled world by caring for others and embodying values like inclusion, belonging, compassion, respect, dignity, justice, and courage. At its very heart, the series is about laying down a path toward a sane and compassionate future. Learn more and register for the entire series here.
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THE MEASURE OF OUR HUMANITY: Actualizing Compassionate Action In These Tangled Times – 2026 Special Online Speaker Series – INTERCONNECTEDNESS (January 4, 2026)
Sunday, January 4, 2026, with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Join specially invited teachers and the global sangha from 11:00AM–12:30PM Mountain Time (MT), as we explore what defines our moral worth, what we stand for, and how to move forward in our tangled world by caring for others and embodying values like inclusion, belonging, compassion, respect, dignity, justice, and courage. At its very heart, the series is about laying down a path toward a sane and compassionate future. Please join us for this Sunday session with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Learn more and register for this session, and other sessions in the series here.
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WINTER PRACTICE PERIOD: Dogen's Tenzo Kyokun - Actualizing the Way in Everyday Life (In Person & Online 2026)
January 7 - January 30, 2026 with Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Wendy Johnson, Sensei Noah Kodo Roen and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau
During this Winter Practice Period, we will use Dogen’s Tenzo Kyokun as a source of learning and insight, helping us to approach the activities of our everyday life as a way to open ourselves to deeper practice and insight. We will intensify our daily practice by sitting zazen more frequently, studying in classes, training in the temple, having private interviews with the teachers, engaging in council practice and weekly Zazenkais, and sitting a Sesshin at the end of the month. Learn more and register for the In Person program here, and the Online program here.
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ZAZENKAI during Winter Practice Period (In Person 2026)
January 10, 2026 with Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Wendy Johnson, Sensei Noah Kodo Roen and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau
This day-long meditation retreat is an opportunity to become familiar with Zen meditation and Zen forms. It will give you also a taste of a Sesshin (a week-long intensive meditation retreat). Meditation instruction is available for those new to practice. Learn more and register for this In-Person retreat here or join the full Winter Practice Period (Online) here.
Sharon and Frank
BIPOC Sangha (Online 2026)
BIPOC Sangha with Ro Grace ~ Second Tuesday of each month: Jan 13, Feb 10, March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug 11, Sep 8, Oct 13, Nov 10, Dec 8, 2026
Please join us in this virtual space to gather, practice and discuss the dharma as BIPOC sangha, Open to all self-identified Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, and People of Color. Learn more and register for the BIPOC Sangha Program here.
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ZAZENKAI during Winter Practice Period (In Person 2026)
January 17, 2026 with Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Wendy Johnson, Sensei Noah Kodo Roen and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau
This day-long meditation retreat is an opportunity to become familiar with Zen meditation and Zen forms. It will give you also a taste of a Sesshin (a week-long intensive meditation retreat). Meditation instruction is available for those new to practice. Learn more and register for this in-person retreat here or join the full Winter Practice Period (Online) here.
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SESSHIN during WINTER PRACTICE PERIOD (In Person 2026)
January 24 – January 30, 2026 with Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Wendy Johnson, Sensei Noah Kodo Roen and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau
This intensive, weeklong Zen meditation retreat (Sesshin) during the Winter Practice Period is an opportunity to deepen your practice though a consistent schedule of sitting meditation (zazen), walking meditation (kinhin), service and chanting (liturgy), formal meals in the zendo (oryoki), daily Dharma Talks, personal interviews with the teachers, and work meditation practice (samu). Learn more and register for this In Person sesshin here or join the full Winter Practice Period (Online) here.
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THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE (Online 2026)
Sundays: February 8, March 8, April 26, May 24, June 28, 2026 with Frank Ostaseski
Life awakens us to continuous opportunities for service. In this series we will reflect on the meaning and place of service in our personal and professional lives, exploring how service is a natural expression of our humanity. Through mediation, inquiry, and group discussion we will discover the true heart of service and the shadows that obscure it. Learn more and register here.
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SITTING with ORIGINAL LOVE (In Person & Online)
February 13 - 15, 2026 with Roshi Joan Halifax and Henry Shukman
Over this weekend Roshi Joan and Henry will explore ways that love can inform our practice, while drawing from his latest book, Original Love. We will explore different faces of love that can show up in practice, and see what it’s like to bring love more explicitly into our meditation, opening up a path of engaged practice, both on and off the cushion, where we aspire to live more like bodhisattvas, guided by love. Learn more and register for the In Person program here, and the Online program here.
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FEBRUARY ZEN CIRCLE (In Person 2026)
February 19 - March 1, 2026 with Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kaz Tanahashi, Mingzhou Guo, Sensei Peter Levitt, and Senseis Dainin Lau and Monshin Overley
Stewarded by Roshi Joan, Sensei Monshin Overley, and Sensei Dainin Lau.
The February Zen Circle is a time of retreat, learning, art practice, meditation practice, and the rare opportunity to fully participate with Upaya’s resident community in their daily schedule to taste the beauty and joy of monastery life. Within the Circle are two special weekend programs – Calligraphy and the a poetry program focusing on the legendary hermit, Hanshan. Learn more and register here.
Explore Our
Wisdom Library
Upaya's Archive of Dharma Talks, Videos, and Learning Resources Spanning 30 Years
- Right Speech, Essential Teachings – by Roshi Joan Halifax September 26, 2025
- Inner Practice of Medicine 2025 – by Wendy Dainin Lau, MD September 23, 2025
- Rewilding Upaya: From 1991 to 2025 September 16, 2025
- Eko Hensho – Turning the Light Around: Winter Solstice Talk December 29, 2025
- No Other Life December 22, 2025
- Wandering in the Treasury of Radiant Light December 15, 2025
- Eko Hensho – Turning the Light Around: Winter Solstice Talk December 22, 2025
- No Other Life December 17, 2025
- No Other Life December 17, 2025
- Varela International Symposium: 2021 Opening Session
- Exploring the Power of Lojong (9 of 9) John Dunne, PhD & Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD
- Exploring the Power of Lojong (9 of 9) John Dunne, PhD & Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD
Upaya is grateful for the many teachers who have visited our monastery to share their wisdom with us. These pages archive their dharma talks and list past and upcoming programs.
GIVING TO UPAYA ZEN CENTER
Upaya exists only because of the extraordinary generosity of many people. Honoring our Founder’s dedication to compassion and courage, please make a generous gift to our Karuna Fund which supports Upaya.
In Buddhism, Dana Paramita, the perfection of generosity, is the first realization of the Bodhisattvas. It is truly a way for us to let go and benefit others. Generosity is a way we cultivate joy, end the sense of separateness between self and other, and actualize the third of the Three Pure Precepts, doing good for others.
SOCIALLY ENGAGED BUDDHISM
The Upaya Zen Center has a strong commitment to social service. Each of the projects serves many beings, and we hope that you will help support the work we do here by giving generously.
Join Our Global Sangha
Your support promotes socially engaged Buddhism and compassionate action including teaching meditation in prisons, cooking for the homeless, and medical work in Nepal.
