2026 SZBA Biennial Conference
Meeting the Moment Through
Dōgen's Timeless Teachings
2026 Soto Zen Buddhist Association Conference
Welcome
A Gathering of Shared Inquiry, Practice, and Renewal
We are delighted to invite you to the 2026 Soto Zen Buddhist Association Conference, taking place Thursday, September 23 through Saturday, September 26, 2026, at Pendle Hill Retreat Center, just outside of Philadelphia.
This year's conference invites our community to reflect deeply on how we can serve others and strengthen our sanghas in a time of profound change. Guided by Dōgen's four beneficial actions — Giving, Achieving the Same Aim, Kind Speech, and Beneficial Action — our time together will offer space for ceremony, dialogue, and creative engagement, as we co-create opportunities for connection and renewal and envision the future of Zen in America.
Our Guiding Framework
Dōgen's Four Beneficial Actions
This conference is shaped by four foundational teachings from Dōgen Zenji's Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance, which we will explore together as guideposts for leadership, relationship, and service.
I
Giving
Offering freely — our time, our teaching, our presence — without expectation of return.
II
Achieving the Same Aim
Meeting others where they are; finding shared ground across difference and distance.
III
Kind Speech
Speaking with warmth and care; the language of compassion as a practice of leadership.
IV
Beneficial Action
Acting for the benefit of all beings — the bodhisattva ideal made real in daily sangha life.
Conference Themes
What We Will Explore Together
- The spirit and forms of Soto Zen ritual and ceremony — reflecting on how these living traditions continue to support awakening, continuity, and community in the 21st century.
- Deep Dharma study with peers, centered on Dōgen Zenji's Four Beneficial Actions, engaging these teachings as guideposts for leadership, relationship, and service.
- Best practices in pastoral care, along with concrete approaches to accessibility and inclusion that can be adapted and brought back to your home sangha.
- Experience-based discussions led by seasoned Dharma teachers, focused on developing leadership skills, strengthening interpersonal effectiveness, and navigating the relational dynamics of sangha life — including working with volunteers, nonprofit boards, and lay and ordained teachers.
- Sustaining ourselves as practitioners and leaders, including honest conversations about cultivating a healthy life-work balance while managing the responsibilities of administering a Soto Zen practice community.
- The Dharma Heritage Ceremony formally welcoming members who have not yet participated, a memorial service for those who have passed, and the Zen's Got Talent show.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Jan Willis
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Jan Willis
A scholar, author, activist, and longtime Buddhist practitioner, Dr. Willis has studied and taught Buddhism for fifty years and is Professor Emerita of Religion at Wesleyan University.
Her keynote will explore acquiring and practicing the skills of nonviolence through the lens of Dōgen's four beneficial actions, inviting us to meet the challenges of our time with clarity, courage, and compassion. We are deeply grateful she will be joining us.
Schedule Overview
Conference Program
A draft overview of our four days together. Full schedule details will be available closer to the conference date.
- Afternoon arrivals and check-in
- Dinner
- Welcome gathering and community icebreakers
- Opening ceremony
- Morning zazen and breakfast
- Opening plenary introducing conference themes
- Midday lunch and personal time for rest or informal connection
- Keynote teaching with Dr. Jan Willis — Dōgen's Four Beneficial Actions in contemporary life
- Dinner
- Throughout the day: dharma talks, workshops, and panel discussions
- Soto Zen forms and ritual training
- Peer-to-peer conversations
- Morning zazen and breakfast
- Concurrent sessions focused on conference themes
- Late morning break and lunch
- Sessions dedicated to SZBA organizational life, member vision, and engagement
- Afternoon concurrent offerings
- Dharma Heritage Ceremony
- Dinner
- Evening community talent show
- Morning zazen and breakfast
- Room clean-out and departures
Throughout the Conference
- Daily meditation and chanting
- A blend of formal teaching, peer-led engagement, and unstructured time
- Attention to form and ritual training, leadership development, pastoral care, accessibility, and sustainable sangha life
- Opportunities for connection across roles, lineages, and levels of experience
Location
Pendle Hill Retreat Center
Pendle Hill is a Quaker retreat, study, and conference center located in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Set on a peaceful wooded campus, it offers a contemplative environment well suited to our gathering.
The center provides on-site housing, dining, and meeting spaces. Travel details, transportation options, and housing information will be included with your registration confirmation.
Address:
Pendle Hill
338 Plush Mill Road
Wallingford, PA 19086
From Past Conferences
A Taste of What Awaits
These photos are from our 2024 conference gathering, offering a glimpse of the ceremony, dialogue, and community that await us at Pendle Hill.
Morning ceremony — chanting and prayer
Plenary session with remote participants
Small group dialogue and Dharma discussion
Peer connection between sessions
Dharma Heritage Ceremony
Moments of joy and sangha connection
Conference community gathering
Informal conversation on the grounds
Registration Is Now Open
Whether you are a long-time SZBA member or newer to the association, we hope you will join us for this gathering of shared inquiry, practice, and mutual support.
Register for the ConferenceNot yet an SZBA member? Learn about membership here — there is still time to join before the conference.
Organization
Conference Planning Team
This conference has been lovingly prepared by the following members of our community:
- Teresa Bouza · Kannon Do Zen Center (remote), Spain
- Kigen Anna Breckenridge · Kannon Do Zen Center, Mountain View, CA
- Meredith Seaborn · Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, Minneapolis, MN
- Sensei Tom Baiten Dharma-Joy Reichert · Zen Center of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- Doshin Mark Turbak · Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, Minneapolis, MN
Questions? Contact us at info@szba.org