THE ZENDO
Created in the early 1980’s out of an old horse stable, the Ocean Zendo (meditation room) thrived as a sacred space for Zen Buddhist study and practice–the first of its kind on Long Island. There, Peter Matthiessen or “Muryo Roshi” led a group of dedicated practitioners for almost three decades.
Zendo, 2014. Photo: Jaime Lopez
Muryo Roshi, 1985. Photo: Peter Cunningham
“To practice Zen means to realize one's existence moment after moment, rather than letting life unravel in regret of the past and daydreaming of the future. To ‘rest in the present’ is a state of magical simplicity ... out of the emptiness can come a true insight into our natural harmony all creation. To travel this path, one need not be a Zen Buddhist, which is only another idea to be discarded like enlightenment, and like the Buddha and like God.”
- Peter Matthiessen “Muryo Roshi”
Nine- Headed Dragon River: Zen Journals, 1969 - 1982