Korinji Monastery

Preserving a rigorous curriculum, including koan training, the orally transmitted breath and internal cultivation practices of the Rinzai Zen tradition, physical culture, and fine arts.

Korinji is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist training monastery (sodo) in North America, located on 17 forested acres about 50 miles from Madison, Wisconsin USA. The monastery is maintained by The Korinji Foundation, a federally recognized not-for-profit charity, and funded by a grassroots network of donors from around the world. Korinji is the spiritual center of our larger Rinzai Zen Community.

Korinji is one of only a few training centers in the West carrying a Rinzai Zen curriculum (shitsunai) of koan practice, and instructing that tradition's orally transmitted breath and internal cultivation methods. The annual and daily schedules at Korinji are modeled on those experienced by our lineage's teachers at Japanese monasteries, including Tenryuji in Kyoto. In addition, fine arts like calligraphy and tea ceremony, and physical culture like martial arts, are practiced here.

There are six intensive one-week retreats (sesshin) a year at Korinji open to guests. Aside from full-time residential monastic practice and retreats, Korinji offers many other events such as Intro to Zen days when you can tour the monastery and learn basic meditation.

Korinji Zen Monastery logo

PRAYER REQUESTS & CEREMONies

The monastery residents conduct a daily chanting service. We are happy to add your name, or the name of anyone you know who is facing challenging circumstances, to our daily dedication.

We additionally conduct Buddhist ceremonies as a service to the community. Ceremonies marking life passages such as weddings and memorial services, healing ceremonies, rituals for difficult circumstances, blessing or exorcism of a house or place of business, and rituals to address unexplained phenomena are all things it is possible to request.

Contact us to request a prayer dedication, or to discuss the possibility of a Buddhist ceremony. There is no fee for these services, but should you wish to make a donation to support the monastery at any time that is welcome.