the mountain path climbs and climbs in the chill sunset
through a forest full of maple leaves like crows
about to take flight
—Keijo Shurin (1440-1518)
The Mountain Path Sangha is a growing community of Zen Buddhist practitioners who meets in-person in Colorado and also online. We are closely affiliated with the Diamond Sangha, an international network of independent lay training centers, established in 1959 by Robert Aitken Roshi. A Dharma heir of Koun Yamada, Aitken was a key figure in establishing authentic Zen training in the West and is the author and translator of many books.
The Rollinsville Zen Center (RZC) serves as the in-person practice space for the Mountain Path Sangha. Across from Toss Wood-Fired Eatery in Rollinsville, CO, we're open on Sundays from 5-6PM for zazen (silent meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and dokusan (optional 1:1 meetings with Hoag, the RZC teacher). We host frequent half- and full-day retreats (zazenkai), as well as a 7-day retreat (sesshin) each June in Jemez Springs, NM. Instruction or review is available upon request at every sitting.
We also offer zazen every morning, online, from 8:00-8:25 AM Mountain Time. No need to pre-register and it's fine to arrive late or leave early. Doors open at 7:35AM. On Saturdays, we hold an online Dharma discussion from 8:25-9:00AM, after the morning sit, on a topic announced in our newsletter Zen Sun Weekly. You can also find us on FB under Rollinsville Zen Center.
The RZC teacher is Hoag Holmgren, a long-time mountain area resident, father of three, nonprofit executive, coach for leadership and writing, and professional Zamboni driver (Superior, CO). He began Zen practice in 1993 as an active member of the Zen Center of Denver, commuting regularly for zazen, Dharma talks, dokusan, retreats, and other training. In 2018, he was asked by his teacher, Danan Henry Roshi, to begin teaching. In 2023, he received authorization to teach independently, becoming Danan Henry's fifth Dharma heir. Danan Henry is the founder of the Zen Center of Denver, a Dharma heir of Philip Kapleau Roshi, and a Diamond Sangha teacher as recognized by Robert Aitken Roshi. Kapleau and Aitken were both instrumental in bringing authentic Zen practice to the West from Japan.
In addition to the Zen Sun Weekly, Hoag is the author of No Better Place: a New Zen Primer, the poetry collection paleos, and Meaningful Grading: a Guide for Faculty in the Arts (West Virginia University Press). His chapbook Zen in the Age of Circuitry: Reclaiming Body, Breath, and Mind explores the existential threats of Artificial Intelligence and how Zen and the arts might help us stay human. More details here about books and writings.
Hoag and all Mountain Path sangha leaders commit to and abide by the Diamond Sangha Teachers Circle Ethics Agreement, available here.
To see a partial list of Diamond Sangha practice centers, please visit:
https://diamondsangha.org/resources-2/links/.