Mission
Ocean Mind Sangha empowers home dwellers (lay Zen practitioners who practice “in the world” as opposed to a monastery or temple) by offering accessible online training resources and opportunities to deepen their Zen Buddhist practice. As a sangha, we are noble friends who support one another in creating the conditions and engaging the tools needed to cultivate wisdom and compassion in the midst of our everyday lives.
The Mission of OMS is to provide supportive and authentic Zen training to those whose life circumstances prevent them from participating in ongoing, in-person practice. Some of our students care for young children or elderly parents, have very demanding jobs, are housebound or physically limited due to age or illness, or simply choose a gentler, more flexible form of practice. What unites us, however, is our aspiration to attain individual and collective liberation, as well as our unwavering commitment to live kind and fiercely awake lives.
Statement of Core Values
As a sangha and as individual practitioners of the Buddhist path, we rely on certain core values to provide the foundation for our practice and training.
Trust. We cultivate and earn the confidence that we are working together toward a central and common goal: liberation and our mutual well-being.
Reverence. We recognize buddha nature in all beings and vow to regard them with both love and respect, centering our aspiration to awaken in all our interactions.
Accountability. We are individually and collectively responsible for upholding these values and speaking up when corrective action is necessary.
As practitioners of the dharma, we gather in community to study and practice the Buddhist teachings with the intent to liberate ourselves and to support others in their own path to awakening. With awareness of this fact, we in the Ocean Mind Sangha agree to follow the Ethical Guidelines attached below—a code based on our core values whose objective is to nurture an atmosphere supportive of our practice and realization of the profound buddhadharma that is both our gift and legacy.
OMS Ethical Guidelines and Grievance and Reconciliation Process
*Banner photo by Zuisei