Jikoji

Jikoji is a Soto Zen temple and retreat center located approximately one hour south of San Francisco, California, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We offer workshops and sesshins and provide facilities for individual and group retreats. All are welcome. Jikoji is located at 12100 Skyline Blvd, Los Gatos CA 95033. You can reach us by phone at (408) 741-9562 during our regular business hours, 9 AM to 5 PM, M-F. You can also contact us at our email address: info@jikoji.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Who we are

Jikoji is a rustic mountain retreat established in 1983 by Kobun Chino Roshi and a group of students. A Soto Zen Buddhist temple associated with Hokoji in Taos, NM and Jokoji in Japan, Jikoji exists as a unique opportunity to practice in a rural setting. At 2350 ft. elevation in the Santa Cruz mountains, the grounds comprise 13.26 acres. The property has many unique features, such as a large pond (or small lake), places to pitch a tent (in addition to hostel type accommodations), and miles of hiking trails in the surrounding 1800 acres of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Jikoji is maintained by a group of resident practitioners and non-resident sangha members. The facilities include an institutional kitchen, community space (living/dining room, bath rooms), men's and women's dormitory rooms accommodating 6 or more, several private and semi-private rooms, and a Zendo that seats 25 or more people. All or part of the facilities are available for group as well as personal retreats at reasonable rates. Retreatants are welcome to participate in the Jikoji meditation schedule and other activities.

Our tradition is based on the Soto Zen linage of our founder, Kobun Roshi; however, other groups with compatible practices are welcome to use our facilities.

In addition to the availability of retreat accommodations, Jikoji offers regularly scheduled meditation practice and discussions which are open to the public. There are four sesshins between October and April. An on-going Sunday morning program includes two periods of meditation, service, and a discussion led by one of the Sangha's senior students or visiting teachers, followed by a social lunch.  Many other programs and events are also hosted by Jikoji and listed on the web site and in periodic emails from Jikoji.

Mission

Jikoji, Compassion Light Temple, is a teaching and retreat center available for retreats, seminars, and classes to the community of Zen practitioners, as well as individuals and groups of diverse backgrounds.

Jikoji offers an ongoing daily mediation practice as taught by our primary teacher Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi. Additionally, senior students of Kobun are available to provide instruction in the practice of Zen meditation.

The Jikoji community functions from the basic assumption that there are no membership requirements and that directors and officers govern in order to serve the affairs of the organization. Consensus, mutual respect and compassion are the guiding principles of decision making.

Additionally, we hold a fundamental commitment to care for the land and the habitat, seeking to create the least possible impact on the environment. We remember and respect the original native inhabitants and their relationship to the land.

We are dedicated to maintaining Jikoji as an informal way station, a refuge and oasis of serenity that is conducive to learning and renewal.

We value the formality of our meditation practice and the informality of our relationships. We value and support Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, the Teacher who established the practice at Jikoji. We welcome other teachers, no teachers, and the Sangha as Teachers.

As an organization, we exist to support the foregoing vision of Jikoji.