Welcome to Dragon Moon Zen
A home for connecting us to our awakened mind, and to the vitality and liberation that is available to us in each moment.
We believe that there is no other time than right here and now to wholeheartedly meet our lives - in all their beauty, joy, difficulty and sorrow - and to express the compassion that is born naturally from the realization of our innate interdependence.
Grounded in Zen lineage and teachings, our offerings weave together ancient traditions and modern insights, from neuroscience to psychology to complexity theory in order to better meet ourselves, each other and our precious world with greater compassion and skill.
To what shall
I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected
in dewdrops,
shaken from a crane’s bill.
~ DOGEN ZENJI
Dragon Moon Zen is based in Vancouver, BC on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Wauthuth Nations, and is anchored in the teachings and practices of Diane Musho Hamilton, Roshi of Two Arrows Zen and the lineage of the White Plum branch of Soto Zen Buddhism.
New and seasoned practitioners are welcome, and all those with sincere, aspirational hearts and minds. We value a diversity of lived experiences and perspectives.
We practice in collaboration with Dragon Lake Zen based in Boulder, Colorado. We offer separate in-person practice opportunities and collaborate around many online offerings where we are building a global community of practitioners engaging wholeheartedly in life and in practice.
Programs
Against the backdrop of forests and mountains, rocks and ponds, this retreat invites you to slow down, reconnect and rest into the ancient and vast wisdom that is always available. We will anchor our attention in the elements and explore how we are not separate from the nourishing earth, energizing wind, vital fire and soothing water. Together, we’ll play in the web of our human and more-than-human connections, and listen for the gifts that want to move through us.
The Art of Aliveness retreat is a 7-day in person retreat. It's an invitation to come home to your true self, to the potency of reality as it is, and to creatively express the uniqueness of your being. It is an opportunity to connect with a community of others who not only support your practice, but who mirror the preciousness of this one life.
In collaboration with four transmitted Zen lineage holders, we will explore our innerscapes through seated and walking meditation, interpersonal practice, creative expression, work practice, and embodiment.
Join Lisa Genki Gibson in a gentle reawakening to body, breath, and the quiet presence of this moment through Zen meditation, yoga, and journalling. Listen deeply—with wonder and openness—to what wishes to be expressed through you. As you soften and release, let the intentions for the new year arise naturally.
You will leave the workshop feeling rested and refreshed, and with some simple practices to cultivate awareness in everyday life, along with clarity about your intentions for 2026.
The Art of Meditation Practice Series are an opportunity for you to come home to your life, awakening to who you really are and to the liberation and vitality that is available in each moment.
Through the practice of Zen meditation, the wisdom of ancient and modern teachings, and a community of wholehearted practitioners, these series will be an anchor to your week and an inspiration to engage fully and freshly with the world around you. With guidance from Lisa Genki Gibson Sensei and Brooke Teisui McNamara Sensei, teachers in the Soto Zen lineage of Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi, these offerings will accompany you throughout the year to awaken to the vastness of who you are, and to enact this wisdom and compassion in your daily life.
Dragon Moon Zen meets on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9pm. We sit for two 30 minute periods, followed by a short reading, reflection and/or interpersonal practice.
Please arrive by 7:20 so you can get settled onto your cushion for the gong which starts the sit right at 7:30.
Join Lisa Genki Gibson Sensei and fellow practitioners to experience the potency of Zen, and the simple practice of Zazen, or seated meditation.
There is no other time than right here and now to wholeheartedly meet our lives - in all their suffering, beauty, sorrow and tenderness.
For seasoned practitioners and beginners alike, this workshop will restore our connection to ourselves, each other and the earth by simply sitting, breathing, moving and being together.
A 6-week online course.
What might happen right now if you open and extend attention, feel sensations in the body, and soften self-consciousness and the inner critic? What might this moment be like experienced freshly?
If these inquiries pique your curiosity, cause your heart to stir, or induce a longing for a more intimate connection to this life, The Vital Way is an opportunity to explore and experience what Zen is and how it could radically inform your life.