Facilities

The Palolo Zen Center is located on 13 acres in the lush valley of Palolo on the island of Oahu (Google Maps).

The Palolo Zen Center was designed and built by Donald Stoddard, with the help of many sangha members and friends in the 1980s. We began holding sesshin at the Palolo Zen Center in 1989. The building consists of three sections that are connected by covered walkways. The teacher’s wing includes a small three-bedroom apartment for our teachers’ use, a small library, and the office.  The library consists of several thousand books, most of which were collected by Robert Aitken throughout his life plus many donated books . The books include those on Zen, the various traditions of Buddhism, sutras, the old dharma ancestors and related subjects. Eventually, the books will be available for members to browse on-line or in person and check out. Currently they are being catalogued and organized and will be available soon. The office houses our Administrator and Temple Keeper. The Administrator has regular office hours so that sangha members, friends and visitors can drop by for information or to conduct business.

Before the pandemic the main zendo seated 37 on the teak floor. We have spread ourselves out with six foot distancing and now seat 19. The zendo is mostly screened to allow the wind and the calls of the local birds to be intimately present.

In addition to the main zendo, there is an adjoining small 8 seat zendo that also houses a columbarium where ashes of departed sangha members and friends are interred.

Outside the zendo is a covered area for ceremonial instruments such as the densho (big bell), drum, and han (wooden block). Covered decks surround the entire temple.

In addition, the hojo, where dokusan (meeting individually with the teacher) takes place, is strategically placed near the zendo.

The residential wing includes bedrooms for up to six residents including the Temple Keeper, several larger rooms for sesshin sleeping, a common area for reading and relaxing, the kitchen and the dining hall. Furnishings are simple.

We also have a large deck area where together we have tea, meals and enjoy other events. The kitchen tends to be a gathering place for residents and other sangha members, and serves an essential purpose during sesshin and other events where we prepare meals for large groups. It is a vegetarian kitchen, and meals prepared are simple and healthy.

We grow our own bananas, which are shared with sangha members, as well as other delicious fruits, vegetables and herbs in the zendo garden.