No Barriers Zen (NBZ) is a non-profit 501(c) Soto Zen Buddhist organization that has met in Washington DC, Virginia, and online. The organization was founded in Washington DC in 2015 by Reverend Liam Ōshin Jennings in order to make the Dharma accessible for all people. Their mission is as follows:
“We are focused on providing access to the Buddhadharma for all people. Our aim is to create and maintain an inclusive environment that supports the practice of individuals regardless of their differences or disabilities.”
NBZ and Buddhism
In terms as to how NBZ functions in relation to Buddhism, it is a Soto Zen school, and it is specifically a part of the Phoenix Cloud lineage of the Japanese priest Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi. Dharma transmission was passed from Otogawa to Michael Newhall, who continues to teach at the Jikoji Zen Center in California founded by Otogawa. Newhall later became Ōshin Jennings’ teacher, and the two Zen centers continue to work with one another. NBZ is led by practicing Buddhists, and their regular meetings are focused on silent meditation. They offer Dharma teachings every other week, but rituals do not seem to be common. Their mission is to liberate all beings, and they do not seem to expect practitioners to be familiar with Buddhism. They provide basic resources related to Buddhism on their website including a translation of the Genjo Koan and the Robe Chant, but there does not seem to be a focus on texts. The goal of the organization is to help people see their own Buddhanature through silent meditation like other Soto Zen communities.
Inclusivity
As the name suggests, No Barrier Zen strives to create an inclusive environment where anyone can practice Buddhism. To foster this environment, the organization provides various resources and services, often with accessibility in mind. Teachings and events always include interpreters for hearing individuals to both gain access to Ōshin Jennings’ lessons, which are taught in American Sign Language (ASL), and to allow them to communicate with other practitioners. They also provide an ASL dictionary of Buddhist concepts to help people learn. The website itself has a feature to make it more accessible for users where one can adjust several aspects such as contrast, text size, line height, cursor size, and fonts that are more dyslexia friendly. They also welcome people of all identities, and provide a resource called “Trans-Competence: A Short Guide on Improving Transgender Experiences at Meditation and Retreat Centers” with topics on how to make transgender people feel welcome into the sangha.
“No Barriers Zen intentionally welcomes all. We embrace our difference and Oneness, which is found at the core of our Buddhist teachings. We acknowledge the systems of power, oppression, and privilege that have created barriers for people and communities with particular identities, abilities, and histories. We work together as a community, vowing to dismantle these barriers within our institutions and ourselves. These guiding principles apply to all functions and structures of our community. We strive to see the interconnectedness of all beings so that we may realize our True Nature.”
No Barriers Zen’s Inclusivity Statement
History and Founder
NBZ has been greatly influenced by Ōshin Jennings and his experiences as a Deaf Buddhist. He has been practicing Zen Buddhism for over twenty five years and has studied across the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia. He was first ordained in 2009 and became the disciple of Michael Newhall, becoming who is thought to be the first Deaf person to receive Dharma transmission in 2022. Ōshin Jennings is described as a psychotherapist and an artist, which has led to his interest in how meditation, mental health, and creativity interact. In an interview with Tricycle in 2016, he discussed his experiences being a Deaf Buddhist. He said that he was led to the Dharma when his mother gave him a book about Buddhism to help him deal with troubling emotions. Then at age fourteen, he ran into a monk by coincidence and was drawn to practice ever since. He decided on the White Plum Asangha after working with several sanghas and began training under Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara of the Village Zendo. He discussed how it was difficult as a Deaf person in the Zen tradition at first because the student-disciple relationship was supposed to be strong, but in his case there was a language barrier. Ōshin Jennings created ASL signs for Buddhist concepts and began signing at meetings with his teacher’s encouragement, and others caught on too. He compared ASL to a mudra in its function because it used the body more than chanting. He was then inspired to create No Barriers Zen so that anyone, regardless of identity or ability, could practice. The organization was founded in 2015 and has met since in Washington DC, Virginia, and online.
Current Leadership
NBZ is currently led by Ōshin Jennings who is the head teacher and President. The other members on the Board of Directors work both for the organization and often have involvement within the Deaf community. Jesse Rentai Parrish Lewis acts as Vice President and is the Project Director at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center. Jessica Valle is the secretary and is a freelance certified ASL interpreter. Derek Thor Keika Cary is the Treasurer. Tam Getsuki Schmidt is Ōshin Jennings’ Jisha and a Deaf community advisor and peer support specialist. NBZ’s website also lists Loaf “Pan-chan” as the temple cat.
Funding and Support
No Barriers Zen is a non-profit organization with various forms of income. They are funded through voluntary donations from the sangha that can be paid through Zelle or PayPal on their website. They also have an Amazon wishlist for patrons to donate goods requested by the organization. The wishlist has some materials for the organization itself like vlogging cameras for Zoom meetings or for items related to meditation including beeswax candles, lighters, and Japanese floor mats. It also includes various books; some examples are Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability by Darla Y. Schumm and The Surangama (Shurangama) Sutra – A New Translation with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua by the Buddhist Text Translation Society and Hsuan Hua. A last source of income is the store linked to their website with goods made by Ōshin Jennings. These goods include rakusu rings made out of various types of wood, all priced around $30, and calligraphy made upon request. NBZ also says that people can donate their time and services through volunteering. Some skills required are sewing, ASL interpretation, social media, photography, captioning, or legal services for non-profit organizations.
Meetings and Events
As of now, the community meets exclusively online via Zoom meetings, excluding special retreats and events. In the past they have met in Washington DC and Virginia and are currently looking for an appropriate permanent meeting location. Regular meetings occur Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 to 10:30 AM eastern standard time. The meetings consist of thirty minutes of zazen, or silent seated meditation, marked at the beginning with a bell. The regular meetings are purely focused on meditation, though there are biweekly events with Dharma teachings.
There are several events that occur on a regular basis. One of these is NBZ’s Dharma Talks that occur online every other Saturday from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. They include two periods of zazen meditation, each being thirty minutes long, followed by the teaching. They are led by Ōshin Jennings himself or with a guest speaker. In the past, guest speakers have included Pamela Nenzen Brown and Jesse Dow who both trained with Michael Newhall. The Dharma Talks are taught in ASL with Ōshin Jennings, but an interpreter is always provided no matter the teacher. Instruction in zazen can be requested before the event. Occasionally instead of the teaching portion, there will be an event called the Wisdom Circle that invites participants to communicate with one another and listen with their hearts.
Another regular event is the Full Moon Ceremony that occurs monthly. These are also online and are held from 7:30 to 9 PM. The event is described as “an ancient ceremony, enacted for thousands of years” that acts as an “opportunity to explore our interconnectedness.” The ceremony is said to be filled with bowing and chanting, followed by an exploration of the precepts as a community. Like the other events, an interpreter is provided.
A special event will be held December 1 through 8 called the Rohatsu Sesshin. The event will be held in the Jikoji Zen Center in California and will be led by Ōshin Jennings. The sesshin is held to commemorate the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha 2500 years ago. In order to honor the unbroken transmission of the Three Treasures up to the present day, participants go to the sesshin and reflect on existence. The Rohatsu, or the day the Buddha became enlightened, is commemorated by a sesshin in total silence with no talks given. It is described as “just silent sitting, walking and eating together for seven days.” Participants are asked to help with duties during the sesshin and act as the doan-ryo, or those who help with the services. They are asked to aid in various tasks such as greeting guests, helping to prepare meals, and clean up after serving the meals. Guests are not required to attend for the full seven days and can choose a few days to attend if they wish. Unlike other events, this one requires payment of $40 per day per guest to pay for food and services. The Jikoji Zen Center website offers to help organize group lodging if needed. This event is one of a few that occurs at the Jikoji Zen Center as Ōshin Jennings still teaches there occasionally.