Welcome
Clouds in Water is a vibrant community in the Sōtō Zen tradition, with a vision to awaken the heart of great wisdom and compassion, end systemic oppression, and cultivate joy.
Our offerings include meditation, classes, talks, one-to-one meetings with teachers, affinity groups, Zen training, and retreats as a practice of Sōtō Zen Buddhism and social justice. We welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths. We are located in the Historic Rondo Neighborhood on unceded Dakota and Anishinaabe land in St. Paul, MN, and everywhere on Zoom.
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Pride Month at Clouds
For Pride Month in June, Clouds will be offering programming specifically celebrating and caring for our trans, nonbinary and intersex community.
Pride month is a month of celebration and joy, and it is also a month of remembrance, community care, learning, action, and renewing our commitment to dismantling systems of oppression.
We will have a special altar in the zendo for the entire month of June, honoring trans, nonbinary, and intersex bodhisattvas and ancestors - feel free to add to it!
June 7 - 9-10:30am, Dharma Talk with Myoshin, inviting the sangha to explore the Dharma of gender.
June 7 - 11am-12pm, Workshop with Sosan- From Trans Erasure to Trans Affirmation: How Cisgender Allies Can Support Trans and Nonbinary Community Members
June 26 - 7-9pm, Mini Retreat with Jinzu, Betzi & Koji- Queer Dharma Retreat: The Dharma Gate of Queer Euphoria and Ease
June 27 - 12-4pm, People's Pride at Powderhorn Park, Clouds will have a booth.
June 28 - 9-10:30am, Pride Day Dharma Talk panel with Jinzu, Rin, Koji, and Haley.
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Annual 24hr Community Sit-a-Thon
MORTGAGE MATCH STILL LIVE THROUGH THE END OF JUNE.
Every $1 donated equals $2.50 for Clouds.
WE DID IT!
Together, we exceeded our Sit-a-Thon fundraising goal of $50,000. Even more exciting, when we include the mortgage match, as of this evening we have raised an incredible $121,835.
$59,700 for operations
$62,135 toward the mortgage match
We are deeply grateful for your generosity, commitment, and support. This achievement belongs to all of us.
And the good news is that we're not quite finished yet.
Donations are still coming in, and it's not too late to make an impact. We have just $4,500 remaining to unlock the full $69,000 mortgage match.
If you've been considering making a gift—or adding to one you've already made—now is a wonderful time to do so.
Through the end of June, every dollar you contribute will help us move closer to securing the entire match—every $1 donated equals $2.50 for Clouds! The most helpful way to support this effort is by making a gift designated to the Sit-a-Thon campaign.
Thank you for helping make this year's Sit-a-Thon such a success. Your generosity supports the ongoing life and practice of Clouds in ways that will benefit our community for years to come.
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Book Group - When No Thing Works: A Zen and Indigenous Perspective on Resilience, Shared Purpose, and Leadership in the Timeplace of Collapse
In-person only
Tuesdays July 7, 14, 21, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
By donation: $5 - $280
No one turned away for lack of fundsBook group led by Revs Keika Karín Aguilar-San Juan and Jinzū Minna Jain
Join us as we navigate Roshi Norma Wong’s timely and poetic book together in a shared experience of reflection, practice, and action.
“With wise and witty prose that wanders and turns, guides and reveals, Zen master and Indigenous Hawaiian leader Roshi Norma Wong’s meditation holds our collective moment with gravity and tender care. She asks us to not only imagine, but to live into, a story beyond crisis and collapse—one that expands to meet our dreams of what (we hope) comes next while facing with clarity and grace our here and now in the world we share today.” -from Roshi Wong’s website.
Using breath, movement exercises led by Roshi Wong herself via videos, and reflection resources prepared by her own close community of practitioners, we will explore social and environmental crisis and collapse with curiosity and practice.
Find refuge in the heart of the Twin Cities
Dharma Talks
Meditation
Zazen (meditation) is at the heart of our practice. We have offerings throughout the week in person and on zoom. We also offer sesshin (retreats) throughout the year, at Clouds in Water and at Ryumonji Zen Monastery and Hokyoji Zen Practice Community.
All levels of experience are welcome!
Study
There is always a class, workshop, or practice group happening at Clouds! In addition to our Fall and Spring practice periods, we offer classes on anything from karma to the precepts to embodied social justice.
Community
Our sangha - community - is made up of a diverse groups of folks from all over the Twin Cities (and the country, via Zoom). We gather together every Sunday and have many opportunities to connect through our classes, practice groups, and sesshin (retreats).