Providence Zen Center (PZC) is the international headquarters for the Kwan Um School of Zen (KUSZ) and the first Zen center established by Seung Sahn in the United States in October 1972. The PZC offers residential training where students and teachers live together under one roof, which was one of the hallmarks of Seung Sahn's philosophy concerning Zen practice in his organization. While the PZC is primarily a residential training site, the center also offers retreats to the non-ordained—such as their Yong Maeng Jon Jin. Practice at the center, and at Diamond Hill Zen Monastery, which shares the PZC property, includes sitting meditation, prostrations, and chanting.
The Providence Zen Center was originally located in Providence, Rhode Island, but in 1979 the center relocated to its current 50 acre site in Cumberland. One of the center's centerpiece landmarks is the Peace Pagoda, a towering 65-foot (20 m) high pagoda located at the front of the center grounds. PZC also serves as the U.S. headquarters for the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.
Read more about Providence Zen Center: History
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