2009 - Michael Bruffee

Soooo New York!

I first came to the Chogye International Zen Center when I came home from college, maybe 2009. I had started practicing at the Cambridge Zen Center when I went to Boston University. My first thought was, “This place is soooo New York.” It was small and cramped, not like the expansiveness of CZC. I also had never done a full set of bows yet, so I left with very wobbly legs.

The first time I went, I got there on Saturday morning, very early—about 7:30. There was a deli on the corner and I got a sandwich. It was great. I miss that deli. If only the owners of the deli or the landlord who rented out the space knew how integral they were to the bodhisattva way.

I’ve come and gone, but I really value the practice and the teachers here. The community is kind, warm, and small and scrappy but mighty.