What are the opening hours?

Monday 7am - 8am Tuesday 7am - 8:30am Wednesday 7am - 8am 7:15pm - 8:45pm Thursday 7am - 8am Friday 7am - 8am Saturday 10am - 12pm Sunday 10am - 12pm

Black Mountain Zen Centre

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Black Mountain Zen Centre

Online zazen Mon-Fri 7 am, Mon and Wed at 730 pm, and Sat and Sun 10 am. Now also in person Tues 7 am, Mon and Wed 7:30 pm and Sun 10 am Whatever you do.

Welcome

Black Mountain Zen Centre is based in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and has affiliated groups throughout Northern Ireland. Our practice is Soto Zen in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. We are guided in our practice of the Buddha’s way by Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi, an authorised Dharma Heir of the Suzuki Roshi lineage, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Centre and Tassajara Zen Mountain Mo

nastery. We emphasise the practice of Zazen (meditation) as the essence of Shakyamuni Buddha’s practice, together with the keeping of precepts and the cultivation of compassion and wisdom. Please browse our site and find out a little more or click here to get in touch.

“Just to be alive is enough. Each of you is perfect the way you are … and you can use a little improvement. In your everyday life, you always have a chance to have enlightenment. Everything is a teaching for us: the colour of a mountain, the sound of a river…each one is a teaching of the Buddha. Always have a new, fresh experience of your true self, here and now.”
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

09/07/2026

Dear dharma friend,

We’re delighted to let you know that we will be here to welcome you in person and online on Sunday, July 12, but we will switch to online zazen only on Monday, July 13 at 7:30 pm.

23/05/2026

We will have an all-day sitting with oryoki lunch on Sunday 31 May 2026, from 9am to 6pm Belfast time.

Everyone is invited to participate, either online at the usual link or in person at BMZC - and if you’re planning on attending in person, please do let us know so we can make sure there’ll be food for everyone.

This offering is free and we welcome donations. Contact [email protected] to sign up.

(Photo of three-bowl oryoki by Philippe Lissac/Godong )

05/05/2026

New Black Mountain Zen Centre bodhisattvas from our recent Jukai ceremony.
Pictured left to right:
Guiding Teacher Ryushin Paul Haller
Peter Herold (new name Soko Yakushin, Original Virtue, Healing Heart)
Ciaran O’Gorman (new name Jiryu Myodo, Healing Dragon, Wondrous Path)
BMZC Resident priest Myogan Djinn Gallagher

04/05/2026

It’s the end of a wonderful visit to Belfast from our guiding teacher Paul Haller. Here are all the participants at our five-day sesshin at Tobar Mhuire retreat centre and some images from the Jukai ceremony yesterday afternoon.

To find out more about our community and what we do at Black Mountain Zen Centre, please email [email protected] for further information.

11/04/2026

Our guiding teacher Paul Haller will be offering two workshops during his visit to Belfast this month, on Saturday 25 April 2026:

Engaging the Path of Zen, from 10am to 12:30pm and Seven Factors of Equanimity in the Midst of Turmoil, from 2pm to 4:30pm

We hope to see you at one or both of these precious opportunities to learn from one of the great dharma teachers of our time. Paul will also be at BMZC on Sunday morning, 26 April 2026, at 10 am to lead the morning programme, followed by a dharma talk.

Contact [email protected] for further information.

23/03/2026

We will have an all-day sitting with oryoki lunch on Sunday 29 March 2026, from 9am to 6pm Belfast time.

Everyone is invited to participate, either online at the usual link or in person at BMZC - if you’re planning on attending in person, please do let us know so we can make sure there’ll be food for everyone.

This offering is free and we welcome donations. Contact [email protected] to sign up.

19/03/2026

Yoga is back!

Paddy Harte will once again be offering an hour of yoga before zazen on Sundays, starting at 8:45 am. We’d love to see you there, and even if you can’t make it, please let your friends know.

This is an in-person event, and is a free offering, and donations are gratefully accepted.

Contact [email protected] for further information.

13/02/2026

We are delighted to announce that our teacher, Ryushin Paul Haller, will be offering an eight-week online class, ‘Alive with Wisdom and Compassion’, at Black Mountain Zen Centre. The class begins at 7pm Belfast time on Tuesday 24 February 2026.

Further details are available on
bmzcbelfast.org/events/feb26class/

You can participate live or watch the recordings at your own pace.

There will be a follow-up meeting with Paul on Thursdays at 7:15 pm PST (i.e. 3:15 am Fridays in Belfast), and an opportunity to be part of one of the weekly small groups.

Contact [email protected] to register.

08/02/2026

We will have an all-day sitting with oryoki lunch on Sunday 22 February 22 2026, from 9am to 6pm Belfast time. Everyone is invited to participate, either online at the usual link or in person at BMZC - and if you’re planning on attending in person, please do let me know so we can make sure there’ll be food for everyone.

This offering is free and we welcome donations. Contact [email protected] to sign up.

02/02/2026

Now on Monday as well as Wednesday - sit with us online or in person

Address

165 Donegall Pass
Belfast
BT71DT

Opening Hours

Monday	7am - 8am
Tuesday	7am - 8:30am
Wednesday	7am - 8am
	7:15pm - 8:45pm
Thursday	7am - 8am
Friday	7am - 8am
Saturday	10am - 12pm
Sunday	10am - 12pm

Website

https://bmzcbelfast.org/

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