About

Zen Master Seung Sahn on Dec. 7, 1991, with Joyce taking Five Precepts to officially join the Kwan Um School of Zen

Recent Photos of Joyce becoming a Senior Dharma Teacher at the Providence Zen Center during Buddha’s Birthday Celebration, April 3, 2016

Nancy Hedgepeth, JDPSN.  My dear friend and mentor since 1989.  She was the first person that I met when I arrived at the Providence Zen Center and thanks to her kind heart and welcoming manner, I continued practicing with the center until I took the Five Precepts and officially joined the school in Dec. 1991.

 Zen Master Bon Haeng (Mark Houghton) and Joyce.  Abbott of Open Meadow Zen Center in Lexington, MA.   My current mentor and wonderful teacher whom I see twice each month to help continue the evolution of my meditation practice.

 Taking additional  precepts to be certified as a Senior Dharma teacher on April 3, 2016.

Joyce Haydock,  Senior Dharma Teacher

I joined the Providence Zen Center, headquarters of the Kwan Um School of Zen, in 1989, and became a dharma teacher in 2001.  I received certification as a Senior Dharma Teacher on April 3, 2016 at the Providence Zen Center during the annual Buddha’s Birthday Celebration.  See more about our beloved Zen Master Seung Sahn below.

(Update April 20, 2016)

-Regular Practice Schedule:  Mondays (including holidays) 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

-Optional Discussion 6 pm – 6:30 pm, (recommended for first visit or for questions)

– Lower Meeting Hall, Unitarian Universalist Church (enter downstairs at the far left door)

26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA.- For more information or to check

if cancelled due to inclement weather call Joyce at 978-363-5457.

Email:  Joycehaydock@outlook.com (only checked at library a few times each week)

Don’t forget to follow blogs ( I plan to  blog every week)

Zen Master Seung Sahn

The founding teacher of our School is Zen Master Seung Sahn, the 78th Patriarch in his line of transmission in the Chogye order of Korean Buddhism. In 1972 he came to the United States and started the Providence Zen Center, the first center in what is now the Kwan Um School. He and his students have founded over a hundred temples, centers, and groups around the world. His books include Ten Gates, The Compass of Zen, Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, Only Don’t Know and The Whole World is a Single Flower — 365 Kong-ans for Everyday Life. In June 2004 he received the title “Great Master” from the Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism, in appreciation of a lifetime of teaching. This is the highest honor the order confers. Zen Master Seugn Sahn died on November 30th, 2004, at Hwa Gye Sah Temple in Seoul, South Korea. He died peacefully, surrounded by his students. He was seventy-seven.

Joyce Haydock

Dharma teacher with the Kwan Um School of Zen, she has been

a member of the Providence Zen Center for over 25  years.

She works in geriatric rehabilitation and in the practice

of occupational therapy and lives with her husband of over

40 years in West Newbury, Massachusetts.

What is Zen and Meditation?

Zen is not a formal religion, though it has its roots

in Buddhism. Zen is a way of living, to perceive one’s

life with a clear mind and to better understand what your true

self is. Zen focuses on and quiets the mind, as a path to

enlightenment- deep, mindful attainment of each moment,

toward compassionate action.

Practice is located at the First Religious Society/Unitarian Universality Church

in Newburyport MA, 01950. Their number is 978-465-0602.