Early Light Zendo is an American Buddhist Meditation Hall serving Sturbridge and Worcester County in Massachusetts as well as Sangha members who live elsewhere. We gather for Zazen three times a week. Our Sunday morning sitting includes a morning service with a liturgy of English texts and traditional sutras.

Mission and Teaching

Zen is simple, and the teaching of Zen should be simple. The understanding of Zen begins with sustaining a regular practice of Zazen (Zen sitting). To gather a Sangha that encourages and sustains this simple practice with a regular schedule and clear teaching is the mission of Early Light Zendo. Join us in a setting that is serene and conducive to serious lay practice.

The abbot and resident teacher of Early Light Zendo, Rev. Jiro Andy Afable, recognizes that for Zen to flourish in America, it has to become indigenous, "of this time and this place", and sensitive to the traditions and values of its host country.

Americans value self-reliance and hard work; they also yearn for a deep and meaningful spiritual life, and need a place of practice and community where they feel at home. We invite you to discover how Zen practice can lead you to "right action" because you clearly discern your best impulses and values. The more than usual attention to daily life that Zazen encourages with "right meditation" and "right effort" will nourish "right speech" and "right livelihood."