Upaya Zen Center

What Upaya Zen Center does

Upaya Zen Center is a 501(c)(3) Buddhist monastery and Zen practice center founded in 1990 by Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD, and headquartered at 1404 Cerro Gordo Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The center delivers Zen Buddhist meditation instruction, contemplative practice, and dharma education through daily zazen sessions (offered in-person and via YouTube livestream plus Zoom), weekly dharma talks, and an archive of recorded podcasts spanning 30 years. It operates the Nomads Clinic, a medical pilgrimage program serving remote Himalayan communities in partnership with Dolpo Tulku Rinpoche and One Heart Worldwide, established in 1980—predating the center itself.

The product portfolio spans core Zen practice (seasonal practice periods, week-long sesshin retreats, Zen Circle programs), professional training modules including G.R.A.C.E. (a compassion training process developed by Halifax integrating neuroscience, social psychology, and ethics), Being with Dying for end-of-life care clinicians, Buddhist Chaplaincy Training, the Contemplative Residency for immersive residential practice, and specialized offerings such as the Dogen Seminar and the Varela Contemplative Science Retreat at the intersection of neuroscience and Buddhism. In January 2025, Dharma Transmission was conferred on Senseis Wendy Dainin Lau and James Fushin Bristol, formally adding two new teachers to the lineage.

Revenue is generated through program fees (e.g., $360 for members, $390 for non-members for the Hidden Lamp retreat, plus lodging), annual memberships, voluntary dana donations supporting teachers and operations, restricted giving channels (Nepal Nomads Clinic, Prison Outreach, Street Ministry, Upaya Tree Fund), and merchandise sales via a Square-hosted online shop. As a non-profit religious organization, Upaya Zen Center does not publicly disclose financials and operates without external investors or a parent entity, sustaining its operations through a global sangha community that engages online and in-person.

Name

Upaya Zen Center

Legal name

Upaya Zen Center, Inc.

Website

https://upaya.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upaya Zen Center is a 501(c)(3) Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, offering daily Zen meditation, retreats, and professional training (including G.R.A.C.E. and Being with Dying) to a global sangha, funded through program fees, memberships, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemplative Education & Zen Practice

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Buddhist Monastic Universities & Dharma Colleges (EDAHAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs (HSADAJAF), Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB), Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA)

Keywords

• Zen meditation practice
• Buddhist monastery programs
• Contemplative education
• End-of-life care training
• Chaplaincy certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Fees charged for in-person and online programs, retreats, and training sessions. Example: Hidden Lamp retreat at $360 for members and $390 for non-members.
2. Donations and Dana: Voluntary donations from the global sangha to support teachers and Upaya. The center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization.
3. Membership: Annual membership program offering benefits to supporters of the Zen center.
4. Dharma Podcast Donations: Donations specifically designated for the Dharma Podcast Fund to support free dharma talks available to millions of listeners.
5. Online Shop: Sale of calligraphy, prints, shikishi, and other merchandise through the Upaya Zen Center Square site.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Upaya Zen Center operates a Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, providing daily Zen meditation (zazen), weekly dharma talks, multi-day retreats (sesshin), and seasonal practice periods. It also delivers professional training programs including G.R.A.C.E. compassion training, Being with Dying end-of-life care training, and Buddhist chaplaincy certification, supported by a residential contemplative residency program and a global online sangha.

Product overview

Upaya Zen Center operates as a Buddhist monastery and practice center offering a comprehensive portfolio of contemplative programs. The core offering centers on daily Zen meditation practice (zazen) and dharma teachings, delivered both in-person at the Santa Fe campus and through online channels including YouTube livestream and Zoom. The center provides structured practice through seasonal practice periods (Winter, Spring, Fall), week-long sesshin retreats, and extended Zen Circle programs. Professional training programs include G.R.A.C.E. for compassion cultivation, Being with Dying for end-of-life care, and Chaplaincy Training. Socially engaged initiatives feature the Nepal Nomads Clinic medical pilgrimage serving remote Himalayan communities since 1980. Educational offerings span Dogen Seminar for textual study, the Varela Contemplative Science Retreat at the intersection of neuroscience and Buddhism, and a Wisdom Library archive of 30 years of dharma podcasts. The Contemplative Residency allows extended residential practice participation. Programs are available in-person at the New Mexico campus and globally via online delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Practice Periods & Sesshin Retreats

Quantifiable outcome

• Free dharma podcasts available to millions of listeners worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dolpo Tulku RinpochecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dolpo Tulku Rinpoche to serve remote Dolpo region in Nepal. Supports the Nomads Clinic medical pilgrimages and healthcare work in high Himalayan communities.
• Plum VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoshi Joan Halifax trained under Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village, and the center continues to honor this connection in its socially engaged Buddhist practice.
• One Heart WorldwideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with One Heart Worldwide in supporting healthcare initiatives in remote Himalayan regions through the Nomads Clinic program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plum Village: International Zen/mindfulness tradition founded by Thich Nhat Hanh offering global retreats, monastic training, and an online sangha; directly comparable to Upaya as a Buddhist practice center with global digital reach and socially engaged programs.
• Tassajara Zen Mountain Center: Residential Soto Zen retreat center affiliated with San Francisco Zen Center, operating guest stays and practice periods; directly comparable to Upaya's sesshin retreats and residential residency.
• Zen Mountain Monastery: Soto Zen training monastery in New York State offering residential training, sesshin retreats, and online dharma programs; directly comparable to Upaya as a Zen monastery with a residential contemplative community.
• Barre Center for Buddhist Studies: Non-profit Buddhist study and retreat center in Massachusetts offering residential dharma education programs; comparable to Upaya's Dogen Seminar, contemplative residency, and dharma study tracks.
• San Francisco Zen Center: One of the largest Soto Zen practice centers in the U.S. offering residential training, retreats, and dharma education; directly comparable to Upaya as a Soto Zen monastery with a residential contemplative program and a public meditation/dharma schedule.
• Spirit Rock Meditation Center: Insight Meditation retreat center in Northern California offering residential retreats, dharma training, and online programs; comparable to Upaya as a non-profit meditation retreat organization combining residential, online, and teacher-training programs.
• Insight Meditation Society: Non-profit Vipassana retreat center in Massachusetts offering residential meditation retreats and teacher training; directly comparable to Upaya's residential contemplative residency and multi-week retreat model.

Emerging players

• New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care: Zen-affiliated non-profit offering chaplaincy training and contemplative care programs for healthcare professionals; comparable to Upaya's G.R.A.C.E., Being with Dying, and chaplaincy training in the Buddhist end-of-life care niche.

Broad incumbents

• Headspace: Large-scale secular meditation and mindfulness subscription app serving consumers and employers globally; comparable to Upaya's meditation instruction offering as a broad incumbent in the same end-customer use case (guided meditation practice).

Regional players

• Dharma Drum Retreat Center: Chan/Zen Buddhist retreat center in New York affiliated with Dharma Drum Mountain; comparable to Upaya as a residential meditation retreat center with sesshin and dharma programming in the Mahayana tradition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/upayazen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/upayazencenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/upaya
• Instagraminstagram.com/upayazencenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upaya-zen-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upaya Zen Center