Circle of Support

The Circle of Support is a community of sangha members who believe that meditation and contemplative practice are a public good to be shared. Through financial sponsorship, they sustain Mountain Cloud’s weekly public hybrid offerings, ensuring that these core programs remain available to all who wish to practice.

There’s an average of 1200 visits to our zendo each month, online and in person. That is 1200 hours of refuge, sangha, and insight!  

The Heartbeat of the Center

Our weekly hybrid programming invites people from all walks of life to gather—many for the first time—to sit, listen, ask questions, connect with each other, and find their way, again and again, into practice. The program includes: 

• Community zazen 11 times a week, including a weekly online community check in
• Dharma Talks with authorized teachers, curated by Associate Zen Master Valerie Forstman
• Wisdom Wednesday discussions that stimulate community dialogue
• Book Group led by Sanbo Teacher Scott Thornton

Our weekly programming is free and open to anyone, all offered both in person and online. This is an intentional part of who we are – the “dharma given freely”. The impact of these programs can be hard to measure, because they are so very personal. But these are impacts our staff see day in and day out.

By remaining consistent, open, and welcoming, our weekly programming provides all kinds of support in the everyday lives of committed practitioners and passers-by alike. This is a meaningful service not just to the Zen sangha, but to the community at large.

Recently, a Sangha member brought in a new friend to the morning sit, who we’ll call Ellen. He had met Ellen through hospice volunteering, caring for her partner during his final days. Ellen was in need of some support, so they put a photo of her partner on the altar and sat together in the Zendo, followed by some tea in the dining room with Scott and the residents. Through our public daily sitting, Ellen was able to find a refuge and container for her grief; nothing was asked of her, our shared silence and stillness spoke for itself.

Holding Each Week of Practice

Offering these spaces requires real support: staff time, lights and heat in the zendo, microphones and cameras for our online sangha, and the ongoing care and outreach that makes it all possible.

So, in 2026 we launched a new way to bring sangha members into direct support of this vital programming, the heartbeat of our center. We’re inviting our community to “hold each week of practice” through financial sponsorship (and volunteer support).

Sponsoring a week of practice is one simple way to help ensure that Mountain Cloud remains a place where the door is open to anyone who needs a place to sit; a consistent place where people can encounter the heart of practice—whether for the first time or after many years on the path. Gifts from our Circle of Support gifts directly underwrite the cost of these weekly offerings, providing a stable foundation for the core heartbeat of Mountain Cloud’s practice.

How it Works

• Donors choose how many weeks they would like to “hold” (in other words, fiscally sponsor).
  • $1,400 holds our shared practice for one week
  • $2,800 holds our practice for two weeks
  • $4,600 can hold our shared practice for a whole month!
• Donors can
  • Request a particular week of the year (maybe a special anniversary week, or your birthday month)
  • Decide to be anonymous and/or dedicate their sponsorship
• Once the donation is made at mountaincloud.org/donate or via check, Circle of Support participants:
  • Receive a special Handpainted Enso from the team,
  • See your name or dedication posted on a special altar onsite at Mountain Cloud, during your week(s) of support. Your name or dedication is written on wildflower seed paper, which will be planted in the garden in Spring so that your gift may continue to blossom for the center, long after your week has passed.
  • Hear public thanks for your gift on your week(s), at the start of the weekly Dharma talk.
  • Receive a special email from the MCZC team during your week(s) of support.
• Reach out to Sarah@mountaincloud.org to learn more!