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Roaring Fork Zen (RFZ) is a new Zen meditation community based in Carbondale, Colorado. We offer free authentic Zen instruction and practice to the Roaring Fork Valley from Glenwood Springs to Aspen. We will gather for free weekly Zen meditation sessions at True Nature, typically two, 25-minute rounds of zazen (seated meditation) with a brief round of kinhin (walking meditation) in between. We will open and close with brief, optional recitations from the Zen tradition. Please register/rsvp for this event. Participation is FREE and open to all. No experience necessary, beginners welcome! Please arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to get settled before we begin. All are invited to gather and connect in the cafe afterward! At our first gathering, we will begin with brief introductions, orientation to the basics of Zen, and guidance regarding our approach to practice. We will conclude with one round of recitation, zazen, and kinhin. RFZ is a nonprofit affiliated with the Zen Center of Denver, which was commissioned by Philip Kapleau and is a member of the Diamond and White Plum sanghas in the Harada-Yasutani lineage of American Zen. This branch of Zen is particularly honed for lay practitioners to support the awakening of our inherent wisdom and compassion in the context of our daily lives. While we will reference insights and texts passed down to us from those who came before, Zen does not ask us to subscribe to preconceived beliefs or external sources of authority. If anything, the path of Zen redirects us back to the validity, beauty, and clarity of our own direct life experience. RFZ is facilitated by Billy Wynne with the permission of his teacher, Peggy Metta Sheehan Roshi, and the RFZ Board, which includes Karin Ryuku Kempe Roshi. Peggy and Karin are the Spiritual Directors of the Zen Center of Denver. Please connect with us at welcome@roaringforkzen. org with any questions you might have. Whether you are a long-time practitioner or brand new beginner, you are perfectly welcome and honored here. At Roaring Fork Zen, you will find: Authentic Zen practice Warm, inclusive community Clear, encouraging guidance Supportive space for silent meditation Open-hearted, dogma-free inquiry Cultivation of equanimity, clarity, and compassion in your daily life MEET BILLY WYNNE: Billy Wynne is a long-time member of the Zen Center of Denver, where he received lay ordination in 2020 and currently serves on the board. He is also a certified teacher in the Vipassana meditation tradition. Billy is the author of The Empty Path: Finding Fulfillment Through the Radical Art of Lessening, published by New World Library in March 2025, and is pursuing a Masters in Buddhist Studies at the Institute for Buddhist Studies in Berkeley. A health and well-being entrepreneur, Billy founded Awake, an alcohol-free bar in Denver, and Impact Health, a mission-driven consultancy. He is an appointed member of Colorado’s Natural Medicine Advisory Board, which is implementing the state’s new psychedelic therapy program. Billy has also served on the boards of Operation Smile, Cherish Children Adoption International, and 365Health. Billy received a B. A. from Dartmouth College and J. D. from UVA Law. For fun, he skis, travels with his family, and plays keyboard in improvisational rock bands. He recently moved to Carbondale with his wife, son, and two shih-poos, Oscar and Archie. Their daughter is in college. You can learn more about Billy at This programming is brought to you through the Connection is the Medicine Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to co-creating a world where individuals and communities thrive from a sense of inspiration, connection, and self-discovery.
