About Rhode Island Zen Dojo
Rhode Island Zen Dojo opened its doors in November 2020 as a place dedicated to Zen practice. It is located on the lower level of Sage Healing Collaborative, an integrative health care center that combines conventional and holistic therapies. Sage is creating an integrated clinical care model that combines modern medicine, healthy lifestyle practices, herbal medicine, and therapies emphasizing prevention, patient empowerment, and whole-person healing.
We are a dojo, a place of practice. In Japanese, dōjō (道場) means “place of the way” and is traditionally associated with martial arts. A Zen dojo follows the same spirit: it is a space for everyone to explore Zen meditation through direct experience.
We follow the Rinzai school of Zen, one of the largest schools of Japanese Zen. Rinzai Zen is known for its embodied practice, dynamic style, and emphasis on the body. Here, we enter the gateway of Zen through the body, making our practice experiential, not intellectual.
Esteban Martinez Sensei leads all Zen practices at Rhode Island Zen Dojo.
A chef, martial artist, calligrapher, and lay Zen Buddhist, Martinez Sensei was introduced to Zen meditation in 1998 at the age of 17 while training in Aikido and Zen at Tenshinkan Dōjō in Chicago, under the late Fumio Toyoda Shihan. Today, he is a formal Zen student of Hakuun Greene Roshi, abbot of Chosei Zen.
With 30 years of Aikido training, he holds the rank of Godan (5th-degree black belt) and has also trained in Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing).
As a Japanese calligrapher, he shares his art through Gohitsu Shodo, blending the technical precision of writing kanji with kiai (spiritual power). His calligraphies are displayed in dojos, businesses, homes, and offices worldwide, and he has been commissioned for company logos, martial arts schools, and tattoo designs.
A professional chef and educator, Martinez Sensei is an associate professor of Culinary Arts at Bristol Community College and a certified Nutrition Coach.
Martinez Sensei integrates his experiences in cooking, martial arts, calligraphy, fatherhood, and education as vehicles for Zen training and spiritual forging.
Lineage
Rhode Island Zen Dōjō is part of Chōsei Zen, a vibrant community dedicated to rigorous training in the traditional forms of Rinzai Zen, martial arts, and fine arts.
Chōsei Zen provides multiple avenues for practice, including:
- Daily training at Daikozen-ji in Madison, WI
- Intensive training periods at the Spring Green Dojo
- Online Zen training through the Virtual Dojo
- Leadership development worldwide via the Institute for Zen Leadership
Founded in 1982 by Setsuzan Kushner Roshi in Madison, WI, Chōsei Zen originated as a branch temple of Chozen-ji. In 2006, Hakuun Greene Roshi expanded the tradition by establishing a rural Zen training center in Spring Green, WI.
Both Kushner Roshi and Greene Roshi trained at Daihonzan Chozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple in Honolulu, and received inka shomei (Dharma transmission) from Tenshin Tanouye Rotaishi, a direct Dharma heir of Omori Sogen Rotaishi in the Tenryu-ji lineage of Rinzai Zen.
Anyone who practices Zen with us can become a Chosei Zen student and participate in any of their training opportunities.
