日々是好日
Everyday is a
good day.
Nichi nichi kore kōjitsu.
Zen teaching, zazen instruction and community with Reverend Daito Thompson on the Gulf coast of Florida.
Explore
Pages of this site
The Method of Zen
Full zazen instruction — body, breathing, mind, and the practice of perfection.
Read more →Meet Reverend Thompson
His training, teachers, lineage, and how to reach him for practice.
Read more →Founder’s Memorial
Remembering Rev. Dr. Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka-roshi, with photographs and eulogy.
Read more →The Method of Zen
Nothing added.
Nothing taken away.
Zen is not an idea to be understood, but a life to be lived. The method is simple, and it is the work of a lifetime: sit, notice, return.
Zazen
Seated silence. The foundation of practice — returning, again and again, to the breath and the moment as it is.
Everyday Action
Sweeping the floor, pouring tea, answering a message. Practice does not end when you leave the cushion.
Openness
Meeting each day, each person, each difficulty with an unguarded and unhurried mind.
Meet Reverend Thompson
A teacher on the shore.
Reverend Daito Thompson has walked the path of Zen for decades — through monasteries and marketplaces, at bedsides and on the beach at first light.
His teaching is unadorned. It meets people where they are: householders, seekers, doubters, and the simply curious. Every question is a doorway.
“To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.” — Dōgen
Founder’s Memorial Observance
A gathering of gratitude.
Each year we bow in remembrance of those who kept the lamp burning before us. The ceremony is open to old students, new friends, and anyone drawn by quiet.
Frequently asked
Questions before you begin
- What is Soto Zen practice?
- Soto Zen is a Japanese Buddhist tradition centered on Zazen — seated silent meditation practiced simply for its own sake, and carried into everyday action.
- Do I need experience to begin sitting?
- No. Beginners are welcome. Zazen instruction covers posture, breathing and mind, and Reverend Daito Thompson answers first-time questions personally by email.
- Where is Daitomind located?
- Reverend Daito Thompson teaches Zen meditation on Florida's Gulf Coast and welcomes practitioners from anywhere through the online sangha and correspondence.
- Is there an online sangha I can join?
- Yes. Practitioners who cannot sit in person are welcome to join the online sangha and stay connected through the newsletter and email correspondence.
Sit with us
The door is open.
Questions, first visits, and quiet correspondences are all welcome. Reverend Thompson answers personally.
The gift of kindness
Generosity is the first practice.
The Buddha’s teachings often point toward dāna — generosity — toward small actions that relieve suffering and create connection. Giving asks nothing back; it simply opens the hand, and with it the heart.