The Blue Plum Zendo is the central meditation hall at Studio Hum, where our Blue Plum Zen Group meets weekly to practice within the 8 Gates of Zen - the basis of training in the Mountains & Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism. The Eight Gates offer us a tangible way to take up the whole of our lives as a path of spiritual practice, revealing that even as we are engaged in our busy lives in the world, all aspects of our being are vital to our study and practice of the path.
These include zazen (meditation), liturgy, art practice, body practice, work practice, right action, Buddhist study, and we also offer access to study with Zen Teachers in our Order. See below for our programs, and for information about the Mountains & Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism and our Tea Ceremony instructor.
The Blue Plum Zen Group has a particular focus on the arts, as we are nestled within a creative studio environment and are fostering connection between traditional zen arts and local mountain arts. Our traditional zen arts classes include chado (tea ceremony), calligraphy, and ikebana (flower arranging). We also have a focus on the environment, with forest land in Unicoi County that we visit regularly for forest immersion practices, and with our ongoing environmental action opportunities.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Earth Awareness, Earth Body
Saturday May 23 Touching the Earth - Forest Immersion in Unicoi County
Transforming continuously - this earth is our teacher and is our self. How can we live in a better harmony with the earth and express our gratitude? This forest immersion is an opportunity to connect directly with our great mother, each other, and ourselves. Facilitated by Polly Kiho Horne & friends.
1pm meet in the Studio Hum parking lot to carpool or follow out to Unicoi.
2pm - 5pm Moderate hike and forest sitting (hike leaves promptly at 2pm).
Option to stay for dinner over a fire and camping through the night (byo tent).
Registration required. Suggested donation: $25
Tea Ceremony Lesson with Atsumi Sensei
Saturday June 6 11am - 1pm
Please join Atsumi Soatsu Matsuda in a Chado lesson for beginners with a special ceremony in the Urasenke tradition. For those who are new to meditation practice, tea ceremony can be a path to entering the larger universe of Zen and its arts. For those who practice zazen, tea ceremony offers an incisive opportunity for expressing the mind of Zen in everyday activity. Matcha green tea will be served along with tea sweets.
Suggested donation $20
RECURRING PROGRAMS
Sunday Morning Program
Join us for a traditional liturgy service and 2 periods of zazen (meditation), followed by a dharma talk streamed live from Zen Mountain Monastery. Those attending for the first time will be given beginning instruction in zazen and a brief orientation to zen practice.
A suggested donation of $3-$5 is appreciated.
Registration is not required. Please double check out studio calendar link above to confirm there is no change to to the usual schedule.
Weekday Zazen
THURSDAYS 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Join for evening zazen and Buddhist study sessions fostering independent and hybrid explorations with Zen Mountain Monastery Teachers and Senior Students. We will be taking up the Spring Practice Period theme and readings.
If you have not had beginning instruction to Zazen, please come on Sunday to receive instruction. If this is not possible for your schedule, please reach out to info@studiohum.org to schedule instruction on a Thursday.
Half Day Sit
June 27 9:00am -12:00pm
A 3 hour practice intensive welcome to those new to Zen practice or meditation, as well as more experienced practitioners. Join for a morning of silence and stillness with several 35 minute periods of zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation) in between, and opening and closing with some chanting. Half day sits are a wonderful way to deepen your practice with the support of the sangha.
Please arrive by 9:25 and be seated in the zendo to start at 9:30am. Beginning instruction is offered at 9am if you are new to the zendo.
Suggested donation $20
drop ins welcome.
Art Practice
Tuesdays, through May 6:30 - 8:30pm
Facilitated by Claire Alfonso, Polly Kiho Horne & Friends
6:30pm- 8:30pm
BYO art project and materials, or work with some of our materials at hand in the art room or stitchery at Studio Hum. Designed as an open space for creating within community. Depending on the facilitator, we may take up a unique theme for the evening, explore zen art practice together, or just make some space for the creative process to unfold.
Suggested donation $10-15
Drop-ins welcome
Tea Practice
Next date to be announced…
Informal Tea Ceremony practice with Kiho in the Urasenke style.
Matcha green tea will be served along with tea sweets.
Suggested donation $10 -15
Drop-ins welcome
Body Practice
Lotus Room Offerings at Studio Hum
See the Lotus Room calendar for a full schedule of body practice offerings including yoga, dance, and more.
Practicing in the tradition of
The Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism
The Blue Plum Zen Group is an informal affiliate of the Mountains & Rivers Order. Zen practice is facilitated by Polly Kiho Horne, under the guidance of her Teachers and Sangha. Kiho is a Jukai Student in the Mountains and Rivers Order with 15 years of lay Zen practice at Fire Lotus Temple in Brooklyn, NY, Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, NY, and now Johnson City, TN. Originally from Unicoi County, Kiho is a Zen Student of ZMM’s Abbot, Shugen Roshi - and a Tea Student of Atsumi Matsuda Sensei. Her husband, Dan Burney who is a Practicing Member in the MRO, is the Studio Hum manager.
Images from our January 2026 Eye Opening Ceremony with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold Roshi, Abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery and Head of the Mountains & Rivers Order
Learn More About The Mountains & Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism
Learn More About Uraskenke Chanoyu
Tea Ceremony teachings are guided by Atsumi Soatsu Matsuda Sensei in the Unrasenke Tradition of Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chado). Atsumi Matsuda has studied tea ceremony in Japan for over 30 years and holds a Certified Tea Instructor license. She is also a member of the Urasenke U.S. & Canada Tea Ceremony Association, and the Knoxville Asian Cultural Center.
Atsumi Sensei visits the center quarterly and Chado practice session are held monthly.
