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April Daylong Retreat 2026

April Daylong Retreat

April 18th, 2026

With the advent of the spring Equinox daylong retreat we have entered the spring training period.  During this time we devote more of our time and energy to our practice. We might add an extra period to our daily sitting practice. Or engage in practices that can be done outside. Or work more with putting our attention fully into what we are doing: that is single-tasking. And when the opportunity arises to devote a day, or the bulk or a day to sustained practice we take it. Here now in the depths of spring we offer a daylong retreat here at the monastery and online for people anywhere.

In order to facilitate sustained practice for the myriad situations that we moderns find ourselves in we offer several options to allow you truly take advantage of this daylong retreat.

Option 1 – Drop in Attendance
You are welcome to come for any of the four blocks of practice offered throughout the day. You should arrive ten minutes early and be seated in the zendo before the outside bell is rung (gosei). Alternatively you can arrive during the midpoint of the period during kinhin (walking meditation). and join the line. If you arrive while a period is still in progress please wait in the entrance (the gaitan) until kinhin. After the block concludes, you should depart in a timely manner.

Option 2 – Part Time attendance
You can join in for part of the day across multiple periods, or arrive at a point during the day and stay until the next day, or whatever works with your schedule. Arrivals and departures should take place in-between the practice blocks so as to seamlessly integrate into the sesshin. To arrange for part time attendance it is essential to contact us with your plans some days in advance.

Option 3 – Full Time attendance
To take part in the entire retreat you need to contact us at least several days in advance to register. For full time attendance you can arrange to stay at the monastery Friday and/or Saturday night as needed.  We encourage people to arrive around 5:30 Friday evening and to stay through Sunday Zazenkai, allowing for a weekend of practice.

Please Note
We offer these events without a set cost, but please be aware that there are costs associated with putting them on and donations are very welcome.

During the spring training period we will continue to utilize Tendo’s practice book Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles, along with various supplementary material, for the various talks. This book is oriented around practice in our times and thus provides guidance for how we approach and engage in our practice in every circumstance. Additional information can be found here: Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles. 

The Dharma talk will continue our consideration of the practice of Gazing, a body of techniques for utilizing our senses and surroundings as a site of practice. This is the second talk in a series considering the theory and practice of gazing. This second part will be more oriented toward considering the various elements of this practice. The previous talk can be found here: The Practice of Gazing.

During the Instructional talk, as well as applied during the afternoon outside period of Walking, we will discuss Raindrops.  Raindrops are a technique that uses minimalist poems to engage the conceptual mind. This practice is the orientation of Tendo’s forthcoming book Raindrops on Still Water.

Previous dharma talks, Instructional Talks and Guided meditations are archived on this page: Dream Mountain Teachings.

Join us Online

We will continue to broadcast these retreats via Zoom for those unable to join us in person.  We will begin the online broadcast during regular Friday evening zazen and conclude after Sunday’s Zazenkai allowing for one to be able to extend ones practice beyond the full day.  

Essential Information for those joining online
• Please tune in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can be settled.
• Download the monastery schedule:  April Daylong Retreat Schedule [updated 4.15.26]
• The sutra book we will be using can be downloaded here: Virtual Sutra book
• Read these posts:  Guidelines for Virtual Events and Orientation to Virtual Sesshin.
• To receive the links for Virtual Events by email: Tahoma Events mailing list.

Friday Broadcast Schedule
6:30pm to 8:00pm: Zazen

Saturday Broadcast Schedule
5:00am to 7am: Choka; Zazen
10:00 to Noon: Morning Talk; Zazen
2pm to 4:00pm: Dharma Talk; Zazen
6:00pm to 8:45pm: Zazen; Closing Sutra

Zoom Link: [Event has passed]

Continue reading “April Daylong Retreat 2026”
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Buddha’s Birthday Celebration 2026

April 8th is the day where we traditionally celebrate the historical Buddha’s birthday. The legend is that there was a sweet rain of flowers when the Buddha was born. He immediately took seven steps representing the seven cardinal directions and pointing up to the sky and down toward the earth said “Above the heavens and below the earth I alone am the world honored one!” We honor this event with a ceremony where we bath a statue of the baby Buddha with sweet tea and offer incense.

We will celebrate the Buddha’s birthday in a public ceremony at the monastery which will also be offered online. The ceremony will begin at 6:00am with a short period of zazen followed by a chant service and then the ceremonial bathing of the baby buddha and offering of incense. We will conclude with chanting of the four great Bodhisattva vows and sampai (prostrations).

You are also welcome to join us for our morning chant service and zazen for which you should be seated in the zendo by 5:20am. If you wish to come just for the ceremony please arrive around 5:55am and join in the walking meditation before we begin the service at 6am.

We will also broadcast this event online for those unable to join us in person. You will need to have a copy of the updated version of our online Sutra Book which contains all of the necessary chants.

Zoom Link: [event has passed]

Order of events
5:30am: Choka (Sutra chanting, p. 1-14 in the sutra book)
5:55am: Walking meditation ( please join during this period)
6:05am: Zazen
6:30am: Ceremony
Chanting:
Hannya Shingyo (page 6)
Sho Sai Shu Dharani (page 7)
Dai Hi Shu Dharani (page 10)
Eko (read by densu)
Verse of Ambrosial Nectar (page 42)
Bathing of the buddha and offering of incense
Chanting: Four Great Vows (page 14)
Sampai

Sutra Book: Sutra Book

Please contact us with any questions. We are only able hold these events thanks your generous support.


Posted on

May 2026 Samu Sesshin

Update (04.03.26):
We are still accepting applications for this sesshin. If interested, apply now, and the registrar will contact you with further details.

—

Dear One Drop Sangha and Friends,

The May 2026 Samu OSesshin with Harada Roshi at Tahoma Zen Monastery begins with kokuho on the evening of Friday, May 15th and concludes the evening of Friday, May 22nd. The samu sesshin has a two-hour samu in the morning.

OSesshin: Friday, May 15th – Friday May 22nd, 2026

  • Kokuho is Friday evening, May 15th.
  • Partial attendance for two, three, or five consecutive days is permitted. Attendance must begin with the orientation and kokuho on Friday, May 15th. Priority will be given to those who can attend for the full week. If you sign up for fewer days, then during sesshin decide you want to stay longer, that will be permitted.
  • A reduced schedule with a later start in the morning or an earlier end in the evening is available for those over 70. This may also be available for those whose physical needs require an abbreviated schedule. Those following the reduced schedule will need to find accommodations outside of the monastery. Unfortunately, Enso House is no longer available for this.
  • OSesshin concludes the evening of Friday, May 22nd.
  • The link to the OSesshin application is near the bottom of this email. 
  • The application deadline is Monday, March 30th. We will send out acceptance emails around April 2nd. If you are accepted, we’ll send you a link to a page where you’ll confirm your attendance and agree to the sesshin policies. Payment information will be included in the acceptance email. Please pay your sesshin fee as soon as possible.
  • You must confirm your attendance by April 15th or you might be placed on the wait list and your place given to someone else. You will be able to change your arrival/departure dates later if necessary. 
  • The fee is $450 for the week, or $75 a day for partial attendance. Donations to support financial aid are welcome. Details about financial aid are on the application form.
  • Information about our covid protocol is below.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THIS OSESSHIN

  • We are not requiring a covid vaccination, but you are encouraged to get one. You are also encouraged to get a flu shot. It’s best to get vaccinations at least six weeks before the sesshin.
  • We might require masks during chanting, so please bring some N95/KN95 masks. Also, if you fly or use public transit to get to Tahoma, please wear a mask at those times.
  • Covid protocols are subject to change. If you are accepted into the sesshin, please read any updated information that may be provided on the Policies Agreement you will receive.
  • If you are accepted into the sesshin, but feel unwell before you come, please consider cancelling. We’ll refund your fee and accept you into the next sesshin if you wish.
  • If you would like to arrive a day or two before sesshin and/or stay a day or two after sesshin please give us your arrival and departure dates when you complete the Policies Agreement. Any help with set up before or clean up following OSesshin would be greatly appreciated. 
  • Sesshin begins the evening of May 15th. If you haven’t been to Tahoma before, we strongly suggest that you arrive on the 14th to orient yourself to the grounds, buildings, and practices of Tahoma. If you’ve attended sesshin at Tahoma before, please plan to arrive early in the afternoon on May 15th. Plan for possible delays due to traffic or ferry lines. On May 15th, supper is at 4 pm, orientation is at 5 pm, zendo orientation is at 7:15 pm, and kokuho is a 7:50 pm.
  • In the first half of May, there will be an online meeting for people who have not attended sesshin at Tahoma before.
  • We hope that we will be able to conduct this OSesshin, but please be aware that our plans, as well as the dates, may need to change suddenly and without notice. If you are purchasing airline tickets please be prepared to cancel your reservations.
  • There may be a wait list. Those on the wait list will be contacted immediately as spaces become available.

Apply here: OSesshin Application
 

Thank you,
ZenE Tami Settergren
OSesshin registrar
Tahoma Zen Monastery
tahomaapplication@gmail.com

Posted on

March Daylong Retreat 2026

March Daylong Retreat

March 21st, 2026


Update
The talks from this retreat have been posted online. If you’d like to revisit them, or were unable to make the retreat they can be downloaded here: March Daylong Retreat Talks.

—

Please join us during the vernal equinox for a day devoted to practice. The winter is winding down and we dedicate ourselves to a period of spring cleaning. It is not just the dusty corners of our houses that need attention, but our minds as well. Please join us at the monastery for a day oriented around throwing the windows wide and air out those dusty corners of the mind.

Daylong retreats are an opportunity for sustained practice, to delve into this great matter in a more concentrated way. In order to facilitate sustained practice for the myriad situations that we moderns find ourselves in we offer several options to facilitate taking advantage of this daylong retreat.

Option 1 – Drop in Attendance
You are welcome to come for any of the four blocks of practice offered throughout the day. You should arrive ten minutes early and be seated in the zendo before the outside bell is rung (gosei). Alternatively you can arrive during the midpoint of the period during kinhin (walking meditation). and join the line. If you arrive while a period is still in progress please wait in the entrance (the gaitan) until kinhin. After the block concludes, you should depart in a timely manner.

Option 2 – Part Time attendance
You can join in for part of the day across multiple periods, or arrive at a point during the day and stay until the next day, or whatever works with your schedule. Arrivals and departures should take place in-between the practice blocks so as to seamlessly integrate into the sesshin. To arrange for part time attendance it is essential to contact us with your plans some days in advance.

Option 3 – Full Time attendance
To take part in the entire retreat you need to contact us at least several days in advance to register. For full time attendance you can arrange to stay at the monastery Friday and/or Saturday night as needed.  We encourage people to arrive around 5:30 Friday evening and to stay through Sunday Zazenkai, allowing for a weekend of practice.

Please Note
We offer these events without a set cost, but please be aware that there are costs associated with putting them on and donations are very welcome.

In 2026 we will continue to utilize Tendo’s practice book Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles, along with various supplementary material, for the various talks. This book is oriented around practice in our times and thus provides guidance for how we approach and engage in our practice in every circumstance. Additional information can be found here: Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles. 

The Dharma talk will by on the practice of Gazing, a body of techniques for utilizing our senses and surroundings as a site of practice. This talk will consider how this technique is at the root of all our practices and just what is actually happening when we engage in it. There will also be an instructional talk mid-morning covering some of the many practical techniques utilized in the practice of gazing. Previous dharma talks, Instructional Talks and Guided meditations are archived on this page: Dream Mountain Teachings.

Join us Online

We will continue to broadcast these retreats via Zoom for those unable to join us in person.  We will begin the online broadcast during regular Friday evening zazen and conclude after Sunday’s Zazenkai allowing for one to be able to extend ones practice beyond the full day.  

Essential Information for those joining online
• Please tune in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can be settled.
• Download the monastery schedule:  Spring Daylong Retreat Schedule
• The sutra book we will be using can be downloaded here: Virtual Sutra book
• Read these posts:  Guidelines for Virtual Events and Orientation to Virtual Sesshin.
• To receive the links for Virtual Events by email: Tahoma Events mailing list.

Friday Broadcast Schedule
6:30pm to 8:00pm: Zazen

Saturday Broadcast Schedule
5:00am to 7am: Choka; Zazen
10:00 to Noon: Instructional Talk; Zazen
2pm to 4:00pm: Dharma Talk; Zazen
6:00pm to 8:45pm: Zazen; Closing Sutra

Zoom Link: [ Event has Passed]

Continue reading “March Daylong Retreat 2026”
Posted on

Public Teisho During the February OSesshin

Public Teisho During February OSesshin

February 5th through 11th, 1pm

[Event has Passed]

Every day during the OSesshin there will be Teisho (dharma talk) from Shodo Harada Roshi. Talks are in Japanese with translations by Daichi Zenni. The talks begin at 1pm and it is requested that attendees arrive 10-15 minutes early to allow time to walk to the zendo and get settled. There will be staff to assist with parking and making your way to zendo. There will be chairs and cushions available for seating and staff on hand to facilitate finding your seat.

Roshi will be speaking on public cases (koans) from the Blue Cliff Record. Please do come for this unique opportunity to hear a living Zen Master speak on the words of our Zen ancestors. 

Directions to the Monastery can be found here:
Visiting Tahoma Zen Monastery

PLEASE NOTE
The monastery will otherwise be closed to the public during the sesshin.
Please see our calendar for the resumption of our regular schedule.

[Event has Passed]

Posted on

Community Samu January 31st

January 31st Community Samu Day
We encourage everyone in the general vicinity of the monastery to come join us in samu (work practice) toward the maintenance and upkeep of our monastery. Samu is a an opportunity to take part in practice in the midst of regular activities, engaging the One Mind in the actions we are engaged with. There are indoor tasks and outside tasks that need doing as we ready the monastery for the February OSesshin.

Please join us Saturday, January 31st for a morning of work practice. We meet at the kitchen deck (coffee and tea provided) at a bit before 8:30am. We will work until a little after noon and then share in a simple meal at 12:30pm.

Community Samu, January 31st, 2026
8:15-8:30am – Meet on the Kitchen deck
8:30am – Inside and outside cleaning
12:15pm – Cleanup
12:30pm – Vegetarian lunch

Directions to the monastery: Getting to Tahoma

Please contact us if you have any questions. As always we are deeply appreciative for the support of the sangha; we couldn’t exist without your continuing support.

Posted on

January Daylong Retreat 2026

January Daylong Retreat

January 17th, 2026


Update 01.24.26:
The talks from this retreat has been posted. See here for details:

Talks on Non-Dwelling

—

The New Year is a time for renewal–a time to renew our vows to liberate all beings, to rededicate ourselves to investigation into this great matter and to engage in Serious Practice. To best take advantage of the sesshin we engage in, we must practice seriously throughout the year. Week long retreats should be devoted to awakening and thus we must sustain our practice in between. Daily practice, deeper monthly practice, this is what nourishes us, keeps our condition strong, the practice simmering along. 

Daylong retreats are an opportunity for sustained practice, to delve into this great matter in a more concentrated way. In order to facilitate sustained practice for the myriad situations that we moderns find ourselves in we offer several options to facilitate taking advantage of this daylong retreat.

Option 1 – Drop in Attendance
You are welcome to come for any of the four blocks of practice offered throughout the day. You should arrive ten minutes early and be seated in the zendo before the outside bell is rung (gosei). Alternatively you can arrive during the midpoint of the period during kinhin (walking meditation). and join the line. If you arrive while a period is still in progress please wait in the entrance (the gaitan) until kinhin. After the block concludes, you should depart in a timely manner.

Option 2 – Part Time attendance
You can join in for part of the day across multiple periods, or arrive at a point during the day and stay until the next day, or whatever works with your schedule. Arrivals and departures should take place in-between the practice blocks so as to seamlessly integrate into the sesshin. To arrange for part time attendance it is essential to contact us with your plans some days in advance.

Option 3 – Full Time attendance
To take part in the entire retreat you need to contact us at least several days in advance to register. For full time attendance you can arrange to stay at the monastery Friday and/or Saturday night as needed. 

Please Note
We offer these events without a set cost, but please be aware that there are costs associated with putting them on and donations are very welcome.

In 2026 we will continue to utilize Tendo’s practice book Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles, along with various supplementary material, for the various talks. This book is oriented around practice in our times and thus provides guidance for how we approach and engage in our practice in every circumstance. Additional information can be found here: Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles. 

The Dharma talk will by on the practice of Gazing, a body of techniques for utilizing our senses and surroundings as a site of practice. There will also be an instructional talk mid-morning considering Non-Dwelling. Previous dharma talks, Instructional Talks and Guided meditations are archived on this page: Dream Mountain Teachings.

Join us Online

We will continue to broadcast these retreats via Zoom for those unable to join us in person.  We will begin the online broadcast during regular Friday evening zazen and conclude after Sunday’s Zazenkai allowing for one to be able to extend ones practice beyond the full day.  

Essential Information for those joining online
• Please tune in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can be settled.
• Download the monastery schedule:  2026 Winter Retreat Schedule
• The sutra book we will be using can be downloaded here: Virtual Sutra book
• Read these posts:  Guidelines for Virtual Events and Orientation to Virtual Sesshin.
• To receive the links for Virtual Events by email: Tahoma Events mailing list.

Friday Broadcast Schedule
6:30pm to 8:00pm: Zazen

Saturday Broadcast Schedule
5:00am to 7am: Choka; Zazen
10:00 to Noon: Instructional Talk; Zazen
2pm to 4:00pm: Dharma Talk; Zazen
6:00pm to 8:45pm: Zazen; Closing Sutra

Zoom Link: [Event has Passed]

Continue reading “January Daylong Retreat 2026”
Posted on

Zazenkai December 21st, 2025

Every Sunday from 8am to around 9:30am we hold community zazen, or Zazenkai. It is a straightforward service with chanting, zazen, a short talk an opportunity at the end for casual conversation. Join us and meet the local sangha, learn the basics of Rinzai form and engage in the practice. For those unable to attend in person it is also available online via Zoom.

Zoom Link: [Event Has Passed]

For more information on online Zazenkai see this post: Virtual Zazenkai

Chanting
Please download our full chant book for our opening chants: Virtual Sutra Book
We typically chant the Heart Sutra, page 1, Hakuin Zenji’s Song of Zazen, page 11 and The Four Bodhisattva Vows., page 16.

Reading
For 2025 we will continue reading from a collection of essay’s written by Mumon Roshi on Hakuin’s zenji’s Song of Zazen. A popular text in Japan since its publication the prolific Hakuin translator Norman Waddell translated it and it was published in Japan a year ago. Now Shambhala is releasing the book worldwide in early February. Publication and purchasing information here:  Zen Master Hakuin’s Song of Zazen

Please note that we have setup a mailing list that will send out the Zoom link every week. Click to Join the Tahoma Events Mailing List

We are only able hold these events thanks your generous support.