
For more photos from the February 2020 OSesshin at Tahoma Zen Monastery, see this Google Photos Album: February 2020 OSesshin
Tahoma-san Sogen-ji Zen Monastery
For more photos from the February 2020 OSesshin at Tahoma Zen Monastery, see this Google Photos Album: February 2020 OSesshin
Each day during the February OSesshin (February 6th – 12th) there will be a daily 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 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
Mid January 2020 we had several days of snow here at Tahoma. The whole region was snowed in with larger amounts the further east you went from the island. Just as it started to melt we would get a bit more. Then it warmed up and just like that, it was gone without a trace.
This January, 2020 we will hold a KoSesshin at Tahoma Zen Monastery in observance of the traditional Rohatsu sesshin. There will be three full days concluding with an early morning Bodhi Day Ceremony on Sunday the 19th. Attendance can be for the whole period or any fraction that works for you. We ask that those interested in attendance in any capacity please email us with your desired attendance. During these days drop-in attendance is available in the morning period before breakfast and the evening period after dinner.
The schedule for the first two days (January 16th and 17th) will follow our standard Day of Practice Schedule with an extended period of zazen into the late evening of the third day (January 18th). Sunday, January 19th, we will have Choka and zazen an hour earlier at 4am followed by a Bodhi Day Celebration and an informal breakfast. For those who wish to sit with the local sangha we will wrap everything up with Zazenkai at 8am.
For attendance of a day or more, we require registration. Part time attendance is allowed. Please email tahoma@tahomazenmonastery.com to signup and let us know your attendance plans.
Directions to the monastery can be found here: location and directions
Sesshin guidelines can be found here: Sesshin Guidelines
There is no fee for this sesshin but donations of food, funds or time are always welcome.
If you wish to drop in for a period of zazen, the following times are available:
4:50am to 7:55am: Choka and two periods of zazen
5:20pm to 8:30pm: Three blocks of two periods of zazen with kinhin in between.
You can sit for one hour in any of these blocks, please arrive during the kinhin, or before Gosei and leave during kinhin or at the end of the period. Sesshin attendees will be continuing directly to the next event and we ask that you directly leave and not interact with sesshin participants.
We could use your help for this sesshin. We would like to have prepared dishes: soups, salads, casseroles and other food that can be stored for a few days. We would also gratefully accept food donations of sweets for tea, coffee and snacks for breaks, fruit and vegetables that we can use at meals and really any other food items we could put to use for sesshin
Additionally if you are planning to attend we would like people to help with meal preparation, tea serving, chant services and the like. If you have taken part in any of these activities or would like to learn please let us know. Everyone will need to help in one way or another and we will do in situ training as needed.
Please come and join us at Tahoma Zen Monastery for our annual New Years Celebration. We will begin with a potluck in the kitchen. The Monastery will provide hot spiced cider and a dish or two. Please bring a vegetarian main, side, snacks or desert.
Then we will retire to the Zendo for a series of zazen and kinhin. You can always “sit out” a period of zazen, leaving during a stretch break or kinhin and taking a break, having a snack, or what-have-you, returning during another kinhin or stretch break.
At 11:30 we will have a short chant service and ceremony followed by the traditional 108 strikes on the temple Kansho Bell at midnight.
Do come for all or any part of the evenings activities as your schedule allows. Directions to the Monastery can be found here: Directions to Tahoma.
If you have any questions do contact us: Contact Information.
New Years Celebration Schedule
6:30pm Potluck in the kitchen
7:30pm cleanup
8:00pm Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin
9:00pm Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin
10:00pm Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin
11:00pm Zazen;
11:30pm New Years Chanting
12:00am Bell Ringing
For the week of December 24th to the 31st Tahoma Zen Monastery will observe the following schedule:
December 24th
4:50am Choka (chant service) and zazen
Mumon Roshi Memorial
December 25th and 26th
No activities
December 27th and 28th
4:50am Choka (chant service) and zazen
6:20pm Zazen
December 29th
4:50am Choka (chant service) and zazen
8:00am Zazenkai followed by tea
December 30th
6:20pm Zazen
December 31st
4:50am Choka (chant service) and zazen
New Years Celebration
6:30pm Potluck in the kitchen
8:00pm-11:30pm Zazen and Kinhin
11:30pm New Years Chanting
12:00am Bell Ringing
January 1st, 2020
No Activities
January 2nd, 2020
Regular schedule resumes
4:50am Choka (chant service) and zazen
6:20pm Zazen
In celebration of the Winter Solstice we will have our quarterly day of extended sitting. On Saturday December 21st, we will add several periods of uninterrupted zazen throughout the day. The regular daily schedule will be followed as normal and drop in attendance for any or all activities is encouraged. As always feel free to email us at tahoma@tahaomazenmonastery.org with any questions.
As always practitioners are welcome to come for Friday evening zazen and stay through Sunday zazenkai. Those planning on attending all day, or desiring an extended weekend of practice at Tahoma are requested to contact us to make any needed arraignments.
December 21st Solstice sit schedule
4:50am Choka; Kinhin
6:00am Zazen; Zazen;
7:00am Breakfast (formal)
8:30am Samu
11:00am Zazen; Zazen
12:00pm Lunch (formal)
1:30pm Dharma Talk; Zazen; Kinhin*
2:30pm Zazen*
3:00pm Individual practice*
4:00pm Supper (informal, optional)*
5:20pm Uninterrupted zazen; Kinhin
6:30pm Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin
7:30 Zazen; Zazen
8:25 Kaichin
* In the case that there are no signs up for the entire day we will shorten the schedule to allow for the monastery staff to not be overburdened. In that case the starred events will not be held. Do contact us us if you wish to drop-in for those events to make sure they are being held..
The special Rohatsu schedule starts Sunday, Dec. 1st and ends on Sunday, Dec. 8th. Zazen will start at 6:30a.m. each day, ending with a mini-sesshin on Dec. 8th.
The mini-sesshin will include a breakfast of oatmeal, fruit compote, peanut butter, raisins, sugar,and granola. If you would like to donate or cook any of these items, reply to this email.
Sunday, 12/1: 6:30-7:30 AM
Monday, 12/2: 6:30-7:30 AM & 7-8:30 PM
Tuesday, 12/3: 6:30-8:30 AM
Wednesday, 12/4: 6:30-7:30 AM
Thursday, 12/5: 6:30-7:30 AM
Friday, 12/6: 6:30-7:30 AM
Saturday, 12/7: 6:30-8:30 AM
Sunday, 12/8: 6:30-11:15 AM
(formal breakfast at 8AM, Sitting for part of mini-sesshin is allowed.)
For more information check the Watermoon website or contact Celia Bowker.