Every Sunday from 8am to around 9:30am we hold virtual community zazen, or Zazenkai service. It is a simple service with chanting, zazen, a short talk and chance at the end for casual discussion. Please join us online when you are able.
Zoom Meeting Link: [Event has now passed]
Download the Zoom Client for your computer or device. You can click on the Join Meeting Link above and it will walk you through installing the software. Do get yourself setup before the meeting. You can join the meeting early; you will simply wait until the host (Tahoma) starts the meeting.
For more details on the Virtual Zazenkai please see this post: Virtual Zazenkai
Please note that we have setup a mailing list that will send out the Zoom link every week. This is recommended as for security reasons we may have to only mail out the link.
Every month we try to offer a full day of practice, a one day retreat. In such times were we are not able to meet together in person, we will hold these events virtually utilizing the Zoom Platform. We will necessarily be modifying this event from our stand Day of Practice schedule as we all have to attend to our own meals, samu and breaks.
For this virtual Day of Practice we will offer periods of zazen throughout the day. The day will run from 5:00a.m. until 8:30p.m. with four main periods throughout the day. The Zoom link will allow you to join in for any of these events for as long as you are able. There will be periodic breaks and periods of walking meditation which will be announce and which you will undertake on your own.
We will follow the standard Tahoma Choka, with the omission of Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo and after The Four Great Vows we will chant Dai Segaki for the dead and dying and then conclude with Sampai.
Every month we try to offer a full day of practice, a one day retreat. In such times were we are not able to meet together in person, we will hold these events virtually utilizing the Zoom Platform. We will necessarily be modifying this event from our stand Day of Practice schedule as we all have to attend to our own meals, samu and breaks. Please see the schedule below and read through our Guidelines for Virtual Events and join the Tahoma Virtual Events mailing list. The link for the Zoom meeting will only be sent out via the email list.
For this virtual Day of Practice we will offer periods of zazen throughout the day. The day will run from 5:00a.m. until 8:30p.m. with four main periods throughout the day. The Zoom link will allow you to join in for any of these events for as long as you are able. There will be periodic breaks and periods of walking meditation which will be announce and which you will undertake on your own.
The Schedule for this day will be
5:00am-7:00am
Choka (Sutras); Zazen
7:00am to 11:00am
Breakfast / samu / break
11:00am-Noon
Zazen
12pm-1:30pm
Lunch / break
1:30pm-3:30pm
Dharma Talk; Zazen
3:30pm-5:30pm
Break / dinner
5:30pm-6:30pm
Uninterrupted Zazen
6:30pm-8:30pm
Zazen
Events in Bold will be streamed, events in Italics are self-directed.
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.
The post outlines what we will be engaging in at Tahoma Zen Monastery for the week of January 12th through the 19th. We encourage anyone interested in taking part in any of this to contact us (see the contact page). Part time attendance is perfectly acceptable and drop-in opportunities are available in the mornings, evenings and during the dharma talks. More details below.
General Overview
Rohatsu is an eight day sesshin that is thought of as one continuous day. This is in commemoration of the Buddha’s vow to sit under the Bodhi tree until awakening. In honoring this event we will engage in activities for a full eight days from Sunday the 12th through Sunday the 19th. We will sound the Han in the morning of the 12th and not sound it again until the Bodhi Ceremony on the 19th. From the 12th to the 15th we will follow our normal monastery schedule (which can be found here) but will have readings from Hakuin Ekaku Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations.
At 5pm on January 15th, we will offer an option orientation for the kosesshin. There will be information useful for all attendees but would be of particular value for first timers and those who will be staying at the monastery. There will be a light meal available at this time as well.
We will begin the kosesshin, on the 16th at 4:50am and this will continue throughout the day until around 9pm. There will be a complete schedule posted around campus and individual copies will be handed out at orientation and then made available in the kitchen. On Saturday the 18th the evening will continue until 11pm or so. Sunday the 19th we will start at 3:50am with the Bodhi Day ceremony. There will then be an informal breakfast in the kitchen and a period of cleanup. This will conclude the Rohatsu Observance but we will as alway have zazenkai at 8pm followed by an informal tea. I would encourage everyone who can to stay for this.
Rohatsu Observance WeekSchedule
January 12th 4:50am – Regular morning Choka and Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations January 13th 6:20pm – Regular Evening Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations January 14th 4:50am- Regular morning Choka and Zazen 6:20pm- Regular Evening Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations January 15th 4:50am – Regular morning Choka and Zazen 6:20pm – Regular Evening Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations
Rohatsu Observance Kosesshin January 16th Rohatsu Observance day 1 – 4:50am to 9:00pm January 17th Rohatsu Observance day 2 – 4:50am to 9:30pm January 18th Rohatsu Observance day 3 – 4:50am to 11:00pm January 19th Rohatsu Observance day 4 -3:50am Bodhi Ceremony Breakfast and cleanup
During the kosesshin drop-in opportunities for zazen are available from: 4:50am to 7am – morning sutras and zazen with kinhin at the hour 1:50pm to 4pm – dharma talk and zazen with kinhin at the hour 5:20 to 8:30 – three periods of zazen with kinhin at the half hour
Dharma Talk Study Material
There will be a Dharma Talk every day during the kosesshin during the 2pm to 4pm block. This is open for people to drop in if they wish. If you would like to do so, you should be seating in the zendo by 1:50. You can then leave during the 2pm Kinhin or remain for the next period of zazen until 4pm
During this retreat we are going to work with Chan Master Sheng Yen’s Shattering the Great Doubt. We are going to be working through the Ch’an approach to zazen and several other practices leading up to the Huatoa (Jp: wato) practice that is the core of this book. There will be daily talks oriented around these practices as well as an overview of the Ch’an approach with historical material describing and advocating for these practices. There will also be times where new techniques are introduced and Q&A periods for deeper investigation into our personal practice.
Each evening we will read from Hakuin Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations. We will be using the Eido Shimano translation published by the Zen Studies Society. This can be purchased here: ZSS Books.
It is not necessary to have a copy of either of these books for the retreat. If however you would like to have a copy for personal study this is encouraged. During sesshin one typically only engages in reading material related to their practices (koans for instance) or teisho. These texts will be considered appropriate to read during this sesshin during the breaks or before the Dharma Talks.
On day 2, there will be another round of kinhin and zazen until around 9:30. On day 3 there will be two more rounds of kinhin and zazen until around 11. Day 4 begins at 3:50 seated on the cushion for choka. Detailed schedule will be posted around the monastery.
