November Daylong Retreat
November 15th, 2025
As it turns cold, rainy and dark this is the best time to renew our dedication to practice. Practice is a muscle that must be exercised to maintain its conditioning and to increase its strength and endurance These 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 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.
The talks during this retreat will be from the recently released second edition of Tendo’s practice book Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles. This completely revised and expanded edition of the book is available everywhere including as an eBook on all major platforms, for last minute acquisition. Additional information can be found here: Dewdrops on Stinging Nettles.
The Dharma talk will continue with the Introduction to the Dream Mountain Way began at the Summer retreats. The earlier parts are all archived and can be dowloaded from the Teachings page on the Dream Mountain site.. This fourth and final part will be on Right Orientation for Practice. There will also be an instructional talk mid-morning considering Investigating Thoughts. All of the previous instructional and dharma talks 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: November 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.
