Bodhi Day Ceremony / Zazenkai Sunday, December 7th, 2025
Bodhi Day celebrates the awakening of the Buddha. It culminates the our end of the autumn training period Rohatsu retreat. The Bodhi Day ceremony is open to all, whether you took part in any of the rest of the retreat or not, and at the very reasonable hour of 8am. I would like to encourage all in the community, especially those who haven’t come to Zazenkai in while, to consider coming for this ceremony and connecting (or reconnecting) with the local sangha.
We will follow the usual Zazenkai schedule and hold the ceremony in the second half of the program. The whole morning will be broadcast via Zoom (details below).
Celebration We will follow the Bodhi Day ceremony with a casual celebratory gathering in the Tahoma Dining Hall. This is open to everyone, no participation in any of the week, or even days events required. We would like to celebrate with all in our community. We will provide hot and cold drinks and sweet and savory snacks. If you want to bring something to share, by all means please do, but just bringing yourself will suffice. We’ll be in the Dining Hall by 9:45am.
Rohatsu Retreat and Bodhi Day Ceremony November 30th-December 7th, 2025
Update 12.05.25 We have added to the schedule an Instructional Talk on the investigative method of Interrogation (huatou, koan). This will be 10am on Saturday, Dec. 6th. These techniques, of working skillfully with words, are so often approached in an ineffective manner. We will try to clearly present the technique with this talk.
Update 12.01.25 The opening talk from this retreat, given on Sunday Nov. 30th, is now available for download. This talk discussed how we approach retreat and the necessity and level of commitment we should bring to intensive practice. It concludes with the first entry from Haukin Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations. Download here: Approaching Retreat–Rohatsu 2025
The autumn training period culminates with the Rohatsu sesshin commemorating the Buddha’s awakening. This is always the most intense training period of the year in which one brings a years worth of training to bear. This year Rohatsu at Tahoma will run from November 30th-December 7th with extended practice during our regular schedule leading up to a stretch of full-time, practice and culminating with the Bodhi Day Ceremony during regular Sunday Zazenkai.
The Bodhi Day ceremony is open to all and at the very reasonable time of 8am. I would like to encourage all in the community, especially those who haven’t come to zazenkai in while, to consider coming for this ceremony and connecting with the local sangha. We will follow the Bodhi Day ceremony with a casual holiday gathering in the Tahoma kitchen.
The retreat will follow the pattern we have utilized in the past for Rohatsu at Tahoma where our days get longer and more intense as we go through the week as well as acknowledging the realities of practice here at this time. Likewise as is our tradition each evening of the retreat in the first period after golden hour we will read from Hakuin Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations (available here).
All of the practice periods during this week are open to drop-in attendance and during the full-time intensive period, residential practice. Additionally the entire retreat will be broadcast via zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the website in the days prior and sent out in the Tahoma Events weekly mailing.
Residential Retreat Options The full time intensive training will take place December 4th-7th, with residency available. Please note that one can stay overnight any of these days, so you could, for instance, be resident from Saturday through the Bodhi Day Ceremony on Sunday for more of a weekend retreat. We need to know at least a few days in advance if you wish to stay here overnight. Please contact us if you would like to register for residential practice or if you have any additional questions.
Drop in and part time options are available as usual, please contact uswith any questions. We need to be notified in advance if you wish to stay through any meals to aid in our food preparation.
Rohatsu Daily Schedule
Day 1: Sunday, November 30th 8am – 9:30am: Zazenkai and Rohatsu opening with reading from Rohatsu Exhortations.
Day 2: Monday, December 1st 6pm: Uninterrupted Zazen; Kinhin 7pm: Rohatsu Exhortationsreading; Zazen; Kinhin 8pm: Zazen
Days 3 & 4: Tuesday December 2nd and Wednesday December 3rd 5am: Choka; Zazen; Kinhin 6am: Zazen 6pm: Uninterrupted Zazen; Kinhin 7pm: Rohatsu Exhortationsreading; Zazen; Kinhin 8pm: Zazen
Days 5-7 Thursday, December 4th – Saturday, December 6th 5am: Choka; Zazen; Kinhin 6am: Zazen 10am: Instructional Talk [Day 7] / Zazen [Day 5, 6 11am: Zazen 2pm: Dharma Talk; Kinhin; 3pm: Zazen 6pm: Uninterrupted Zazen; Kinhin 7pm: Rohatsu Exhortationsreading; Zazen; Kinhin 8pm: Zazen; kinhin 9pm: Zazen [Each day runs longer; please download the Schedule for complete details.]
Day 8: Sunday, December 7th 5am: Zazen; Kinhin 5:45am: Closing Sutras; Closing Remarks 8am: Zazenkai and Bodhi Day Ceremony 9:45am: Bodhi Day Celebration (in-person only)
This retreat is offered without charge, however there are costs to putting it on, so please consider making a donation online or in person with this in mind.
Bodhi Day Ceremony / Zazenkai Sunday, December 8th, 2024
Bodhi Day celebrates the awakening of the Buddha. It culminate the week long end of year Rohatsu retreat. The Bodhi Day ceremony this year is open to all, whether you took part in any of the rest of the retreat or not, and at the very reasonable hour of 8am. I would like to encourage all in the community, especially those who haven’t come to Zazenkai in while, to consider coming for this ceremony and connecting (or reconnecting) with the local sangha. We will follow the usual Zazenkai schedule and hold the ceremony in the second half of the program. The whole morning will be broadcast via Zoom (details below
Celebration We will follow the Bodhi Day ceremony with a casual celebratory gathering in the Tahoma Dining Hall. This is open to everyone, no participation in any of the week, or even days events required. We would like to celebrate with all in our community. We will provide hot and cold drinks and sweet and savory snacks. If you want to bring something to share, by all means please do, but just bringing yourself will suffice. We’ll be in the Dining Hall by 9:45am.
Sunday, December 8thSchedule
Day 8: Morning Schedule 5am; Zazen; Kinhin; Kaimei Han 5:45am: Closing Sutras (p. 3,4,7); Sampai; Closing Remarks 6:25am Breakfast
Rohatsu Retreat and Bodhi Day Ceremony December 1st-8th, 2024
The autumn training period culminates with the Rohtasu sesshin commemorating the Buddha’s awakening. This is always the most intense training period of the year in which one brings a years worth of training to bear. This year Rohatsu at Tahoma will run from December 1st through the 8th with extended practice during our regular schedule leading up to a stretch of full-time, practice and culminating in the Bodhi Day Ceremony during regular Sunday Zazenkai.
The Bodhi Day ceremony is open to all and at the very reasonable time of 8am. I would like to encourage all in the community, especially those who haven’t come to zazenkai in while, to consider coming for this ceremony and connecting with the local sangha. We will follow the Bodhi Day ceremony with a casual holiday gathering in the Tahoma kitchen.
This follows the pattern we have utilized in the past for Rohatsu at Tahoma where our days get longer and more intense as we go through the week as well as acknowledging the realities of practice here at this time. Likewise as is our tradition each evening of the retreat in the first period after golden hour we will read from Hakuin Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations (available here).
The Rohatsu Exhortations talks will consider practice as Hakuin exhorted his monks to engage in, but will also consider practice from several angles including what we in this retreat are doing right now. Further information on this, as well as recordings of each days talks will be posted on the Drafty Mountain Hut practice blog.. I particularly encourage those taking part in the retreat to listen to the first nights talk as in it both the retreat is introduced as well as a parallel text that we will consider along with the Rohatsu Exhortations. Rohatsu Exhortations Talks: A Pluralistic Approach, Part 2, Part 3
All of the practice periods during this week are open to drop-in attendance and during the full-time intensive period, residential practice. Additionally the entire retreat will be broadcast via zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the website in the days prior and sent out in the Tahoma Events weekly mailing.
Residential Retreat Options The full time intensive training will take place December 5th-8th, with residency available. Please note that one can stay overnight from Saturday to the Bodhi Day Ceremony on Sunday for a full day intensive option. We need to know at least a few days in advance if you wish to stay here overnight. Please contact us if you would like to register for residential practice or if you have any additional questions.
Bodhi Day celebrates the awakening of the Buddha. It culminate the week long end of year Rohatsu retreat. The Bodhi Day ceremony this year is open to all, whether you took part in any of the rest of the retreat or not, and at the very reasonable hour of 8am. I would like to encourage all in the community, especially those who haven’t come to Zazenkai in while, to consider coming for this ceremony and connecting (or reconnecting) with the local sangha. We will follow the usual Zazenkai schedule and hold the ceremony in the second half of the program. The whole morning will be broadcast via Zoom (details below
Celebration We will follow the Bodhi Day ceremony with a casual celebratory gathering in the Tahoma Dining Hall. This is open to everyone, no participation in any of the week, or even days events required. We would like to celebrate with all in our community. We will provide hot and cold drinks and sweet and savory snacks. If you want to bring something to share, by all means please do. But just bringing yourself will suffice. We ill be in the Dining Hall around 9:35am.
Sunday, December 10thSchedule
Day 8: Morning Schedule 5am; Zazen; Kinhin; Kaimei Han 5:45am: Closing Sutras (p. 3, 7); Sampai; Closing Remarks 6:25am Breakfast
November 23rd 5am: Regular morning service. No evening meditation.
November 24th No morning service. 6:30pm: Regular evening meditation.
December 3rd Zazenkai 8am. In person and online. Start of Rohatsu Sesshin. Details: Rohatsu Retreat.
December 4th-7th 5am: Regular morning service. 6pm-8:45pm : Extended evening meditation in observance of Rohatsu. All events offered in person and online. Details: Rohatsu Retreat.
December 8th and 9th Rohatsu Weekend Retreat. In person and online. Details: Rohatsu Retreat.
December 10th, Bodhi Day Ceremony and Holiday Gathering 8am: Bodhi Day ceremony during our regular Zazenkai. Open to all. 9:30am: Followed by an informal holiday gathering. Details: Rohatsu Retreat And Bodhi Day Ceremony.
December 23rd, 2023 – January 5th, 2024 Winter closure: no online or in-person events
January 6th, 2024 Regular daily schedule resumes.
All days not specifically listed will be on our regular schedule. Please see our Calendar for the events offered for each day. This is kept up to date with any changes to the daily schedule.
Rohatsu Retreat and Bodhi Day Ceremony December 3rd-10th, 2023
The autumn training period culminates with the Rohtasu sesshin commemorating the Buddha’s awakening. This is always the most intense training period of the year in which one brings a years worth of training to bear. This year Rohatsu at Tahoma will run from December 3rd through the 10th with extended practice during our regular schedule leading up to a weekend retreat and culminating in the Bodhi Day Ceremony during regular Sunday Zazenkai. The Bodhi Day ceremony this year is open to all and at the very reasonable time of 8am. I would like to encourage all in the community, especially those who haven’t come to zazenkai in while, to consider coming for this ceremony and connecting with the local sangha. We will follow the Bodhi Day ceremony with a casual holiday gathering in the Tahoma kitchen.
This follows the pattern we have utilized with Rohatsu at Tahoma where our days get longer and more intense as we go through the week as well as acknowledging the realities of practice here at this time. Likewise as is our tradition each evening of the retreat in the first period after golden hour we will read from Hakuin Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations (available here).
All of the practice periods during this time are open to drop-in attendance and during the weekend retreat, residential practice. Additionally the entire retreat will be broadcast via zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the website in the days prior and sent out in the Tahoma Events weekly mailing. Please contact us if you would like to take part in residential practice or if you have any additional questions.
ScheduleOverview
Day 1: Sunday, December 3rd 8am – 9:30am: Zazenkai and Rohatsu opening with reading from Rohatsu Exhortations.
Day 2: Monday, December 4th 6pm – 8:45pm: Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations around 7pm.
Days 3-5: Tuesday– Thursday December 7th 5am: Choka; Zazen (short period); Kinhin 6am: Zazen; Zazen 6pm: Uninterrupted Zazen; Kinhin 7pm: Rohatsu Exhortations reading and Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin 8pm: Zazen; Zazen
Days 6: Friday, December 8th 5am-7am: Choka and Zazen 11-noon: Zazen 2pm – 4pm: Dharma Talk and zazen 6pm – 9:25pm: Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations around 7pm. Please see the Rohatsu Sesshin Schedule for these days.
Day 7: Saturday, December 9th 5am-7am: Choka and Zazen 10am-noon: Zazen 2pm – 4pm: Dharma Talk and zazen 6pm – 10pm: Zazen with reading from the Rohatsu Exhortations around 7pm. Please see the Rohatsu Sesshin Schedule for these days.
Day 8: Sunday, December 10th 5am; Zazen; Kinhin 5:45am: Closing Sutras; Closing Remarks 8am – 9:30am: Zazenkai and Bodhi Day Ceremony
This retreat is offered without charge, however there are costs to putting it on, so please consider making a donation online or in person with this in mind.
The autumn training period culminates with the Rohtasu sesshin commemorating the Buddha’s awakening. This is always the most intense retreat of the year in which one brings the years worth of training to bear. This year Rohatsu at Tahoma will run from December 4th through the 11th. As has been the case with all Rohatsu’s at Tahoma the days get longer and more intense as we go through the week. For this year, the first three days of this retreat will be drop in only with periods in the morning and evening. The remaining days will be our regular full time Rohatsu schedule with drop in and residency options. All in-person attendance requires you to be fully vaccinated with the booster. The entire retreat will be broadcast via zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the website in the days prior and sent out in the Tahoma Events weekly mailing
Each evening of the retreat in the first period after golden hour we will read from Hakuin Zenji’s Rohatsu Exhortations (available here). During the full days of retreat the dharma talks will be from Torei Zenji’s Discourse on the Inexhaustible Lamp of the Zen School continuing with the chapter on Faith and Practice. Previous talks on this text can be found here. Day 6 and 7 will feature 10am instructional talks continuing the Autumn Training period theme of Calming and Contemplation. The previous talks can be found here.
12.08.21 – Thanks to all who took part in our Rohatsu Sesshin, I dearly hope it was a fruitful experience. My apologize for being unable to broadcast the very final session, the Bodhi Day Ceremony. As I had feared the strong winds brought down trees all over the Island and we were without power for nearly 12 hours.
“Every sit builds toward sesshin; every sesshin builds toward Rohatsu.”
Tahoma will hold Rohatsu Sesshin on the traditional days, December 1st through 8th. This will be offered as an online retreat but there also be limited opportunities for those in the local area to attend in-person and our evening session will remain open to drop-in attendance (vaccination and masks required) As the culmination of the Autumn Kessei as well as the training year, we can all dedicate ourselves to an extended week of zazen. OSesshin is always an opportunity to go deep and push ourselves beyond our limits, Rohatsu even more-so as we are asked to leave it all on the table. A virtual sesshin does demand more from us in order to deeply take advantage of the opportunity. The broadcast provides a structure, just as attending a sesshin in-person does, but the commitment is up to the individual. If one is able commit to doing the entire sesshin, prepare yourself a space where you can minimize distractions. Have your meals planned out and the shopping completed. Work out a way to do kinhin and physical practice. Then just flow along with the schedule. During the Dharma talks we will continue our investigation of the Letters of Dahui and his teachings for lay practitioners without ready access to a teacher. Truly valuable teachings for these times and for lay practice in general.
Online Retreat Information
We will begin with a period of zazen and kokuho on November 30th. Kokuho will include any orientation information needed for online participants. During the week of retreat Zoom broadcast throughout the day will be in four blocks with the evening broadcast becoming longer and longer as as the week goes on.
