Tag: Samu

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May 2025 OSesshin

Dear One Drop Sangha and Friends,

The May 2025 OSesshin with Harada Roshi at Tahoma Zen Monastery begins with kokuho on the evening of Thursday, May 15th and concludes the evening of Thursday, May 22nd. 

OSesshin: Thursday, May 15th – Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

  • Kokuho is Thursday evening, May 15th.
  • This sesshin will be a samu sesshin with an extended samu period in the morning and one 25-minute period of zazen before lunch. There may be additional periods of zazen in the afternoon after teisho.
  • OSesshin concludes the evening of Thursday, May 22nd.
  • The link to the OSesshin application is near the bottom of this email. 
  • The fee is $450. Donations to support financial aid are welcomed.
  • Information about our covid protocol is below.

The application deadline for OSesshin is Monday, April 7th, 2025. You will receive an email regarding your acceptance or wait list status soon after the deadline. If you are accepted, we’ll send you a link to a page where you’ll confirm your attendance and agree to the sesshin regulations. Payment information will be included in the acceptance email. Please send your sesshin fee as soon as possible.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THIS OSESSHIN

  • Covid protocol: Please take a covid test before you come to Tahoma and wear a mask during your trip. We’ll also require masking during chanting, so please bring a supply of N95/KN95 masks.
  • We are not requiring a covid vaccination, but you are encouraged to get one. It’s best to get it about six weeks before the sesshin, which is about when we’ll send the acceptance emails.

Covid protocols are subject to change. If you are accepted into the sesshin, please read the most current information provided on the Policies Agreement that you will receive.

  • 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. We will contact you to regarding arrangements for the extra days. 
  • If you haven’t been to Tahoma before, we expect you to come on May 14th to make sure you have time to get oriented to the monastery and to ensure that you attend the orientation on the 15th. People new to Tahoma who plan to arrive the day of kokuho sometimes miss the orientation because of traffic or ferry delays. 
  • We hope that we will be able to conduct our May 2025 OSesshin but please recognize 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 for this OSesshin. 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

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Community Samu February 17th

February 17th 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, February 17th 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 noon and then share in a simple meal at 12:30pm.

Community Samu, February 17th, 2024
8:15-8:30am – Meet on the Kitchen deck
8:30am – Inside and outside cleaning
12 noon – 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.

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Practice Schedule August 28th-September 1st

During the week of Monday, August 28th through Friday September 1st we will be observing our regular practice schedule, with opportunities for mediation, chanting and work practice. Please join us if you are able and interested in engaging in a sampling of monastic practice

Tuesday through Friday early morning
Choka (sutra chanting): 4:50 a.m. – 5:50 a.m.
Kinhin (walking meditation): 5:50a.m. – 6:00 a.m.
Zazen (meditation): 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

Monday through Friday morning
Samu (work practice): 8:30am – 12noon

Monday through Friday evening
Zazen (meditation): 6:30 p.m. – 7:20 p.m.
Kinhin (walking meditation): 7:20p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Zazen: 7:30 p.m. – 8:15 p.m

These events are open for the public, and one is able to come to either of the two blocks in the evening or morning, arriving or departing during the walking meditation.

Additionally from Monday through Friday we will be working on a housing project, garden work and preparations for our upcoming week long retreat. This samu (work practice) period is open for drop in for anyone who like to assist with these projects and help us to get the monastery ready for our September Retreat. There will always be lunch served after the work practice.

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to make any arrangements.

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Community Samu Weekend August 26th and 27th

As we roll into the Autumn Training period and the sesshin being held here at the end of summer we will hold a weekend of work practice to prepare the monastery and work on various projects. We will gather together at the monastery Saturday and Sunday mornings to engage in myriad tasks: preparing our buildings for retreat, working on the grounds, prep work for several construction projects, kitchen and sewing projects. There is a diverse array of tasks for all abilities, time commitments, physical condition and energy. The monastery is much more than the grounds and buildings, it is the community, the sangha, and we would dearly love to have your support over this weekend.

We will be following the regular monastery schedule on this weekend and if you’d like take take part in morning or evening zazen you are more than welcome to join in. Each morning will have a period of several hours for working in which you are welcome to come when you can and stay as long as you are able. We will conclude each day with an informal lunch at the dining hall and deck. The schedule for the work practice will be as follows

Saturday August 26th 8:30am, to 1:00pm (PDT)
8:15-8:30am: Meet at the kitchen deck (coffee and tea provided)
8:30am: Work Practice (samu)
12:30pm: Cleanup
1:00pm: Informal Lunch

Please Note:
For those who are so inclind, or are staying at the monastery for the subsequent KoSesshin, there will be an afternoon work period. Inquiry about this during the lunch if interested.

Sunday August 27th 8:00am, to 1:00pm (PDT)
8:00am: Zazenkai in the Zendo (optional)
9:30am: Coffee/Tea at the kitchen deck
10:00am: Work Practice (samu)
12:30pm: Cleanup
1:00pm: Informal Lunch

Please Note:
On Sunday we will hold our regular community practice (Zazenkai) which I encourage everyone to attend, but there is no requirement to do so if you’d like to just come for the samu.

Directions to Tahoma Zen Monastery: Getting Here.
Please contact us if you have any questions: contact information.

We hope to see you this weekend as we all pull together in support of our monastery!

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August/September Sesshin at Tahoma

Dear One Drop Sangha and Friends,

The September 2023 OSesshin with Harada Roshi at Tahoma Zen Monastery begins with kokuho on the evening of September 5th and concludes the evening of September 12th. 

There will also be two retreats in August that will be lead by Tahoma monks: 

August 25th – 27th: a weekend samu (work) retreat. 

August 28th – September 1st: a samu KoSesshin.


OSesshin: Tuesday, September 5th – Tuesday, September 12th, 2023

Signups for the OSesshin are closed.

  • Kokuho is Tuesday evening, September 5th.
  • Full time participation is required. OSesshin, led by Harada Roshi, concludes the evening of Tuesday, September 12th.
  • The application for OSesshin will be available July 14th. The link to the application is near the bottom of this email. 
  • The cost of OSesshin is $450. 

The application deadline for OSesshin is Tuesday, August 8th. You will receive an email regarding your acceptance or wait list status soon after the deadline date of August 8th. Please send your sesshin fee once you have been notified of your acceptance. Payment information will be included in the acceptance email. 
 

Samu Weekend Retreat, August 25th – 27th

Stay the full weekend or come when you can. No registration is required, but please give one day’s notice before you come so we can prepare enough food for everyone.

We’ll start with zazen in the Zendo on Friday evening, August 25th, and continue through Sunday afternoon. Saturday will be the main samu day with work periods and a casual lunch. Sunday will start with Zazenkai followed by a short work period and then lunch. A detailed schedule will be posted on the website and in the July newsletter.
 

5-day KoSesshin, August 28th – September 1st 

If you’d like to sign up for the KoSesshin please contact the registrar.

We’ll hold a KoSesshin starting the evening of August 28th through to the evening of September 2nd. Registration is required. Register for as many days as you wish.

If you’re coming to OSesshin, consider coming early and participating in this KoSesshin. The KoSesshin will have a longer samu period in the morning, and a teisho (lecture) or question and answer session for part of the afternoon, along with an opportunity for self-practice. Breakfast and lunch will be formal with a free-style supper. 

The samu weekend retreat and the KoSesshin are offered for a suggested donation of $20/day. 

For both events we’ll be working on repairing the yurt, which will include installing a new outer wall, new insulation, and improved flooring so that it is once again usable as sleeping quarters during sesshin. The work to replace the walls will require a few people working together to maneuver the heavy fabric so your help will be appreciated.

We’ll also be working in the garden and in the kitchen to harvest and store produce for sesshin and into the fall. 

Full schedules for these events will be published on the website. 

When you register for the KoSesshin, please select the dates you will attend. The application for the KoSesshin will be available available July 14th, along with the application for the OSesshin. The link to the application is near the bottom of this email.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THIS OSESSHIN  

  • Any help with set up before or clean up following OSesshin would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to arrive a day or two before sesshin and/or stay a day or two after sesshin please contact the monastery to make arrangements. The monastery email address is tahoma@tahomazenmonastery.com
  • We are hopeful that we will be able to conduct our September 2023 OSesshin but recognize 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 for this OSesshin. Those on the wait list will be contacted immediately as spaces become available.

Apply here: Signups are closed for the OSesshin.
Contact the registrar to attend the KoSesshin

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February 11th Samu Day

Event has passed. Thanks to everyone who came out!

February 11th Samu Day
We encourage everyone to come join us in samu (work practice) toward the maintenance and upkeep of our monastery. Samu is a an opportunity to engage in practice in the midst of regular activities, engaging the One Mind in the actions we are engaged with. One of the primary activities we engage in during the February months is the pruning of the trees in our orchard and shrubs in the garden. Over the last few years that has been undertaken by the monastery staff and it is a task that we could use help with. Please join us Saturday, February 11th for a morning of work practice. We will have indoor tasks as well that need doing for those not up for outside work. We meet at the kitchen deck (coffee and tea provided) at a bit before 8:30am. We will work until noon and then share in a simple meal at 12:30pm.

Samu Day, February 11th, 2023
8:15-8:30am Meeting on the Kitchen deck
8:30am – Inside and outside cleaning
12 noon – Cleanup
12:30pm – Vegetarian meal

Contact information: Contact Us

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April 30th Samu Day

April 30th Samu Day at Tahoma

Spring with all its fecundity means that the flora in the garden, columbarium and grounds have entered a phase of riotous growth. As we prepare our buildings and ground for May Sesshin after a long hiatus there is much work to be done and your help is needed more than ever.  We will work until around noon and then a light lunch will be offered. Please join us in getting our monastery ready for summer!

April 30th 8:30am, to 12:00 (PDT).
Please do not arrive overly early.
Gather at the Kitchen deck.
Be prepared for outside work, though we will also have inside work for those so inclined.
We are able to widely spread out people if desired distanced work.
Directions to Tahoma Zen Monastery: Getting Here.

Please contact us if you have any questions: contact information.

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April 24th Samu Day

April Samu Days at Tahoma

Spring with all it’s fecundity means that the flora in the garden, columbarium and grounds have entered a phase of riotous growth. Without our May samu sesshin to bring many hands to the epic amount of work required your help is needed more than ever.  Over the next few months we will periodically be open on Saturdays for safe Physically Distanced samu.  We can have people wildly separated in the multiple regions that need work and we can all safely work out of doors.  We will provide refreshments to fuel our labor and strive to keep everyone safe and happy. We hope to see you here!

April 24th 9:00am, to 12:30 (PDT).
Please do not arrive overly early. Meet at the Kitchen deck and please wear your mask.
Directions to Tahoma Zen Monastery: Getting Here.

Please contact us if you have any questions: contact information.

If you can’t make it this weekend, our next samu day will be May 8th.

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April 17th Samu Day

April Samu Days at Tahoma

Spring with all it’s fecundity means that the flora in the garden, columbarium and grounds have entered a phase of riotous growth. Without our May samu sesshin to bring many hands to the epic amount of work required your help is needed more than ever.  Over the next few months we will periodically be open on Saturdays for safe Physically Distanced samu.  We can have people wildly separated in the multiple regions that need work and we can all safely work out of doors.  We will provide refreshments to fuel our labor and strive to keep everyone safe and happy. We hope to see you here!

April 17th 9:00am, to 12:30 (PDT).
Please do not arrive overly early. Meet at the Kitchen deck and please wear your mask.
Directions to Tahoma Zen Monastery: Getting Here.

Please contact us if you have any questions: contact information.

If you can’t make it this weekend, our next samu day will be April 24th.

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April Weekend Intensive, 2021

April 9th-11th, 2021
 –Online-


Join us online this April for a weekend retreat as we continue with the Spring Training Period. We will begin with evening Zazen on Friday, have a full day of practice on Saturday and conclude with Zazenkai on Sunday.  Take this opportunity to maintain and deepen your practice. We encourage you to try to adhere to as much of the schedule as you are committing to. Online retreats require some extra commitment as we must self-direct much of our practice. But the rewards are just as great.  

We begin Friday April 9th with an evening block of zazen:
5:55pm to 8:45pm: Zazen

On Saturday April 10th will be four broadcast blocks throughout the day:
4:55am – 6:55am: Choka and zazen
10:25am to 11:55am: Zazen
1:55pm to 4pm: Dharma Talk and Zazen
5:55pm to 8:45pm: Zazen

On Sunday April 11th there will be two broadcast blocks to conclude our weekend:
4:55am – 6:30am: Choka and zazen
7:55am to 10:00am: Zazenkai: chanting, zazen, short talk, q&a

Drop-in attendance is allowed at all events on Friday and Saturday with masks required. There are no public events on Sunday. At this time we still are not able to allow for residency or shared meals. We encourage people to come for the samu period from 8:15am-10am. Please see the website for details or contact us with any questions.

Dharma Talks will be from Torei Enji’s Discourse on the Inexhaustible Lamp of the Zen School. Download a free PDF of it here (45MB pdf). An archive of previous talks can be found here: Torei zenji’s Discourse talks.

Some suggestions and procedure for getting the most out of a virtual sesshin can be found in our 
Guidelines for Virtual Events and Orientation to Virtual Sesshin.

Zoom Link: [event has passed]

Retreat Schedule

Friday, April 9th

6:00pmUninterrupted Zazen; Kinhin;
7:00pmZazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
8:00pmZazen; Zazen; Kinhin
8:45pmKaichin
ll times Pacific Time. Please tune in five minutes before scheduled events.
Events in Bold will be streamed. All other events are self-directed
All Bolded events can be attended in-person (masks required). Please contact us for details.

Saturday April 10th

5:00amChoka  (Sutras p.3-14); Han; Kinhin
6:00amZazen; Zazen
7:00amBreakfast Break
8:15amSamu*
10:30amZazen Zazen; Kinhin
11:00amZazen;
11:55amLunch Break
2:00pmDharma Talk; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
4:00pmPhysical/Outside practice
5:00pmDinner Break
6:00pmUninterrupted Zazen; Kinhin;
7:00pmZazen; Zazen; Kinhin
8:00pmZazen; Zazen
8:45pmKaichin
All times Pacific Time. Please tune in five minutes before scheduled events.
Events in Bold will be streamed. All other events are self-directed
Samu and all Bolded events can be attended in-person (masks required). Please contact us for details.

Sunday, April 11th

5:00amChoka  (sutras p.3-7,10,12,13); Han; Kinhin
6:00amZazen
6:30amBreakfast break
8:00amZazenkai  (sutras p.3,10,14)
9:30am“Tea” – Conversation and questions
ll times Pacific Time. Please tune in five minutes before scheduled events.
Events in Bold will be streamed. All other events are self-directed
No In-Person events on this day.

Download Sutra book: Virtual Sutra book
To receive the links for the Virtual Events by email: Tahoma Virtual Events mailing list.