Tag: sesshin

May 9th-12th, 2022
-In-person with online options-

Please Note that the monastery will be closed to the public during sesshin.
We will resume public events May 24th.

The Spring Training period culminates with our May intensive retreats. Before the rigors of the weeklong OSesshin we will engage in a four day Samu KoSesshin. This retreat will be an opportunity to deepen your practice and give back to the monastery in this time when the grounds are so demanding. Whether you take part in this retreat as a focused period of integrated meditative and work practice or as the beginning an extended period of training this is an opportunity to set aside mundane affairs and deeply investigate this great matter.

This is a Samu KoSesshin which means that work practice is a major component of the retreat. This means that this is essentially an in-person retreat. However the in-zendo portions of the retreat will be broadcast over zoom. Those who are unable to join us in person are encouraged to take part in the online retreat. The emphasis will be on the in-person retreat and during the long samu period those taking part online should engage in self-directed work practice.

Sesshin Information

Dharma Talks
Over the Spring Kessei we have been examining the Three Essentials of Zen Practice: Great Confidence, the Fury of Great Determination and Great Uncertainty.  We began with Torei Enji’s Discourse on the Inexhaustible Lamp of the Zen school in our exploration of Great Confidence. We followed this with a deep dive into the Chan Whip Anthology by Jeffery Broughton with its emphasis on Great Determination. Now we turn to Great Uncertainty. We will continue to work with The Chan Whip supplemented with Dahui’s Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching translated by Thomas Cleary as we begin to explore this most vital of the Three Essentials.

Essential Information
• Download the full schedule: Samu KoSesshin Retreat Schedule
• Download updated text for Outside Practices: Outside Practices
• Instructional Talks covering aspects of retreat practice: Instructional Talks.

Online Retreat

Online participants are encouraged to commit for as much of the retreat as they are able to do. Once you’ve committed to a schedule stick to it.  The schedule that will be followed at the monastery can be found here which you can use to coordinate self-directed work practice, physical practice, meals and breaks.  Observe noble silence throughout, for sesshin is a retreat from words and language as much as anything else. In all activities take the single minded approach of practice.

Broadcast Schedule
5am to 7am: Choka; Zazen
2pm to 4:00pm: Dharma Talk; Zazen
6:00pm to 8:45pm: Zazen 

Essential Information
• Download the sutra book: 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.

Zoom Link: {event has passed}

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