Autumn Kessei 2019

Intensive training sessions known as sesshin continue for periods of eighty, ninety, and one hundred twenty days. Since the goal of all those who take part is to clarify the great matter, while the sesshin is in progress no one leaves the temple gates, and no one speaks unnecessarily. Practice is carried on with a spirit of dauntless, indomitable courage.
-Hakuin Zenji

Autum Kessei 2019
The autumnal equinox opens the Autumn Kessei, a three month training period that runs through Rohatsu sesshin. While we don’t do sesshin every month here and Roshi is only here to lead us at the beginning of the autumn kessei, intensity is much more a decision we make, an orientation toward practice, than anything else.  In this spirit those of us at Tahoma will rededicate ourselves to the practice and offer a greater opportunity for practice during this period.  We will switch to the Autumn/Winter schedule for our Practice Day’s in October, November and December which offers more zazen as well as officially beginning earlier on the previous Friday to encourage and deepen a three day weekend retreat. Periodically will offer other days more devoted to zazen, keep an eye on this site for details as they are announced.  We will again observe Rohatsu Sesshin (dates and details forthcoming) and will conclude the year with our annual New Years potluck and all evening zazen concluding with a midnight bell ringing.  Details for all of these events will be post here as we work out the details as well as in forthcoming issues of our newsletter.  But let me reiterate that intensity is a state of mind and all of us can begin right now. Dedicate yourself to deeply investigating your true nature this autumn and do so with great sincerity and determination.

August 2019 Day of Practice


August Day of Practice at Tahoma 

The next regularly schedule practice day will be August 24th. This full day of zazen will run from 4:50a.m. until 8:30p.m. with formal Breakfast and Lunch. As we move into summer our focus continues to be working in the garden for the monasteries needs. Thus for this Day of Practice we will allow enough Samu time to make sure all the plants are watered, weeds pulled and the like along with our normal “inside cleaning.”

Continue reading “August 2019 Day of Practice”

September 2019 Training Month at Tahoma

The September 2019 training period at Tahoma Zen Monastery begins on Thursday the 5th, and concludes Monday the 23rd. The online application can be found here: Sesshin Application

FULL TIME RESIDENTIAL TRAINING is available September  5 – 23, 2019

OSESSHIN: Thursday, September 5 – Thursday, September 12, 2019
Kokuho is Thursday evening, September 5.  Osesshin, led by Harada Roshi, concludes the evening of Thursday, September 12.  Full time participation is required.
Apply here: Sesshin Application

CALLIGRAPHY DEMONSTRATION, Friday, September 13th, 1:00 p.m.
Nalanda West
3902 Woodland Park Ave North
Seattle, Washington, 98103

KOSESSHIN: Friday, September 13 – Monday, September 16, 2019
Kokuho is Friday evening, September 13.  Three full days of sitting led by Harada Roshi.
Apply here: Sesshin Application

JUSEN GARDEN BLESSING & OPENING, September 17th, 10:00 a.m.

KOSESSHIN – Wednesday, September 18 – Monday, September 23, 2019
Kokuho is Wednesday evening, September 18. Five full days of sitting led by Daichi Zenni.
Apply here: Sesshin Application

The application deadline is Friday, August 2.  Acceptance emails will be sent soon after the deadline date. Please send your sesshin fee once you have been notified of your acceptance.  The maximum cost for the month is $600.  The cost of Osesshin is $400. The cost of kosesshin is $60/day.
Schedules, guidelines for conduct, and directions to the monastery can be found here: Sesshin Guidelines.

 

Attending Osesshin is a commitment to full time participation.  Kosesshin allows for less than full time participation.  In order for kosesshin to run smoothly we request that you provide your arrival and departure dates and approximate times, and keep us updated of changes.  Temple housing is limited so we appreciate your flexibility.  Any help with set up before or clean up following sesshin is greatly appreciated.  There may be a wait-list for any “segment” of this month of practice. People on the wait-list will be contacted immediately as spaces become available.

 

Thank you,
Rozan Lenny Gerson
lenogerson@gmail.com

June 15th Day of Practice


June Day of Practice at Tahoma 

The next regularly schedule practice day will be June 15th. This full day of zazen will run from 4:50a.m. until 8:30p.m. with formal Breakfast and Lunch. As we move into summer our focus continues to be working in the garden for the monasteries needs. Thus for this Day of Practice we will allow enough Samu time to make sure all the plants are watered, weeds pulled and the like along with our normal “inside cleaning.”

Continue reading “June 15th Day of Practice”

April 2019 Day of Practice


April Day of Practice at Tahoma 

Continuing our regularly scheduled day of practice we will devote Saturday April 20th  to zazen. As we move into spring our efforts turns to preparing the garden for the monasteries needs. Thus for this Day of Practice we will follow closer to a Samu Sesshin Schedule and devote several hours in the morning to work practice in the garden.  People are welcome to come just for the garden work as this is also one of our Garden Saturdays for the month of April.

This year for the reading and study portion of the practice day we are going to be focusing on the Diamond Sutra. We will be utilizing the Red Pine translation and  along with  the commentary by the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng, in The Sutra of Hui-neng,  if you’d like to engage in this with your own copy.  As always one is welcome to come before evening zazen on Friday and stay through Zazenkai on Sunday for a full 36 hours of practice. Further details on practice at Tahoma over this weekend can be found at the end of this post.

The Schedule for this day will be:

4:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:00 Choka (Sutras)
5:40 Zazen
5:55 Kinhin
6:00 Han; Zazen; Zazen
6:55 Breakfast
Breakfast Cleanup
8:15 Samu (Clappers; meet at deck)
10:40 Samu ends (Clappers)
11:00  Seated in Zendo; Gosei
11:10 Zazen; Zazen
12:00 Lunch
Kitchen Cleanup
1:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
2:00 Reading; Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen*
4:00 Supper (optional, free-style)*
5:20 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
6:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
8:30 Kaichin in kitchen
Yaza

The Monastery’s regularly scheduled periods of zazen from 5 am to 7 am and 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm will still be observed and anyone can drop in for either of these or any of the other zazen periods. You are also welcome to arrive on Friday before the Practice Day and/or stay though Zazenkai on Sunday, if you’d like to extend your practice. In all cases it is expected that the monasteries schedule will be followed.

Please email us If you’d like to attend, especially if you will be coming early or staying later or if you have any questions:
tahoma@whidbey.com

*  Note
 In the case that the only registered participants in the Day of Practice are Monastery Residents, the 2pm to 4pm  period will be freestyle zazen. Drop-ins are welcome to sit in the zendo, just know that it will be unstructured until Zazen at 5:20pm.

Whitman College Retreat

Jeremy, Danny, Jason, Shawn, Jaazia, Jiyu, Mia

 

Whitman College Retreat

For a week in early March a group of seven students from Whitman College came to experience daily life at a Rinzai Zen Monastery.  We followed the general day schedule with choka, zazen, formal breakfast, samu and a formal lunch.  Additionally we had a session each afternoon where we discussed topics surrounding monastery life and Rinzai Zen with ample time for personal experiences and questions. On the last afternoon at the monastery they went to Enso House where Sōen and Ann discussed the hospice and its relationship to Tahoma. The students ended their week with a day of decompression at Jisai’s beach house. By all reports it was a fruitful experience for the students.

This retreat wouldn’t have been such a success without the efforts of Jiyu, Myokan, Seiwa and Sōen in the tenzo. Extra special thanks to Jiyu who flew up from Portland and apart from being tenzo also helped  with shopping, the teas and with the students.

Another picture of the group and a bit more information can be found in the April Tahoma Newsletter.

February 2019 Day of Practice

SnowDay


February Day of Practice at Tahoma 

Continuing our regularly scheduled day of practice we will devote Saturday February 23rd  to zazen.  This year for the reading and study portion of the practice day we are going to be focusing on the Diamond Sutra. We will be utilizing the Red Pine translation and commentary if you’d like to engage in this with your own copy.  As always one is welcome to come before evening zazen on Friday and stay through Zazenkai on Sunday for a full 36 hours of practice. Further details on practice at Tahoma over this weekend can be found at the end of this post.

Do note that for this Day of Practice we will be using Tending Clouds as our zendo. Tending Clouds is the next building down the path from the kitchen. There will be signs and schedules posted on the main buildings to facilitate getting to the correct locations.

The Schedule for this day will be:

4:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:00 Choka (Sutras)
5:40 Zazen
5:55 Kinhin
6:00 Han; Zazen; Zazen
6:55 Breakfast
Breakfast Cleanup
8:30 Samu (Clappers; meet at deck)
10:30 Samu ends (Clappers)
10:50  Seated in Zendo; Gosei
11:00 Zazen; Zazen
11:55 Lunch
Kitchen Cleanup
1:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
2:00 Reading; Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen*
4:00 Supper (optional, free-style)*
5:20 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
6:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
8:30 Kaichin in kitchen
Yaza

The Monastery’s regularly scheduled periods of zazen from 5 am to 7 am and 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm will still be observed and anyone can drop in for either of these or any of the other zazen periods. You are also welcome to arrive on Friday before the Practice Day and/or stay though Zazenkai on Sunday, if you’d like to extend your practice. In all cases it is expected that the monasteries schedule will be followed.

Please email us If you’d like to attend, especially if you will be coming early or staying later or if you have any questions:
tahoma@whidbey.com

*  Note
 In the case that the only registered participants in the Day of Practice are Monastery Residents, the 2pm to 4pm  period will be freestyle zazen. Drop-ins are welcome to sit in the zendo, just know that it will be unstructured until Zazen at 5:20pm.

November 2018 Practice Day


November Day of Practice at Tahoma 

Continuing our regularly scheduled day of practice we will devote Saturday November 17th  to zazen.  As Autumn deepens and the nature of impermanence is visible all around we should take some time to go deep into our practice. As always one is welcome to come before evening zazen on Friday and stay through Zazenkai on Sunday for a full 36 hours of practice. Further details on practice at Tahoma over this weekend can be found at the end of this post.

The Schedule for this day will be:

4:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:00 Choka (Sutras)
5:40 Zazen
5:55 Kinhin
6:00 Han; Zazen; Zazen
6:55 Breakfast
Breakfast Cleanup
8:15 Samu (Clappers; meet at deck)
9:30 Samu ends (Clappers)
9:50  Seated in Zendo; Gosei
10:00 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
11:55 Lunch
Kitchen Cleanup
1:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
2:00 Reading; Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
4:00 Supper (optional, free-style)
5:20 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
6:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
8:30 Kaichin in kitchen
Yaza

The Monastery’s regularly scheduled periods of zazen from 5 am to 7 am and 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm will still be observed and anyone can drop in for either of these or any of the other zazen periods. You are also welcome to arrive on Friday before the Practice Day and/or stay though Zazenkai on Sunday, if you’d like to extend your practice. In all cases it is expected that the monasteries schedule will be followed.

Please email us If you’d like to attend, especially if you will be coming early or staying later or if you have any questions:
tahoma@whidbey.com

October Day of Practice 2018

October Day of Practice at Tahoma 

Continuing our regularly scheduled day of practice we will devote Saturday October 20th  to zazen.  As Autumn deepens and the nature of impermanence is visible all around we should take some time to go deep into our practice. As always one is welcome to come before evening zazen on Friday and stay through Zazenkai on Sunday for a full 36 hours of practice. Further details on practice at Tahoma over this weekend can be found at the end of this post.

The Schedule for this day will be:

October 20th Practice Day Schedule

4:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:00 Choka (Sutras)
5:40 Zazen
5:55 Kinhin
6:00 Han; Zazen; Zazen
6:55 Breakfast
Breakfast Cleanup
8:15 Samu (Clappers; meet at deck)
9:30 Samu ends (Clappers)
9:50  Seated in Zendo; Gosei
10:00 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
11:55 Lunch
Kitchen Cleanup
1:50 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
2:00 Reading; Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
4:00 Supper (optional, free-style)
5:20 Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
6:30 Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
8:30 Kaichin in kitchen
Yaza

The Monastery’s regularly scheduled periods of zazen from 5 am to 7 am and 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm will still be observed and anyone can drop in for either of these or any of the other zazen periods. You are also welcome to arrive on Friday before the Practice Day and/or stay though Zazenkai on Sunday, if you’d like to extend your practice. In all cases it is expected that the monasteries schedule will be followed.

Please email us If you’d like to attend, especially if you will be coming early or staying later or if you have any questions:
tahoma@whidbey.com