"It appears as if something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind" ~Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi This sitting will include a schedule of sitting and walking meditation and a short Dharma talk. Please be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend this sitting in person. We will have a social […]
To practice secretly is to practice within; it is getting close to and friendly with everything we experience. In stillness and silence, we will spend the morning together, practicing zazen and walking meditation. This retreat is suitable for those with some familiarity with Zen practice and forms. Masking is optional, but everyone who attends must […]
Preparing a Sincere Offering to the Three Treasures: A Creative Exploration of Dogen's Instructions for the Cook Please join us for a day of mindful practice to explore Dogen’s teachings for cooking your life in a creative and experiential way. It is said that “bodhicitta is born of the smallest offering made with sincerity.” In […]
Sitting with no agenda; putting nothing before the mind - this is the art of zazen. This practice is appropriate for people seeking relief from the vicissitudes of feelings and discriminating consciousness, and it is good for people seeking simply to sit in true reality. This retreat will include periods of sitting and walking meditation and […]
Everything is in Everything! There is "Not One Single Thing." (Shodo Harada) Come sit, walk together, deeply entering the silence as we realize our lives are not our own. Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah will lead a half-day retreat with sitting meditation (zazen), walking meditation (kinhin), and a dharma talk and […]
"What we call 'I' is just a swing door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no 'I,' no world, no mind nor body: just a swing door." - Shunryu Suzuki roshi […]
"Communing with the Source, travel the pathways, embrace the territory, and treasure the road.” Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi Whether sitting, walk, sitting, standing, or lying down we open wholeheartedly to the Way and Buddha activity happens on its own. Come, sit, and walk together to support each other in continuous practice. The retreat […]
Rev. So'on Jim Hare will lead a half-day sit in the morning with a special service at noon for the ceremonial washing of the Baby Buddha statue and the chanting of the Buddha's Birthday Eko in gratitude for Queen Maya's sacrifice. Buddha's birthday is celebrated in Japan on April 8th. In south and southeast Asia […]
A monk asked Dongshan: What is Buddha? Donshan replied, 'Three pounds of flax.' Whether sitting, walk, sitting, standing, or lying down we open wholeheartedly to the Way and Buddha activity happens on its own. Come, sit, and walk together to support each other in continuous practice. The retreat includes periods of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin […]
Come rest in the mystery, practice with great awareness, and experience the mystery unfolding amongst us. The retreat includes periods of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and a dharma talk. Please bring a bag lunch and join us for an informal lunch at 12:30 pm. Hot water and tea will be available. Everyone is […]
Hongzhi lived in 12th century China and is famous for his Zen poems, which are recorded the Book of Serenity and elsewhere. Eihei Dogen admired his poem called Zazenshin and commented on it in his own text of the same name. During this retreat we'll look at Hongzhi's Zazenshin, particularly the line, "Knowing without touching […]
This will be a silent meditation retreat (no Dharma talk). It is offered to simply to rest in samadhi (aka zazen), allowing silence and stillness to offer their blessings. The schedule will alternate six half-hour periods of sitting and walking meditation, with a short break mid-morning. We'll have an optional social lunch following the retreat. […]