Settling the body-mind in stillness and ease, opening to the ineffable wisdom of Dharma, the deepest questions may arise. This online retreat will be led by Valley Streams practice leader So'on Jim Hare. The day will include a morning Dharma talk and afternoon discussion. NOTE: If this will be your first day-long sitting with Valley Streams Zen, […]
Join with others in person for a day of sitting and walking meditation and Dharma talk, making the effort that refreshes both body and mind, becoming a shining golden buddha! The sitting will be led by So On Jim Hare. Please bring a lunch to support your efforts on the cushion, bench or chair. For […]
When sitting zazen we sit in the wellspring of life. Come practice together to further awaken our abilities to listen to the activity of wisdom that emerges from living intimately in stillness and receiving what comes. This retreat, originally scheduled to be led by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah, will include periods of sitting and walking […]
Sitting still in the company of others is the heart of Zen practice. Please join us for this day of inner work, being "just this person." Just before leaving a practice period, a student asked his teacher, "If, after many years, someone should ask me what you were like, how should I respond?" After remaining […]
"Hiding a heron in the moonlight" is a line from the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, a Zen poem written in 9th century China. The phrase (and the whole poem) describes the activity of a person practicing the Buddha Way, merging the particular and the universal. This is the everyday and consequential affair of […]
The theme of this sitting is the essay Zenki (the Whole Works), Zen master Dogen's vision of realization manifested in both life and death Guest teacher Kokyo Henkel will lead this one-day retreat, which will include alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, punctuated by morning and afternoon Dharma talks and discussion. The theme of […]
Sitting in stillness and silence is an excellent method for entering the door of liberation; this door is open to everyone. The first chapter of the Flower Garland Sutra recounts the myriad insights, understandings, realizations and visions that have allowed enlightening beings to enter the Dharma door of liberation. In this retreat we will engage […]
Each and every thing is equally illumined in the light of Buddha's wisdom. So, there is no wisdom to get ahold of. Just sitting is enough. In the second chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra, the Buddha responds to a set of questions from his followers by emitting rays of light in every direction. This […]
The stream of sorrow is cut through by patience: so teaches an ancient Buddhist text. Practicing patience with the many ideas and feelings that arise in our sitting meditation trains our body/mind to more wisely respond the many situations in life that don't align with our wishes or meet our expectations. Our retreat day will […]
Prajna Paramita, the mother of all Buddhas, invites us to participate in the continual birthing of living spiritual energy in each moment. Come, put aside all worldly affairs, sit zazen and walk together in community. We will touch the ground of Mother Earth, open our heart/minds to the spiritual energy ready to penetrate and awaken […]
In morning and afternoon discussions, we will explore the Buddha's teaching of the discontent that arises from the unconscious belief in separate self, and the freedom that comes from not holding this belief. Kokyo Henkel was ordained as a Zen priest in 1994 by Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, receiving the Dharma name Kokyo Yakai (Luminous […]
"Practicing zazen is a way of knowing beyond perceptions of a self, a soul, a living being or a person" - a Zen reading of the Diamond Sutra. One-day retreat (8:30 am - 4:30 pm) which includes sitting and walking meditation, a Dharma talk and discussion period. Outside the meditation hall we will maintain noble […]