Five Day Spring Retreat – The Heart of Practice in the World: The Vimalakirti Sutra

With most of the world sheltering in place and looking-out towards uncertainty we are excited to offer an accessible way to find interior quiet by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha with our online retreat.

The retreat is modeled on formal retreats in the Rinzai tradition which include seated and walking meditation, Qi Gong, chanting, dharma talks and optional interviews with teachers. For this retreat Koshin Chris Cain and Genko Kathy Blackman will be continuing  the theme of the Intensive Practice Period, The Heart of Practice in the World, The Vimalakirti Sutra.

The schedule for this online retreat is below. People are invited to participate as much or as little as they wish.  If you are joining us from the Norway sangha or from some other time zone, or need to attend the retreat part-time for some other reason, that’s fine. Of course, the more committed you are to doing a deep dive, the more significant your experience will be. Do your best to keep silence through the whole day. Please take at least one meal in silence. If you can manage all three, wonderful.
The schedule for the retreat is below.

Registration amounts are suggested. Members $25 a day. Non-members $30 a day. Please pay what you can.

A Zoom link and password will be sent to each registrant. Our normal sitting schedule will be cancelled during the retreat.

Registration is online via our accounting software (Aplos) here.

Tuesday (4/13)
7:00 to 8:30pm – Welcome, zazen

Wednesday – Saturday
6:30 to 7:30 Zazen
7:30 to 9:00 Breakfast
9:00 to 12:00 Zazen
–10:00 Dharma Talk
–10:45 to 12:00 Dokusan
12:00 to 1:30 Lunch and break on your own
1:30 to 2:30 work practice around your home
2:30 to 3:00 Qi Gong
3:00 – 3:30 Chanting
3:30 to 5:30 – Long Sitting style zazen with dokusan (walking meditation as you will)
5:30 – 7:00 Dinner break
7:00 to 8:45 – Dharma talk and zazen

Sunday
6:30 to 7:30 Zazen
9:00 to 12:00 Zazen
–10:00 Dharma Talk
–10:45 to 12:00 Dokusan
12:00 to 1:30 Lunch and break on your own
1:30 to 2:30 work practice around your home
2:30 to 3:00 Qi Gong
3:00 – 3:30 Chanting
3:30 – 4:00 Zazen
4:00 – 4:30 – Closing