Sittings
Saturday Half-Day Introductory Sittings
A gentle introduction for beginning sitters. The morning will include instruction in sitting meditation (zazen) and walking meditation (kinhin), followed by alternating brief periods of zazen (20–25 minutes) and kinhin (10–15 minutes), and discussion with the leader.
All Day Sittings with Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Everyday Zen
These traditional yet relaxed all-day sittings begin at 9 am and include meditation, a silent lunch, dharma talk/discussion, and dokusan (private meeting with Norman or other teachers).
One-Day Sittings
One-day sittings at Green Gulch offer traditional Soto Zen all-day meditation practice. Formal oryoki meals are served in the zendo. Please be in the zendo by 4:50 am. Participants are welcome to stay for an informal dinner at 6 pm.
Recommended for newcomers: recorded instruction sessions and Half-Day Introductory Sitting (see above).
In order to understand the nature of our formal retreats and to be clear about the details of the practice, please review a typical one-day sitting schedule as well as our guidelines for zendo conduct. We ask those who attend one-day sittings to commit to following these guidelines and to participate in the schedule completely.
Sesshins
Sesshin, meaning "to gather, collect, and convey the mind-heart," is a traditional Soto Zen meditation retreat that includes formal zendo meals, Dharma talks, sitting and walking meditation, and private interviews with senior teachers. In order to understand the nature of our formal retreats, and to be clear about the details of the practice, please review a typical sesshin schedule, as well as our guidelines for zendo conduct. We ask those who attend sesshin to commit to following these guidelines and to participating in the schedule completely.