Zen retreat (Sesshin) daily schedule
If you are attending a retreat with our sangha for the first time, we will do everything to make it work for you in a way that doesn’t disturb the meditative atmosphere for others. We want to make sure everyone is at the growth and healing edge as a practitioner and doesn’t feel pushed into panic zones. Everyone ends a retreat together regardless of when different individuals join a retreat.
This schedule is for a 5-7 day retreat. For weekend retreat, please check this schedule.
| Time | First day | Full day(s) | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:30 | Wake Up | Wake Up | |
| 5:00 | Morning Chanting (Sutras) | Morning Sutras | |
| 5:45 | Tea and bathroom break | Tea and bathroom break | |
| 6:00 | Zazen | Zazen | |
| 7:30 | Bathroom break | Bathroom break | |
| 7:40 | Kinhin (walking meditation) or Optional Q&A about practice | Kinhin/Metta | |
| 8:00 | Breakfast | Breakfast | |
| 8:30 | Break, Clean-up & lunch-prep | Clean-up and lunch-prep | |
| 10:00 | Zazen + Kinkin (Indoor/Outdoor options) | Zazen | |
| 11:00 | Teisho (talk) | Teisho (Talk) | |
| 12:00 | Break | Break | |
| 12:10 | Outdoor/Yoga | Outdoor/Yoga | |
| 12:30 | Teacher/Shika/Tenzo arrive | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Rest,Clean-up & dinner-prep | Clean-up | |
| 2:30 | Outdoor Zazen/Kinhin & dokusan (private interviews) | Zazen | |
| 3:30 | Arrivals | Showers/Break | Afternoon sutras |
| 4:30 | Set-up | Afternoon sutras | Closing circle & bows |
| 5:00 | Formal orientation + Introductory circle | Zazen & dokusan (private interviews) | Final clean-up of the lodge |
| 5:30 | Meditation hall set-up | Loading & departures | |
| 5:40 | Metta | ||
| 6:00 | Informal dinner | Dinner | |
| 6:30 | Clean up | Clean & breakfast-prep | |
| 7:30 | Zazen + posture clinic | Optional outdoor zazen | |
| 8:00 | Zazen | Zazen | |
| 9:00 | Closing chant/song | Formal tea & break | |
| 9:20 | Optional Zazen | Optional Zazen | |
| 10:15 | End of Day | End of the day |