![]() Put a section in your mouth, close your mouth mindfully, and with mindfulness feel the juice coming out of the orange. The orange tree that has taken several months to bring this wonder to you. See the orange blossoms in the orange, and the rain and the sun that have gone through the orange blossoms. But if you bring your mind and body together to produce true presence, you can see that the orange is a miracle. If you eat an orange in forgetfulness, caught in your anxiety and sorrow, the orange is not really there. Read our full Health Protocols.Take the time to eat an orange in mindfulness. While we have opened our temples to in-person practice, we continue our online teachings, meetings and sittings every day. To find the next sesshin and to register go to the calendar. Call (845) 439-4566 or email DBZ office two to three weeks ahead of time. You can request a private room for an additional $50 fee, subject to availability. Sleeping accommodations at the monastery are small, simple bedrooms with futons, often shared with one to three other participants. ![]() To celebrate the significance of this first meeting, Shoken students make a $25 incense donation, which is used to purchase ceremonial incense. From that point forward, first-time participants are considered Shinge Roshi’s students, and as such they are admitted into all Dokusan. The Shoken ceremony occurs on the first full day of sesshin. Students attending sesshin at Dai Bosatsu Zendo for the first time participate in a traditional ceremony of Shoken, where they formally ask to begin a teacher-student relationship with Shinge Roshi. The intensity of sesshin comes from the potent combination of zazen, silence and frequent Dokusan. Part of the power of sesshin comes from the personal instruction given during these meetings. Each participant has several opportunities a day for Dokusan. Dokusan is a formal, one-to-one meeting with Abbot Shinge Roshi. As we all observe the same Zendo and eating forms, harmony is increased and distraction is reduced. Part of the profound sesshin atmosphere comes from each individual’s efforts to act in concert with others. Other than emergency situations we have is no contact with the outside world. We endeavor to stay quiet in all our activities. We maintain silence during sesshin, avoiding all verbal and non-verbal interactions with other participants. ![]() There is virtually no free time except for breaks after the meals. Many participants begin sitting before the wakeup bell and continue past the end of the structured schedule. Wake-up is at 4:30 AM and we sit until 10:00 PM each evening. If you do not have an established sitting meditation practice, it is best to attend an Intro to Zen Weekend before registering for sesshin. The duration and intensity of sitting during sesshin can cause discomfort and pain for even the most experienced and physically fit participants. Each period is 40 to 50 minutes in length. We sit zazen approximately 10-12 hours a day. The schedule includes a brief period of daily work practice, rest periods and three vegetarian meals a day. ![]() Students gather for a week of silence, zazen (Zen sitting meditation), chanting, teisho (formal Zen talks given by the Abbot), Dharma talks by other teachers, and dokusan (private interviews with Shinge Roshi). Most people find sesshin a rewarding, as well as challenging, part of their practice. These kind of retreats are practiced by all Zen schools throughout the world.Įach sesshin offers a unique opportunity free from distraction so we can focus our attention on the practice of meditation. The word “sesshin” means to collect one’s heart or mind. On the morning of December 8, he attained enlightenment upon seeing the morning star. The tradition of sesshin began with Shakyamuni Buddha’s intense sitting under the bodhi tree in India. These week-long intensive Zen retreats are held at Dai Bosatsu Zendo six times a year.
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