Meditation practice is the heart of Hazy Moon, so we are committed to providing three-day retreats or sesshins each month. We also host one-day Beginner's Mind sesshins; a 10-day Rohatsu sesshin commemorating the Buddha's enlightenment; a five-day Year-End sesshin, a 60-day ango (intensive training period) sesshin during January and February, and a 90-day ango sesshin from May through July.
All multi-day sesshins are residential and include meals. Breakfast and lunch are eaten silently in the meditation hall in a formal Japanese style (oryoki). The evening meal is an informal buffet. Accommodations are dormitory-style.
Because we recognize that many students have professional and family obligations, full participation is encouraged but not required. The opportunity to have guidance and personal interviews (dokusan) with our abbot is part of sesshin. The cost of a meditation retreat, including meals and residency, is $30 per day for Hazy Moon members and $40 per day for non-members.
If you have never participated in a sesshin, it can be useful to take our "Zen and Practice" class. This is a half-day program covering meditation, services, working with a teacher, and preparing for sesshin. The class is offered one Saturday each month. Please check our
Classes page for dates and then
contact us to register.
Beginner's Mind One-Day RetreatsBeginner's Mind sesshin at the Hazy Moon is a one-day retreat, or zazenkai, designed to give new students a taste of our tradition. It includes shortened periods of zazen, walking meditation (kinhin), services, mindful work (samu) and dharma talks. Participating in the retreat is a natural next step for those who have completed ZMI and ZAP classes; however, attendance is open and encouraged for anyone.
Lunch is provided along with an informal introduction to the oryoki tradition of meditative meals. Cost for non-members is $25; members, $15. The next Beginner's Mind retreat is on Sunday, March 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.