~ Continuous Practice Retreat ~
Our Zen practice is not just zazen, chanting, and study. We aim to extend the heart of practice – calm attentiveness and care – to every aspect of our lives: work, eating, resting, exercising, cleaning, caretaking, you name it. The Continuous Practice Retreat bridges our regular Tuesday evening practice meeting with our regular Sunday morning meeting; whether you can participate in the retreat full time or need to work or deal with other responsibilities at times, you are invited to join the Sangha in continuing the thread of practice throughout four full days, whatever you are doing.
You are encouraged to form an intention ahead of time for how you will practice during this retreat, and you are invited to share this intention on your registration form. Even if you need to remain engaged in your usual daily activities, there are many ways to simplify your life for the duration, including:
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- Going offline except for what is truly necessary for work or other responsibilities
- Maintaining silence in your home for periods of time, if the people you live with are amenable
- Forgoing watching TV, movies, reading for entertainment, and listening to music
- Getting your shopping and errands done ahead of time so you don’t need to go out
- Setting aside any unecessary projects or worries for the duration
The entire retreat will be available in the Cloud Zendo, but if you are local (or can come to town) we will also be in the Dirt Zendo for part of the day.
Register for the Continuous Practice Retreat
Let us know your practice intentions for the four days of retreat, regardless of how much of the shared schedule you can attend!
See Everyone's Practice Intentions for the Retreat
Study Text
Join Us for Practice Any Time, Whether You Register or Not
The retreat Cloud Zendo will be on Bright Way Zen Zoom #2: 9371741010, same password as our usual Zoom. (Don’t know the password? Click here.)
Sept. 24th – Regular Tuesday Evening Practice
Retreat Schedule (Wednesday, Sept. 25th – Saturday, Sept. 28th)
Click here for the Retreat Schedule translated into 8 time zones for Cloud participation.
Click here for a printable version of the Dirt Zendo/Pacific Time Zone schedule (below).
CLOUD ZENDO ONLY
6:00am ……………. Zazen
6:25 …………………. Kinhin (slow walking meditation)
6:35 …………………. Zazen
7:00 …………………. Kinhin
7:10 ………………….. Zazen
7:30 …………………. Chanting Service
8:00 …………………. Break to collect your meal
8:10 …………………. Formal Meal (Meal chant, followed by eating in silence)
8:30-10:45 ……….. On your own – Mindful work, exercise, caretaking, rest
DIRT AND CLOUD ZENDOS
Dirt Zendo open by 10:45am
11:00am ……………. Zazen
11:25 …………………. Kinhin (slow walking meditation)
11:35 …………………. Zazen
12:00pm …………… Kinhin
12:10 …………………. Zazen
12:30 ………………… Break to collect your meal
12:40 ………………… Formal Meal (Meal chant, followed by eating in silence)
1:10 ………………….. Rest Period (Do something restful, not work-related: take a nap or walk, read some Dharma material)
2:15 ………………….. Afternoon Recitation – Gyoji: Continuous Practice (by Dogen)
2:30 ………………….. Zazen
2:55 ………………….. Kinhin
3:05 ………………….. Zazen – Optional outdoor zazen or kinhin, or reclining zazen indoors but outside main Zendo room
3:30 ………………….. Kinhin
3:40 ………………….. Zazen
4:00 ………………….. End zazen
4:00-6:45 ………….. Dirt Zendo closes, on your own for dinner; try to maintain relative simplicity and silence in your activities.
CLOUD ZENDO ONLY
7:00pm ……………… Zazen
7:25 …………………… Kinhin
7:35 …………………… Zazen with Teisho (encouraging words) from teacher
8:00 ………………….. Kinhin
8:10 …………………… Zazen
8:30 ………………….. Closing Chant and Bows
8:45pm-6am the next day ……..On your own, but try to continue the thread of mindful practice through anything you do, including falling asleep and waking up