“A garden is a place where I receive guests, and also an expression of my self, the accumulation of years of Zen practice. .. The garden is a mirror that reflects myself, because the garden is me. ”
For the second year, we will be unable to hold our annual Mountains and Waters sesshin at Sea to Sky Retreat Centre. There is no way we can replicate practicing in sesshin in that beautiful setting with an online Zoom retreat. So once more we will offer a summer retreat that is designed to strengthen and support practice, in a way that is manageable for participants in the midst of their daily lives as pandemic restrictions begin to lift, without an overload of screen-time.
Limited in-person practice is available at the Wall St. Zendo, on the evenings of Sunday July 11 through Sat. July 17th and on the morning of Sunday July 18th. YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER TO ATTEND MRZ IN PERSON. To reserve a spot in the zendo please click here. You will receive confirmation for each session two days beforehand.
Theme: Tending Home Ground Through the long months of the pandemic many of us have been tending the home ground of our gardens, whether in back yards or containers on decks and balconies. Gardening is both direct practice and metaphor for our life. In this year’s sesshin we will explore the dharma of gardening, from formal Zen temple gardens to vegetable patches. What does paying attention to the soil and growing things have to teach us?
We will draw on the wisdom of traditional and contemporary Zen gardeners.
If you don’t already have a garden, please consider planting something in a container—you choose—and make tending it part of your sesshin.
Jukai Ceremony: The sesshin will end with a jukai ceremony, in which four sangha members will formally receive the bodhisattva precepts. It will take place in the back-yard garden of Blue Mountain Zendo, with concurrent Zoom .
Retreat Schedule:
Sunday, July 11 7:00-9:00 PM Orientation, two zazen periods, introductory talks by teachers, participants’ greeting round.
Monday-Saturday July 12-17
Mornings July 12-17 6:30-7:45 AM two zazen periods, sutra chanting service
Morning service each day will include a well-being dedication for those who are ill/suffering and memorial dedication for those who have died. To add names of those you would like remembered please click Here.
Evenings July 12-17 7:00-9:00 PM two zazen periods, dharma talk, refuges
Tuesday 11:30-12:30 and Thursday 5:00-6:00pm Gentle accessible movement/yoga with Kakuko Kaye Simard Please use sesshin Zoom link.
Saturday, July 17 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Bicycle Buddha Ride around Stanley Park.
Sunday July 18 10:00-12:00 two zazen periods, informal teachers talks, closing circle, chanting service with closing dedication. Wall St. zendo and Blue Mountain zendo
2:00-4:00 outdoor jukai ceremony Blue Mountain Zendo
Zoom link: Please use this for all scheduled sesshin times. Do not use the regular links.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89010591498?pwd=QS9IN1lwL2VBSjFONUliSWh3ckE3QT09
Meeting ID: 890 1059 1498
Passcode: 170112
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcJeQf07uD
Dokusan: Dokusan is an opportunity to discuss your practice with a teacher one-to-one. Dokusan with the teachers will be available during the scheduled practice times, as well as outside the schedule if need be. Please sign sign up for dokusan here. You will receive an email to let you know what time your dokusan will be.
Retreat costs and registration
This retreat will be offered on a sliding scale basis. Although participation is flexible, it is best if you decide in advance what your time commitment will be. Pre-registration (below) is required, and the Zoom link will be sent by email and posted on this webpage just before the start date.
Dana (donations) to the teachers can be made by Paypal, e-transfer, or cheque (address will be given in your confirmation email).
