- Saturday August 24th, @ 6:00 am – 5:00 pm
This is a one day retreat in which we will practice the forms of meditation together. We will have breakfast and lunch in the zendo, using the practice called oryoki, a formalized and mindful way of eating that has connections with the Japanese tea ceremony. After lunch there will be a silent work period, followed by body practice. The day will end by 5 pm.
Private meeting with a teacher will be offered by signup during the retreat.
This retreat is for experienced practitioners and participants should already be familiar with zazen practice and basic zendo forms. If this is your first all day sitting, you should have enough zazen experience to follow the schedule, sitting for 25-35 minutes at a time during morning and afternoon. No zazen instruction is offered at this retreat.
Instruction in the meal form of orkyoki is offered at the orientation on Friday night, which you should attend if you are new to this form. If unsure whether this retreat is right for you, please contact Choro.
Limited to 25 participants.
- Orientation Friday, August 23rd, 7pm (instruction in oryoki, Zen meal form, and retreat guidelines, short period of meditation)*
- First period of zazen Saturday morning, 6 am (seats are assigned in the zendo, bring your own cushions if you like)
- Breakfast and lunch will be served in the zendo; afternoon work period and silent tea in the zendo will be provided as well.
- Dokusan/practice discussion will be offered (sign up during the retreat itself)
There is not a Zoom option for attending this event.
This day of practice is highly recommended as preparation for longer retreats and as a way of exploring what arises when we put down everything for one day and engage wholeheartedly in making zazen the basis of our every activity and experience on and off the cushion. Please join us!
Cancelation policy
In the event you need to cancel, please contact us so we can release your spot to another participant. We are not able to offer a refund for this event unless you can’t attend due to illness. If this presents a hardship for you, please contact admin@austinzencenter.org to request scholarship funding.
Questions about schedule and practice activities may be directed to the Guiding Teacher choro@austinzencenter.org
Questions about fees and registration should go to admin@austinzencenter.org
*Two videos which present the oryoki meal form: Rev. Mako Voelkel is here; also recommended, Rev. Linda Ruth Cutts series of short videos, recorded at San Francisco Zen Center. We mostly follow these forms
AZC is committed to making practice and the teachings available to all. Please contact Administrator Maida Barbour at 512-452-5777 or email admin@austinzencenter.org if event fees are a barrier to participation for you.