- Thursday June 19th - Sunday June 22nd (Orientation Wednesday, June 18th 7pm)
Registration is closed.
We do have a couple of single day spots available.
Please email admin@austinzencenter.org to inquire and / or be placed on the waitlist for the full retreat.
Denko-e is a concentrated zazen & study retreat celebrating several chapters of Keizan Zenji’s Denkoroku (Record of Transmitting the Light), the awakening stories of the Zen ancestors. Each day will include morning and afternoon teachings with Rev. Kokyo, ~7-10 periods of zazen, devotional chanting, work-practice, formal oryoki meals, and optional dokusan meetings.
Though participation in the whole sesshin is highly encouraged, it is also possible to join for any one full day (morning to end of day).
You are also welcome to attend the dharma talks in person or on Zoom. A donation to Rev. Henkel for his teaching is requested. If there is room, you are welcome to sit with those fully participating by observing the schedule posted. Space is limited. Meals will only be provided to sesshin participants.
If dropping in for zazen or talks, please support those in retreat by maintaining silence.
Daily Schedule:
Wednesday (eve):
6:45pm Oryoki & Server Instruction
7:45 Orientation
8:00 Zazen (w/Admonitions)
8:35 Refuges
Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday:
6:00am Zazen (10-min han)
6:35 Kinhin
6:45 Zazen
7:20 Morning Service (Servers
to DR for Breakfast set-up)
7:50 Oryoki Breakfast
8:40 Break
9:30 Zazen (10-min han)
10:00 Kinhin (Sat: Chanting Service)
10:15 Lecture w/Discussion
11:30 Kinhin
11:40 Zazen
12:10 Oryoki Lunch
1:20 Work Period (meet in foyer)
2:20 End Work (meet in foyer)
2:50 Zazen (10-min han)
3:20 Kinhin
3:30 Lecture w/Discussion
4:40 Kinhin
4:50 Zazen (Sun: Closing Ceremony)
5:30 Kinhin
5:40 Zazen
6.15 Eve Service (Servers to DR)
6.25 Oryoki Supper
7:00 Break
7:40 Zazen (10-min han)
8:10 Kinhin
8:20 Zazen
8:55 Refuges/Yaza
Follow the schedule.
Please be on time for all scheduled activities,
especially zazen and meals.
Rev. Kōkyō Henkel has been practicing Zen Buddhism since 1990 in residence at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, and No Abode Hermitage – all in the Sōtō Zen lineage of Shunryū Suzuki Rōshi – and a year at Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan (with Tangen Harada Rōshi). After living in these monastic communities for almost two decades, Kōkyō was then teacher at Santa Cruz Zen Center from 2010-2020, and now resides at Bright Window Hermitage, a retreat place in the Santa Lucia Mountains of California, along with his wife Rev. Shōhō Kuebast.
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 Wednesday night, which you should attend if you are new to this form. If unsure whether this retreat is right for you, please contact Choro (choro@austinzencenter.org).
Limited to 25 participants.