Upcoming Events
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Sunday Schedule
Every Sunday (please email us to confirm during holidays and bad weather)
Join us for our Sunday morning program. Registration is required. Please aim to arrive at 9:00 AM. Service or Zen Meditation Instruction will begin at 9:30 AM, followed by two periods of Zazen, a dharma talk, and lunch. Dharma talks are given by Tenshin Roshi from his home on the property. Dokusan with Tenshin Roshi is available to Yokoji members by request. If you would like dokusan, please email a request at least one day ahead of time to zmc@zmc.org. Please find out more about our membership program if you are not yet a member.
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December
Closed over the Christmas Holiday
Saturday December 23rd - Thursday January 4th
Yokoji will be closed to the public over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
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January
Beginner's Mind Sesshin
Friday January 19th - Sunday January 21st
Sesshin can be translated as “to touch the heart-mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice - a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction.
This sesshin is designed for those who are new to Zen practice. There will be orientation given regarding the basic formal procedures that will be used over the weekend, so no prior experience is required. The schedule will be lighter than the regular sesshin that we run at Yokoji. We all have the ‘beginner’s mind’, that which sees the world afresh in each moment. Sesshin is the perfect vehicle to realize this. This sesshin is also open to experienced practitioners. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
Members: $150
Non-members: $250Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page.
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March
Spring Training Period
Sunday March 3rd - Sunday May 19th
The Spring Training Period at Yokoji is a time of intensified practice for the whole community—where we have the wonderful opportunity to recommit ourselves to practice, embodying and strengthening the qualities that we most appreciate and value. It is a perfect time to spend a few days, weeks or months in residence at the Center to deepen your appreciation of life through zazen, service and communal living. Non-residents can participate both at home and at the Center. For those practicing at Yokoji, the schedule is more demanding, with an abundance of zazen and a greater number of sesshin. Whether you are spending the whole period at Yokoji, just one or two weekends, or are committing to a stronger home practice, we invite you to participate with us in any way that you can during this Training Period.
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Sesshin
Sunday March 3rd, 3:30pm - Sunday March 10th, 12:30pm
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice—a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction. Participants live at the Center for the duration, following a simple yet challenging schedule of zazen, chanting services, formal meals, work practice and rest periods. Dharma talks are given daily and Tenshin Roshi, if present, offers face-to face interview (dokusan) to all students. There are sometimes visiting teachers who will also give dharma talks and interviews. Please visit the sesshin page for more information about sesshin.
If you would like to participate in a 7-day sesshin for the first time, we recommend that you attend a Day of Zen Practice class or a weekend sesshin first. If you cannot attend either of these first, you must at least be present for the first evening of sesshin to receive instruction.
For those with prior sesshin experience, part-time participation is acceptable if you cannot make the whole event.
Members: $400.00
Non-members: $550.00Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
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April
Beginner's Mind Sesshin
Friday April 5th, 3:30pm - Sunday April 7th, 12:30pm
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice - a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction.
This sesshin is designed for those who are new to Zen practice. There will be orientation given regarding the basic formal procedures that will be used over the weekend, so no prior experience is required. The schedule will be lighter than the regular sesshin that we run at Yokoji. We all have the ‘beginner’s mind’, that which sees the world afresh in each moment. Sesshin is the perfect vehicle to realize this. This sesshin is also open to experienced practitioners. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
Members: $150
Non-members: $250Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page.
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May
Sesshin
Sunday May 12th, 3:30pm - Sunday May 19th, 12:30pm
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice—a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction. Participants live at the Center for the duration, following a simple yet challenging schedule of zazen, chanting services, formal meals, work practice and rest periods. Dharma talks are given daily and Tenshin Roshi, if present, offers face-to face interview (dokusan) to all students. There are sometimes visiting teachers who will also give dharma talks and interviews. Please visit the sesshin page for more information about sesshin.
If you would like to participate in a 7-day sesshin for the first time, we recommend that you attend a Day of Zen Practice class or a weekend sesshin first. If you cannot attend either of these first, you must at least be present for the first evening of sesshin to receive instruction.
For those with prior sesshin experience, part-time participation is acceptable if you cannot make the whole event.
Members: $400.00
Non-members: $550.00Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
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July
Beginner's Mind Sesshin
Friday July 26th, 3:30pm - Sunday July 28th, 12:30pm
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice - a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction.
This sesshin is designed for those who are new to Zen practice. There will be orientation given regarding the basic formal procedures that will be used over the weekend, so no prior experience is required. The schedule will be lighter than the regular sesshin that we run at Yokoji. We all have the ‘beginner’s mind’, that which sees the world afresh in each moment. Sesshin is the perfect vehicle to realize this. This sesshin is also open to experienced practitioners. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
Members: $150
Non-members: $250Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page.
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September
Fall Training Period
Sunday September 8th - Sunday November 24th
The Fall Training Period at Yokoji is a time of intensified practice for the whole community—where we have the wonderful opportunity to recommit ourselves to practice, embodying and strengthening the qualities that we most appreciate and value. It is a perfect time to spend a few days, weeks or months in residence at the Center to deepen your appreciation of life through zazen, service and communal living. Non-residents can participate both at home and at the Center. For those practicing at Yokoji, the schedule is more demanding, with an abundance of zazen and a greater number of sesshins. Whether you are spending the whole period at Yokoji, just one or two weekends, or are committing to a stronger home practice, we invite you to participate with us in any way that you can during this Training Period.
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Sesshin
Sunday September 8th, 3:30pm - Sunday September 15th, 12:30pm
Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice—a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction. Participants live at the Center for the duration, following a simple yet challenging schedule of zazen, chanting services, formal meals, work practice and rest periods. Dharma talks are given daily and Tenshin Roshi, if present, offers face-to face interview (dokusan) to all students. There are sometimes visiting teachers who will also give dharma talks and interviews. Please visit the sesshin page for more information about sesshin.
If you would like to participate in a 7-day sesshin for the first time, we recommend that you attend a Day of Zen Practice class or a weekend sesshin first. If you cannot attend either of these first, you must at least be present for the first evening of sesshin to receive instruction.
For those with prior sesshin experience, part-time participation is acceptable if you cannot make the whole event.
Members: $400.00
Non-members: $550.00Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
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October
Beginner's Mind Sesshin
Friday October 25th, 3:30pm - Sunday October 27th, 12:30pm
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice - a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction.
This sesshin is designed for those who are new to Zen practice. There will be orientation given regarding the basic formal procedures that will be used over the weekend, so no prior experience is required. The schedule will be lighter than the regular sesshin that we run at Yokoji. We all have the ‘beginner’s mind’, that which sees the world afresh in each moment. Sesshin is the perfect vehicle to realize this. This sesshin is also open to experienced practitioners. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
Members: $150
Non-members: $250Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page.
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November
Sesshin (Rohatsu)
Sunday November 17th, 3:30pm - Sunday November 24th, 12:30pm
The final sesshin of the Fall Training Period. Rohatsu means ‘December 8th’ in Japanese, the date of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, but we bring the sesshin forward to tie it in to the end of training period. If Shakyamuni did it, you can too.
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice—a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction. Participants live at the Center for the duration, following a simple yet challenging schedule of zazen, chanting services, formal meals, work practice and rest periods. Dharma talks are given daily and Tenshin Roshi, if present, offers face-to face interview (dokusan) to all students. There are sometimes visiting teachers who will also give dharma talks and interviews. Please visit the sesshin page for more information about sesshin.
If you would like to participate in a 7-day sesshin for the first time, we recommend that you attend a Day of Zen Practice class or a weekend sesshin first. If you cannot attend either of these first, you must at least be present for the first evening of sesshin to receive instruction.
For those with prior sesshin experience, part-time participation is acceptable if you cannot make the whole event.
Members: $400.00
Non-members: $550.00Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.
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December
New Year's Sesshin
Saturday December 28th, 3:30pm - Monday January 1st, 10:00am
(Subject to sufficient support)
The annual end of year sesshin. A regular sesshin schedule builds up to new year’s eve, when we join together for different ceremonies and periods of zazen up until midnight. The ceremonies include a fire ritual, where we gather around a small fire and burn slips of paper with our hindrances from the past year written on them. In the morning on January 1st, we gather again around the fire and burn papers with our resolutions for the new year, acknowledging the transition between the old and new year by letting go of the past and embracing the future.
Sesshin can be translated as “to unify the mind.” Sesshin is at the heart of Zen Practice—a chance to give full attention to one’s life without distraction. Participants live at the Center for the duration, following a simple yet challenging schedule of zazen, chanting services, formal meals, work practice and rest periods. Dharma talks are given daily and Tenshin Roshi, if present, offers face-to face interview (dokusan) to all students. There are sometimes visiting teachers who will also give dharma talks and interviews. Please visit the sesshin page for more information about sesshin.
Members: $240.00
Non-members: $350.00Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.