Yokoji-Zen Mountain Center

Upcoming Events

  • Sunday Schedule

    Every Sunday (please call to check during holidays and bad weather)

    The Sunday program at Yokoji has been suspended as of August 1, 2021. We anticipate resuming our in-person program on Sunday, November 21st, 2021. Please check back for updates.

    Come and join us for our regular Sunday schedule. Coffee and tea are available from 8:30am onwards, and we start at 9:30am with a service, followed by zazen until 11:00am. A short break is followed by a dharma talk by Tenshin Roshi or one of his senior students, and then we share a delicious vegetarian lunch.

    For first-timers, we run a Zen Meditation Instruction class which also starts at 9:30am. This is a great time to come along for your first time and learn the basics of zen practice and how you can do it. The class joins the regular schedule at 11:20am for the dharma talk and then lunch. There is a recommended donation of $15.00 for those who wish to take the class.

    We have a number of instructional videos that you may find helpful either before or after visiting Yokoji for the first time. If you would like to know more about how we do things here, please refer to our videos on meditation, or zazen, and the basic forms we use.

  • Fall Training Period

    Sunday September 5th  -  Sunday November 14th

    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.

  • October

    Beginner's Mind Sesshin

    Friday October 29th, 3:30pm  -  Sunday October 31st, 12:30pm

    REGISTRATION CLOSED - THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

    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: $250

    Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page.

  • November

    Sesshin (Rohatsu)

    Sunday November 7th, 3:30pm  -  Sunday November 14th, 12:30pm

    REGISTRATION CLOSED - THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

    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: $550.00

    Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page. Please look over the schedule for sesshin before signing up.

  • January

    Beginner's Mind Sesshin

    Friday January 21st  -  Sunday January 23rd

    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: $250

    Registration required. Part-time rates are listed on the sesshin page.

  • March

    Spring Training Period

    Sunday March 6th  -  Sunday May 15th

    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.