AT ST. DOROTHY'S REST
 |
| Photo
of the windows that look out from the dining area at St. Dorothy's
Rest, by Bill Krumbein. |
PZI HOLDS SESSHIN FOUR TIMES A YEAR AT ST. DOROTHY'S REST RETREAT CENTER IN THE REDWOOD FOREST OF WEST SONOMA COUNTY Our sesshin retreats begin on the evening of the first scheduled day. Please plan to arrive early enough to get yourself settled into your sleeping area and set up in the meditation hall by 7:15pm. The evening program will begin at 7:30pm. Dinner will not be provided on the first night, so you'll want to give yourself time to eat. You can bring something to eat or go to the nearby town of Occidental (~10 minutes away) where there are a few restaurants and also a market that has a deli that makes sandwiches. If you'd like to arrive early to help set up, that is always appreciated. The
retreat isn't over until we've restored St. Dorothy's to the condition
in which we found it. Your participation in this final part of
the retreat is important and deeply appreciated. Please plan to
stay until mid-afternoon of the final day of the retreat. Once you arrive at sesshin, there will be practice leaders there to assist you and to let you know whatever you need to know when you need to know it. |
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What to bring: zafu
and zabuton: If you
have your own sitting cushions and it's not too difficult for
you to bring them, we ask that you do bring your own. If you don't
have your own cushions or are travelling by plane and can't bring
them, don't worry - there will be cushions and chairs provided
for those who need them. |
Food:
The food at sesshin is vegetarian. If you have dietary restrictions,
please let the PZI Registrar know.
Phone: There is no cell
phone reception to speak of at St. Dot's. There is a pay phone located
in the entry lobby of the main building. It can be used for emergencies
and brief calls during breaks if necessary. The number is 707-874-9907.
SESSHIN ORIENTATION and WELCOME
What
is Buddha?
The heart of the one who asks is Buddha
Sesshin is a special environment built to help you discover your own enlightenment. In your daily life, the light of your attention normally goes out from you into the world; during sesshin you turn the light back inward into your own heart and mind.
The practice leaders of the sesshin will let you know when things are happening and what to do. The leaders are experienced meditation practitioners who are taking this task on as a service. If you have any questions feel free to speak with one of them—they will be introduced on opening night.
The Daily Schedule
is posted in the lobby of the Main Building and in each sleeping area.
A list of work practice assignments is also posted in the Main Building—please
check it to see what your work practice assignment is. It is helpful to
everyone when you show up in the Meditation Hall and at your work practice
assignment at the appropriate times. We have a high regard for work practice.
The idea is that work in a meditation retreat serves as a bridge for the
moment you return to your regular life outside of sesshin. It helps you
to carry the light of your understanding into everything you do. Meditation
goes on everywhere and is not limited to when you are sitting on a cushion.
Every place in sesshin is the place for enlightenment.
Here are a few protocols we practice at sesshin that help us make a container
for practice:
Silence:
Silence is the darkness from which freedom is born. In the Meditation
Hall, keep the silence unless chanting or a dharma talk is going on. Outside
the hall, if you have to speak, do it quietly and away from other people.
If you have an impulse to interact with someone, stop first and then consider
whether it is necessary. One of the things that we do in sesshin is to
learn that we don’t have to respond to situations in our usual fashion.
In the Meditation
Hall:
When you enter the Meditation Hall, bow into the room from the entryway
and go to your seat. Then bow to your cushion, turn and bow into the room,
and sit down. A bow can indicate many things—respect, gratitude,
or recognition of our interconnectedness with each other.
Before meals and at
the end of the day, the leaders will use bells to lead everyone through
the ritual for leaving the room or beginning the meal. If in doubt, just
follow along.
When you leave the Meditation Hall it is not necessary to bow at the door.
When you leave, just leave.
During meditation we’ll be sitting for periods that last about 25
minutes, with 5 to 7 minute walking meditation in between.
You can use the bathroom during walking meditation or on breaks. To leave
the walking meditation line, wait until your part of the line comes to
the door, then exit. When you return, if your place in the line comes
around, then put your palms together to signal your intent and step into
the line.
In your sleeping
quarters:
Each morning there will be someone who rings the wake up bell in the hallway
of your sleeping quarters twenty-five minutes before the meditation period
begins. For all other periods, the large densho bell outside the meditation
hall will be rung to call you back into the hall from your break or work
practice assignment.
Early morning
greeting:
Each morning the teacher will enter the Meditation Hall and silently greet
the room. As the teacher passes in front of you, the custom is to return
the greeting by raising your hands palms together.
Teacher interviews:
Each day the teachers will conduct brief private interviews and you will
have a regular opportunity to meet with a teacher if you wish. The teachers’
liaisons will indicate when this will be happening and the spirit in which
we engage with the teachers.
Meditation
Instruction:
If you would like individual guidance, please let the Head of Practice
know.
Conclusion:
The purpose of the orientation instructions is to introduce you to some
basics of sesshin, they are not meant to add things to your meditation.
These protocols are part of the way we support each other in retreat.
They are meant to help us interact in a way that encourages each person
to focus on her own practice and discoveries. If you think you don’t
know what to do, just attend to that moment and don’t worry about
doing it just right. In sesshin you have a chance to experience things
from a fresh perspective, to be at ease in an unfamiliar environment,
without either making what is happening wrong or blaming yourself for
not knowing. If you can be comfortable not knowing, you can learn anything.
Welcome to retreat, it is a great joy to do this together.
SAMPLE
BASIC DAILY SESSHIN SCHEDULE *Private interviews with teachers take place during selected meditation periods throughout the day. Sometimes other special events or programs will also take place. |
excerpted
from 'Sudden Awakening,' an article by John Tarrant
in Shambhala Sun magazine, June 2007
| There
seems to be a lot of individual variance in how ... ... The
Zen task is to open the gates of the world beyond our prejudices.
Like the Buddha, we can step away from everything we are certain
about. I think that this possibility is the best contribution
we can make to healing the flaws in consciousness and helping
the world. Unkindness comes out of certainty; when we throw out
certainty, |