Great Vow Zen Monastery
Love & Spaciousness: A Loving Kindness Weekend Retreat
With Myoyu Haley Voekel and Kosho Ault
With wonderment on our side, and in relationship with all that is, we recognize the inherent compassion that naturally arises from deep and sustained presence. Held in a container of zen forms and the vibrant dance of a monastery in Autumn, we will explore the nature of being anything at all! During this silent retreat […]
November Sesshin - Gratitude
With Laura Jomon Martin, Myoyu Haley Voekel and Anusha Enryu Fernando
With gratitude for our beloved sangha near and far, the Monastery joyfully offers another sesshin. This sesshin has no set price. All are welcome to attend, and donations from the heart are welcome. During this week of practice, we will eat only the offerings brought to us specifically for this retreat. So food donations, while […]
ZCO Board meeting at Great Vow
Thanksgiving Day Potluck Celebration
Come celebrate Thanksgiving and the spirit of autumnal release at Great Vow. Vegetarian potluck dinner begins at 4pm. Main courses (nut loaf, mashed potatoes, stuffing) will be provided by our kitchen. Side dishes, desserts, salads, and other magical accompaniments are brought by guests. Potluck Dinner will be followed by games, dancing, and spontaneous conviviality. […]
December Sesshin - Rohatsu
With Hogen Bays, Roshi, Larry Fuho Trussell and Myoyu Haley Voekel
The current option is to sign up for the Waitlist. We will contact you with more information once you have joined the waitlist. The light of the Buddha's awakening has not dimmed. This very moment, alive, awake and luminous. Each year people from all over the world gather to celebrate, to sit in stillness and […]
Beginner's Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat
The teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism empower us to live our lives wholeheartedly with openness, insight and compassion. During this weekend retreat we follow a silent retreat schedule, which allows us to temporarily put aside outside concerns and go deeply into inner work. The silent retreat schedule includes about seven hours of sitting meditation […]
Monastery Winter Practice Period
In the stillness and quiet of the monastic container, when we allow the dust to settle and the thinking mind to open and relax, spontaneous wonderment and delight naturally appear. Attention is love. How do we attend to our life? During this practice period we will lean into the natural expression of love and creativity […]
Pari-Nirvana Sesshin: A Meditation Retreat exploring Life, Death & the Unknown
With Larry Fuho Trussell, Myoyu Haley Voekel and Ed Gensho Welsh
During this sesshin we take up the Buddha’s Parinirvana–the Buddha’s death--as the essential inquiry into our own relationship with death, dying and the uncertainties of this life. How often in your daily life do you allow yourself to reflect on your own mortality, your own death? This sesshin provides the structure and support needed to […]
Beginner's Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat
The teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism empower us to live our lives wholeheartedly with openness, insight and compassion. During this weekend retreat we follow a silent retreat schedule, which allows us to temporarily put aside outside concerns and go deeply into inner work. The silent retreat schedule includes about seven hours of sitting meditation […]
March Sesshin - Deep Listening
With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei, Hogen Bays, Roshi and Anusha Enryu Fernando
Spring Practice Period: Awakening with the Earth
Spring at Great Vow Zen Monastery is beautiful. The fruit tree blossoms open towards the heavens, the forest is abuzz with new life as birds, insects and tree frogs are wake up from their winter slumber. Early spring flowers emerge in abundant color, offering fresh perspectives and encouragements. With the natural world springing to […]
April Sesshin
With Larry Fuho Trussell and Laura Jomon Martin
Our meditation practice can be one of relaxed openness and vivid presence, with wisdom into our nature naturally revealing. This is the practice of serene-illumination, a form of meditation where calm-abiding (shamatha) and insight (vipassana) are practiced as one. Sesshin is a rigorous and, at times, challenging silent meditation retreat that is not recommended […]
May Sesshin - The Light of our Ancestors
With Amy Kisei, Sensei, Patrick Bansho Green and Darah Shonin Ashton
Zen is a direct Mind to Mind transmission--a transmission of light. We study with teachers who help us recognize and embody our awakened wisdom and compassion. During this sesshin, we will connect with our roots and draw strength from the stories of those who have come before us. Our ancestors are real people, walking the […]
