Programs
Retreat Cabin Application
The retreat hut is available only to those who have already participated in a weekend retreat or longer here at the monastery. The monastery retreat cabin rests on the edge of our 23 acres of forest. Though, just a short walk to the monastery buildings, it has a feeling of a forest hermitage. Equipped with […]
Summer Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat
With Darah Shonin Ashton
Jukai Ceremony at Great Vow Zen Monastery
July Sesshin - Summer Breeze
With Patrick Bansho Green and Darah Shonin Ashton
City Refuge Retreat
With Kodo Conover
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple will be offering an extended opportunity for retreat practice in the city. This three-day non-residential retreat will include many of the elements you’ll find in sesshin.
16 Bodhisattva Precepts Series (in - person)
With Kodo Conover
Seeing Through Obstacles - Inner Critic Weekend Retreat
With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi and Patrick Bansho Green
“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” – W. Whitman Transformation of our hearts and minds has never been more vital. The very possibility for future humans to experience Truth, Beauty and Goodness is up in the air! And yet, most of us have significant challenges following […]
Vancouver Zen - Deepening Practice 1/2 day Meditation Retreat
With Laura Jomon Martin
"There are countless teachings, countless realizations awaiting each person who practices this diligently. Please clear and prepare the ground for them to arise." -Chozen Bays, Roshi Please join us for a half-day of Zen practice in the city of Vancouver Washington! A silent day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, temple care-taking, and a […]
Way Seeking Mind with Chozen Roshi
During our usual Sunday Morning Program at Great Vow Zen Monastery, Chozen Roshi will be offering part one of her Way Seeking Mind Talk. A Way Seeking Mind talk is a way to tell our life story from the perspective of our spiritual life path and its maturation. It is an offering to our community […]
Grasses, Trees, and the Great Earth Sesshin
With Amy Kisei, Sensei and Myoyu Haley Voekel
Earth body, sky heart. Rooted and flowing. Luminous and open. We are made of earth and sky, of wind breath and rain song, our lives woven from the teachings of the natural world. This retreat is an opportunity to re-connect and relax into the wild, ancient, wisdom of the Grasses, Trees and Great Earth. We […]
Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living - in person at Great Vow
With Laura Jomon Martin and Patrick Bansho Green
Chant for Peace at Heart of Wisdom
INTERFAITH CHANT FOR PEACE AT HEART OF WISDOM ZEN TEMPLE, PORTLAND OREGON TIME: 9:00am - 9:00pm LOCATION: In-Person at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple and Online ADDRESS: 6401 NE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97211, USA To join via Zoom, click here Awake with a passion for inner and global transformation, this 12-hour chanting vigil is a […]
Deepening Freedom through The Work: A Gentle Deconstruction of Identity
With Eduardo Kyozen Zambrano
There is a true person of no rank who is constantly coming and going from the portals of your face. Who is that true person of no rank? ~ Rinzai Why Come: In the quiet of the monastery we will combine zazen with Byron Katie’s inquiry, The Work, to question the stories that hold the […]
Jizo Sesshin
With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi and Laura Jomon Martin
This retreat begins on Tuesday! This retreat will focus on the qualities of Jizo Bodhisattva, guardian of all that comes from the earth, and Jizo’s qualities – benevolence, optimism, fearlessness, determination, and vow. A unique element of this retreat is the inclusion of time devoted to art projects, creative time, and a slide show […]
Oceans of Compassion: A Retreat In Service To The Earth
With Kodo Conover and Laura Jomon Martin
Jizo Ceremony for Children Who Have Died
With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi
Autumn Ango - Fall Residency 2025
With Hogen and Chozen Roshi, Patrick Bansho Green and Myoyu Haley Voekel
This Dharma is abundantly present in each human being, but if we do not practice it, it does not manifest itself, and if we do not experience it, it cannot be realized. - Dogen Zenji In communion with our ancestors who set aside time each year for deep retreat, the Monastery offers this Autumn Ango. […]
October Sesshin - The Ancient Way
With Hogen Bays, Roshi, Jogen Salzberg, Sensei and Danney Soten Lynch
There is something very special about the magic of autumn and the kicking off of the fall ango practice period that makes this sesshin so powerful. What a great gift it is to be able to sit together in silence. This is our longest sesshin of the year. The extra days enable us drop down […]
New Member Tea
Calling New Members~ The ZCO membership committee joyfully invites you to join us at our New Member Tea! New member tea is open to ZCO members who joined in the 2024/2025 calendar year. Come connect, make new friends, tour the temple, learn about ways to practice and the organization as a whole. It's a great […]
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 […]
December Sesshin - Rohatsu
With Hogen Bays, Roshi, Larry Fuho Trussell and Myoyu Haley Voekel
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 to be nourished by this truth. All over the world people join in the ritual of Rohatsu sesshin. This sesshin is the […]