Walking Mountain Pilgrimage Sesshin with Bells Mountain

A retreat with Bells Mountain Dharma Center

(exact location TBD)

August 29 – September 12

If you do not understand the mountains walking, you do not understand your own walking. ~Dogen Zenji

Through the eyes of the pilgrim, the temple has no gate. Traveling as a band of spiritual practitioners, we will acknowledge each place as holy and each step as sacred with our meditation and prayer. During this pilgrimage-retreat, we will investigate what it might mean to re-establish right relationship with the natural world.

This is a two week event. The first week is a backpacking style pilgrimage and the second is a week-long outdoor Zen sesshin*.

During the walking segment we will follow a daily schedule of walking, meditation, chanting/singing, meals, and yoga, with the majority of each day held in silence and time for community development as well.

During the Zen sesshin we will set up a base camp, enter full Noble Silence and follow a structured retreat schedule. Each day will consist of about eight hours of seated meditation, chanting/singing, meals, a period of meditative movement, and guided hiking (or optional trail running). One night hike and some solo meditation may be incorporated into the schedule as well.

This is a physically demanding retreat requiring previous backpacking and week-long meditation retreat experience. A body should be comfortable walking 5-10 miles daily carrying a week’s worth of food and gear, in addition to additional communal gear. A required packing list will be provided and all food is included in the retreat fee.

*Sesshin is an intensive silent meditation retreat. It can be physically, emotionally, and psychologically challenging and is generally not recommended for beginning meditators. We recommend that you attend one of our silent weekend retreats first if you have not previously sat sesshin, or an equivalent week long meditation retreat. For more information about what to expect when attending a sesshin, click here. If you are a beginner and feel you are ready for a full sesshin, please contact us to have a conversation with one of the teachers before signing up.

Click here to register: Registration Link

Bells Mountain Calendar of Events