Beginner's Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat

What to expect

This is a traditional Soto Zen sesshin compressed into a weekend—the same daily rhythm as longer retreats, but shorter. You'll sit zazen (Zen meditation) for seven hours total across the days, typically in four or five periods with kinhin (walking meditation) between them. There's no dokusan (private teacher meetings) on a beginner retreat; the focus is on learning the basics and sitting in the group schedule.

Friday evening includes instruction on posture and breath—practical foundations for zazen. The rest is practice: meals taken in oryoki style (formal, mindful eating in the meditation hall), chanting services, and community work. "Noble silence" means no unnecessary talking; you're not avoiding people, just protecting the quiet needed for the practice to land.

The setting

Great Vow Zen Monastery is in rural Oregon. Residential means you sleep there for the weekend. The retreat is designed to give you a real taste of intensive Zen practice without a big time commitment—good for deciding if longer sesshin feels right.