“Do not think that time merely flies away. Do not see flying away as the only function of time. If time merely flies away, you would be separated from time. The reason you do not clearly understand the time being is that you think of time only as passing. In essence, all things in the entire world are linked with one another as moments. Because all moments are the time being, they are your time being.”
Dogen Zenji brought Soto Zen practice from China to Japan in the thirteenth century. His writings have come to be known world-wide for their poetic and paradoxical language, and penetrating depth. Studying Dogen together we can widen and deepen our perspectives on practice.
This retreat will focus intensively on Dogen Zenji's text Uji or "Being Time". In this text Dogen discusses the nature of time and impermanence. He reveals that time and being are not what we suppose them to be. We will explore the text in community, and apply Dogen's teachings to our zazen practice and everyday lives.
The retreat will include periods of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), two dharma talks each day, small and large group discussion, and reflective writing or art.
Everyone welcome, whether you are new to Zen practice or experienced.
Recommended, but not required, reading:
Being Time: A practitioner’s guide to Dogen’s Shobogenzo Uji by Shinshu Roberts
Deepest Practice, Deepest Wisdom: Three Fascicles from Shobogenzo with Commentaries by Kosho Uchiyama
About the Teacher: Myoshin Kate McCandless is a Zen Buddhist priest and co-guiding teacher of Mountain Rain Zen Community. She first encountered Dogen’s teachings when practicing with Shohaku Okumura Roshi in Kyoto, Japan in the mid-1980s and has continued to find them wonderfully inexhaustible.
Schedule: Saturday 9:00 AM - 4:30 Sunday: 9:00 - 4:30
We will eat lunch in silence together. Please bring a bag/box lunch, and a mug for tea.
Fees
Full-time attendance: $80
Half-time attendance: $40
For those on a limited income, reduced fees are available. Please complete the Weekend Retreat Reduced Fee Request form (click the link to access the form). No one will turned away for lack of funds.
Your additional donation beyond the retreat fee supports Mountain Rain’s capacity to offer reduced fees to those on limited income. Thank you!
Teacher Dana
Retreat fees only cover expenses. There will be an opportunity to give a donation/dana to the teacher at the retreat.
Questions?
If you have questions or concerns, please contact the registrar at registrar@mountainrainzen.org.
Accommodation:
If you will need accommodation please indicate your request on the registration form. Our capacity to provide billeting is limited. If you stayed at a sangha member's place or at the zendo in the past, please do not assume the same arrangement can be made as availability varies each time. We encourage you to find your own accommodation when possible and let us know if you no longer require billeting. We will do our best to confirm your accommodation request two weeks before the retreat.
