This year is our first time to offer this retreat at the Brew Creek Centre situated 15 minutes south Whistler Village. The Centre is in a beautiful setting spread over 20 forested acres with a creek flowing through it.
Please see Sesshin Resources below for Zoom link, schedule, PDFs of chants, etc.
During this week-long (7-nights) silent retreat, July 8-15, 2023, led by guiding teachers Myoshin Kate McCandless and Shinmon Michael Newton, we will follow a traditional Zen sesshin (intensive retreat) schedule, incorporating periods of outdoor walking and sitting meditation in the beautiful forest setting, and emphasizing the dharma of the mountains and waters that Dogen Zenji so appreciated.
This is an opportunity to experience the daily rhythms of residential Zen practice and settle deeply into the stillness of the surrounding forest. The retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, both in the zendo and outdoors, dharma talks, and dokusan (individual meetings) with the teachers. We will eat Zen-style meals (oryoki). Instructions provided.
The daily schedule: Full participation in the schedule is expected. Personal modifications to the schedule can be arranged to accommodate special needs, in dialogue with the teachers and ino (head of zendo) at the retreat. Please note special needs on your registration form, and check in with the ino at the beginning of the retreat if you have any questions or concerns about the schedule.
Zazen: sitting meditation (approximately 6 hours per day) indoor and outdoor
Kinhin: walking meditation, indoor and outdoor
Dharma talks daily by MRZC guiding teachers
Oryoki: formal meals in the Japanese Zen tradition (orientation provided)
Formal afternoon tea service in the zendo
Dokusan: individual meetings with teachers
Samu: work practice to maintain the community
Sesshin Resources
Sesshin Zoom link Meeting ID: 819 5223 4417 Passcode: 198398
Schedule of chanting services with page numbers PDF
To add names for well-being service dedication click here
To add names for memorial service dedication click here.
Meditation Experience
We recommend that you have some meditation experience prior to participating in this retreat. You are welcome and encouraged to join Mountain Rain Zen Community for an orientation at one of our regular Wednesday evening or Sunday morning sits. Practitioners from other traditions are warmly welcome. Please inquire if you have any questions about whether this retreat is right for you.
Meals
Three delicious vegetarian meals are provided daily, as well as coffee, tea, and snacks. We are happy to accommodate special dietary restrictions providing you advise us in advance through your registration. Thank you for your understanding.
We will use the traditional Zen monastic style of eating using oryoki bowls. Instructions will be provided. If you do not have your own oryoki set you may borrow one from Mountain Rain Zen. Please be sure to pay the oryoki fee when you register to reserve your set.
Accommodation
The Brew Creek Centre offers comfortably furnished accommodations in several buildings, Single rooms have a king, queen or double bed, and a shared bathroom. Couples may wish to share a single room. Please indicate this on the registration form, and pay the same fee as for shared accommodation.
Shared accommodations consist of two rooms, one downstairs with a king bed, and an upstairs loft with a double bed, with a shared bathroom downstairs. You can picture these units as townhouse-style.
Fees and Registration
Shared : $860 CN (includes bedding)
Single: $1020 CN (includes bedding)
Oryoki bowls: $15 (For those who cannot bring their own oryoki set. This fee helps us to maintain our supply of oryoki sets to borrow.
Part-time attendance: see below.
Reduced fees available to those on a limited income: see below.
Supporting contribution: allows us to offer reduced fees to those on limited income.
Online (Zoom) attendance: sliding scale $25-$200
Cancellation: Full refund upon cancellation can only be offered up to June 10. After that partial to no refund will depend on attendance numbers and whether your place can be filled.
Dana (Donations to the teachers)
Retreat fees cover expenses only. Dana (donations) to the teachers can be made at the retreat.
Half-Time Attendance
We will give priority to full-time participants. Part-time attendace will be offered subject to availability of rooms. If you would like to request part-time attendance please contact the registrar at registrar@mountainrainzen.org and specifiy first-half or second-half and preferred accommodation choice. We will let you know if half-time attendance becomes available.
We ask that half-time attendees arrive only at the beginning of the retreat or by noon on Tuesday, in time for lunch. Those who have never attended a Zen sesshin and can only attend half-time please are asked to come for the first half of the retreat so that you can be there for the orientation and oryoki training.
Reduced Fee Requests
Reduced fees are available for those on a limited income. To request a reduced fee please fill out a Reduced Fee Request form. (Click the link to open the form.) For general reduced fee requests with no special needs, please register for shared accommodation. On receipt and approval of reduced fee request, the registrar will refund the amount that your fee will be reduced.
Note: If you're requesting a reduced fee and require a single room due to special needs, please complete the reduced fee request as above, and register for single room. Please describe the special need on the form pop up and indicate that you are also completing reduced fee request form. On receipt and approval of reduced fee request, the registrar will refund the amount that your fee will be reduced. Any questions, please contact : registrar@mountainrainzen.org.
Rides/carpooling
There is no public transit to the Brew Creek Centre. Please arrange carpools on your own as much as possible. Please indicate on the registration form whether you need or can offer a ride. Our ride coordinator will match up those needing rides with those offering rides. This is more challenging for half-time participants. As we are getting more participants coming by air from a distance, and more people are living urban lives without cars, we may ask you to share costs of a rental or co-op car, or airport shuttle. We will try to let you know arrangements two weeks before the start day. We cannot guarantee rides for late registrants.
July 2, 2023 Registration update
The retreat is now full. Please contact registrar@mountainrainzen.org to waitlist.
See below for Online-only registration.
