STO May Precepts Session
Soto Zen
Five-day residential and online sesshin centered on the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts, combining intensive zazen with daily Dharma talks exploring how precept study deepens Zen practice. Offered by Atlanta Soto Zen Center.
About this retreat
This five-day precepts session uses intensive meditation and structured study to explore the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts—the ethical foundation of Soto Zen practice. Rather than treating precepts as rules, the retreat investigates them as expressions of Buddha nature and tools for seeing clearly into practice and daily life.
The format mixes zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and daily Dharma talks that unpack each precept. The silent, residential schedule creates the conditions for this study to move beyond intellectual understanding into embodied practice.
Attendance options
- In-person residential: full participation in the sesshin schedule, meals, and community
- Online via Zoom: access to talks and group meditation periods from home
This is a spring retreat, which often draws both returning practitioners and those new to sesshin format. If you're unfamiliar with Soto Zen or precept-centered practice, the daily talks are designed to make the material accessible while still engaging experienced students.
Full details from Atlanta Soto Zen Center
A 5-day Spring Precepts Zen meditation retreat offered both in-person and via Zoom, focusing on studying the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts and their implications for deepening Zen practice through daily Dharma talks and intensive meditation.