Residential Retreat: Summer Residency & Sesshin

This three-week summer program at Boundless Way's temple in Rhode Island blends residential practice with a traditional sesshin format. The first two weeks follow a structured daily schedule of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), teisho (formal teaching), dokusan (private meetings with a teacher), samu (work practice), and oryoki (formal meal practice). The final week intensifies into a full sesshin — typically more sitting periods, stricter silence, and deeper focus.

The retreat's core teaching comes from Dongshan Liangjie (Tōzan in Japanese), a Tang-dynasty Soto Zen ancestor whose work with the Five Ranks and the question of meeting and speaking continues to shape Soto practice today. If you're exploring this lineage for the first time, expect koan-like investigations woven into traditional sitting-based practice.

Flexibility matters here: you can commit to all three weeks, or drop in for just the two-week residency, or join only the final sesshin week. This makes the program accessible whether you have a month free or need to build your retreat time in pieces.