Three-Day Sesshin with Jukai
with Sarah Dōjin Emerson · Soto Zen
Three-day silent sesshin at Brooklyn Zen Center led by dharma teachers Sarah Dōjin Emerson and Charlie Korin Pokorny. The retreat follows a traditional schedule of zazen and kinhin, with dharma talks and service, culminating in a Jukai ceremony where participants formally receive the sixteen bodhisattva precepts.
Jukai—the formal reception of the sixteen bodhisattva precepts—marks a threshold in Zen practice. This three-day sesshin is structured around that ceremony, so the retreat carries particular weight for those taking that step. If you're considering jukai, this sesshin gives you time to sit with the decision in silence before the formal commitment.
Brooklyn Zen Center is Soto Zen, the tradition that emphasizes shikantaza (just sitting) as both the means and the expression of practice. Expect a traditional sesshin schedule: early morning zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), work practice, meals in oryoki style (if the center follows that format), and dharma talks from the teachers. The days are structured but spacious—silence includes meals and all daily activities.
The Jukai ceremony itself is a formal ritual in which you receive the precepts from the teachers and the sangha. It's not a graduation; it's a beginning. If you're attending as a participant but not taking jukai, you'll sit the same sesshin schedule and receive the teachings alongside those who are.
Full details from Brooklyn Zen Center
An in-person three-day sesshin (meditation retreat) led by BZC's dharma teachers Sarah Dōjin Emerson and Charlie Korin Pokorny, featuring zazen and kinhin meditation, service, and dharma talks. The sesshin concludes with a Jukai ceremony in which sangha members formally receive the sixteen bodhisattva precepts.