Investigating Zen Practice: A One-Day Workshop

A one-day workshop is an efficient way to sample what Zen practice actually involves. Instead of reading about zazen or oryoki, you'll sit, chant, eat mindfully in the traditional bowl-and-spoon format, walk, work, and encounter a koan—all in a single day. This format shows the breadth of a monastery's rhythm without requiring a multi-day commitment.

Great Vow Zen Monastery frames this around the Ten Directions, a traditional Zen concept pointing to the boundlessness of practice space and time. The inclusion of "dharma teachings applicable in today's world" suggests the teacher connects classical Zen to contemporary life—practical grounding rather than historical or purely philosophical focus.

At $35 for a full day including meals, this is an accessible entry point. If you've wondered what happens inside a Zen monastery but weren't ready for a sesshin, this is a direct answer.