Equinox Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

A straightforward one-day zazenkai — the word means "zazen gathering." This is the common format at Soto centers: a day built around sitting practice, held in silence, with meals and brief rest woven in. You sit longer periods than a typical evening sit, typically in 40-50 minute blocks with brief kinhin (walking meditation) between them.

The equinox timing is traditional — many Zen centers mark the seasonal turns with extended sitting. Expect a schedule that might look like: arrival and opening, several sitting periods through the morning, oryoki (formal meal practice) at midday with vegetarian food, afternoon sitting, and closing ceremony. Noble silence means no talking except during any instruction or Q&A; it's not isolation but a shared container for the practice.

This retreat asks for some sitting experience — either a previous retreat or regular Zen instruction. That's the difference between a zazenkai and a "intro to Zen" day-sit. It assumes you know the basic posture and can sit for extended periods without instruction.