Embodying the Genjo Koan in Our Daily Lives

The Genjo Koan is one of Dogen's most direct teachings: the idea that practice and enlightenment are not separate, that the way things are right now—this moment, this breath, this body—is already the full expression of Buddha-nature. This retreat uses that text as a lens, but doesn't stay in the zendo. You'll sit zazen, but you'll also move, write, and sit with others in discussion. That's deliberate: the retreat is testing whether insight from the cushion can land in the body and in conversation, not just remain a good idea.

Green Gulch Farm, SFZC's residential practice center in Marin County, sits on working farmland north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The setting itself becomes part of the teaching—you're in a place where people practice together and also tend gardens, fix buildings, cook meals. That's the Soto Zen model: no separation between meditation and livelihood.

The format mixes formal practice with flexibility. You'll have zazen periods (sitting meditation), but also yoga, movement meditation, journaling time, and structured conversations with facilitators about what you're noticing. This isn't a silent sesshin in the traditional sense—there are designated times for talking about practice, which can help if you're newer to meditation or trying to understand what Dogen is actually saying.

Five days is long enough to settle but not so long that you're depleted. You'll sleep and eat on-site; meals are vegetarian and often include produce from the farm. Bring comfortable clothes for movement practice and something to write in.