Trans Sangha Half-Day Retreat

San Francisco Zen Center's Trans Sangha organizes this half-day retreat for practitioners who have already sat before. Rather than a full sesshin, this is a concentrated morning or afternoon of silent practice — extended zazen periods with kinhin (walking meditation) between them, held at the center's City Center location in downtown San Francisco.

The retreat is led by sangha members themselves, not a resident teacher, which shapes the feel: this is peer-led practice rooted in the SFZC lineage. The center teaches Soto Zen, which emphasizes shikantaza (just sitting) rather than koan work — the sitting is the practice, not a means to an answer. If you've sat before and want a shorter, community-focused day rather than a multi-day sesshin, this fits that need.

Half-day retreats work well for people with existing sitting experience who want to deepen without the commitment of a residential program, or as a stepping stone before attempting a longer retreat. Bring nothing but yourself; the center provides the structure and timing.