Summer Sesshin

Summer Sesshin is Zen Center of Denver's five-day intensive — a sesshin being, in Zen terms, a multi-day retreat built around sustained meditation practice rather than talks or workshops. It runs June 18–23, 2027 and is co-led by Peggy Metta Roshi and Karin Ryuku Roshi. The listing names the core elements: zazen (seated meditation), dokusan (private meetings with the teacher), teisho (a formal dharma presentation by a teacher), chanting, and vegetarian meals taken oryoki-style — the traditional Zen eating ritual using a bundled set of bowls and wrapping cloth.

Three ways to attend

ZCD offers three participation options, all priced the same:

• Stay overnight — in residence at the center; capacity is 20, and the center advises registering early to guarantee a spot.
• Commuter — attend in person but sleep at home; total in-person capacity across both in-person options is 30.
• Online — join the sesshin via Zoom. The listing doesn't describe how the online schedule works or whether online participants receive dokusan, so ask the office if that matters to you.

Schedule and logistics

The sesshin opens with a setup and orientation session the Thursday evening before it begins, at 6:30 pm. Participants arrive at the center at 2:30 pm on the first day, June 18, and the sesshin concludes before noon on the last day, June 23. The detailed daily schedule isn't published on the event page — it's sent to registrants — so you won't find wake-up times or period counts until you've signed up. The retreat takes place at the center's zendo at 1856 S. Columbine Street in Denver.

Cost and registration

Cost is $225 for ZCD members and $275 for non-members; both include a non-refundable $50 application fee, and payment is required at registration. Registration opens April 22, 2027 and closes May 28, 2027. Partial scholarships are available for those with financial need — contact the office to apply — and the center asks those with means to donate to the Mary Mich Sesshin Scholarship Fund, which underwrites attendance for others.

Who can attend

This is not open enrollment. Acceptance to the sesshin is at the discretion of the teachers for all participants, regardless of membership status. Non-members and anyone attending their first sesshin at ZCD need to contact the office for a sesshin application before registering.