Introduction to Zen Training Weekend

This is a structured entry point into Zen training. Rather than a silent sesshin, the weekend mixes zazen with instruction, liturgy, and creative practice—designed to give newcomers a working sense of what Zen monastery life actually looks like, not just meditation.

You'll sit zazen (Zen meditation) in a formal schedule, learn how chanting and ritual function in practice, meet with teachers in dokusan (private meetings), and participate in work practice—the idea that ordinary tasks like cooking or cleaning are meditation too. The retreat also includes art and body practice, which signals a more contemporary, embodied approach than some traditional Zen centers take.

Zen Mountain Monastery, located in the Catskill Mountains, is an active residential training center, so you'll be in a functioning community rather than a retreat-only facility. Lodging and meals are included. The three-day format gives you enough time to settle into the rhythm without the intensity of a longer sesshin.