Mountains and Rivers Sesshin

Mountains and Rivers is a traditional six-day sesshin — the standard intensive Zen retreat format. Expect silence from the moment you arrive through departure, broken only by teacher talks and the sound of the bell marking sitting periods.

The daily shape is steady: wake around 4 or 5 a.m., then alternating periods of zazen (sitting meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation) until meals. Oryoki — formal ritualized eating — replaces casual dining; it's part of the practice itself, not a break from it. Work practice (samu) fills part of the day, and in the evenings there are chanting services and teacher talks. Between 7 and 10 hours of zazen daily is typical for a sesshin of this kind.

Dokusan — a private meeting with the teacher, usually lasting 5–10 minutes — happens once or twice daily. This is where you bring questions, obstacles, or insights; the teacher responds in real time, often with directness that's hard to find elsewhere.

A sesshin works partly because you're not alone in it. The collective silence and rhythm of 20 or 40 or 100 people sitting together creates something different from solo practice at home. If you've never done this before, the first day is often disorienting; by day three or four, the schedule becomes almost invisible.