Harvest Sesshin

Harvest Sesshin is a traditional six-day residential sesshin—the core practice format in Zen training. You'll sit zazen (meditation) for 7–10 hours daily, broken into periods of about 40 minutes each, separated by kinhin (walking meditation). The schedule includes formal chanting services, oryoki (ritualized silent eating), work practice, and dokusan (private meetings with a teacher).

This is intensive practice in the strictest sense: you maintain silence except during dokusan and scheduled instruction. There's little free time. The rhythm is designed to settle the mind quickly and sustain concentration across six days. If you've never done sesshin, expect the first two days to feel difficult—your legs will ache, your mind will wander persistently—and by day four or five, most people find a rhythm that feels sustainable.

The cost is modest for a residential retreat. Zen Center of New York City (Fire Lotus Temple) is located in Manhattan; the page should specify lodging details and what's included. If you're new to sesshin, consider doing a shorter sit (three days) first if the center offers one, though many practitioners find that jumping into six days works just as well.