Bodhidharma Sesshin

Bodhidharma Sesshin is a traditional residential Zen retreat: six days of silence and structured practice centered on zazen (sitting meditation). The retreat runs a full daily schedule—7 to 10 hours of sitting—which means this is genuinely intensive. You'll sit in periods of 25–40 minutes, with walking meditation (kinhin) between rounds to rest your legs.

The day includes chanting services, formal silent meals (oryoki), work practice, and private dokusan meetings with the teacher. Oryoki is a formal meal ritual practiced in many Zen centers; you eat in the meditation hall using your own bowls, passed in sequence by servers. It looks ceremonial and takes practice, but the center will teach you. Work practice might be kitchen, cleaning, or grounds work—part of the training itself, not separate from it.

A sesshin like this one has a particular quality: silence is strict, eye contact minimal, schedules tight. Bells and gongs mark transitions. The pace can feel austere to newcomers, but that's deliberate. Without conversation, distraction drops, and sitting deepens. If you've only done sitting practice at home or in shorter group sits, a six-day sesshin is a different animal—the container holds you differently.

Fire Lotus Temple is located in New York City, so lodging is on-site and included. Bring comfortable, dark clothing suitable for sitting and work. The center typically asks you to arrive the evening before and depart the morning after the formal end date.