Boundless Field Zazenkai

A zazenkai is a compressed sesshin—a single-day intensive with the core elements of longer retreat: sustained zazen, formal meals, and a private interview with a teacher. This format sits between a sitting group and a multi-day sesshin, making it useful both as regular practice for experienced students and as a stepping stone for those curious about what sesshin entails.

Expect an early start, multiple sitting periods with kinhin (walking meditation) between them, a teacher's talk, oryoki (formal meal practice), and dokusan—a private meeting with the teacher, usually 10–15 minutes. Oryoki is worth knowing about: it's a structured, meditative way of eating together in silence using specific bowls and utensils. It's not complicated, but it's unfamiliar to most people new to Zen practice. The center will guide you through it.

This is a good gauge of whether sesshin—the longer, 3- to 7-day silent retreats that form the backbone of Zen training—fits your life and practice. One day tells you a lot about the rhythm, the silence, sitting with others in a formal schedule, and how you respond to sustained zazen.