Touching Winter - A Zen Sesshin - January 3-10, 2027
Touching Winter - A Zen Sesshin
What is life? What is death? Why is there no spring without winter? What does it mean to live fully, anew each moment, and to die completely into the next? Clearly, there is death within life, is there also life within death? Let us open completely and intimately to ourselves and our surroundings in the depths of winter. Let us touch the true teaching of this moment and let it penetrate our hearts, deepen our felt sense of being alive, and lead us into a life of true connection, contentment, and compassion.
Sesshin is an intensive silent meditation retreat. It can be physically, emotionally, and psychologically challenging and is generally not recommended for beginning meditators. We recommend that you attend one of our silent weekend retreats first if you have not previously sat sesshin, or an equivalent week long meditation retreat. For more information about what to expect when attending a sesshin, please reach out to us. If you are a beginner and feel you are ready for a full sesshin, please contact us to have a conversation with one of the teachers before signing up.
Sesshin at Bells Mountain Dharma Center emphasize earth intimacy. We use minimal heat and electric light and prioritize being outdoors or semi-outdoors when reasonably possible.
$380 ($280 members); $50 deposit holds your space; balance due on arrival.
January 3rd @ 4pm, Sunday- January 10th @ 2pm, Sunday
Approximate Full Daily Sesshin Schedule (Sunday - Friday)
3:50 Wake Up
4:30 Zazen
6:50 Service
7:30 Body Practice
8:30 Oryoki Breakfast
10:00 Work Practice
11:20 End Work
12:00 Zazen
12:50 Service
1:00 Oryoki Lunch
3:00 Zazen/ Practice Check-in’s
3:30 Dharma Talk
5:20 Service
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Zazen/ Dharma Talk
9:20 Formal Tea
What is life? What is death? Why is there no spring without winter? What does it mean to live fully, anew each moment, and to die completely into the next? Clearly, there is death within life, is there also life within death? Let us open completely and intimately to ourselves and our surroundings in the depths of winter. Let us touch the true teaching of this moment and let it penetrate our hearts, deepen our felt sense of being alive, and lead us into a life of true connection, contentment, and compassion.
Sesshin is an intensive silent meditation retreat. It can be physically, emotionally, and psychologically challenging and is generally not recommended for beginning meditators. We recommend that you attend one of our silent weekend retreats first if you have not previously sat sesshin, or an equivalent week long meditation retreat. For more information about what to expect when attending a sesshin, please reach out to us. If you are a beginner and feel you are ready for a full sesshin, please contact us to have a conversation with one of the teachers before signing up.
Sesshin at Bells Mountain Dharma Center emphasize earth intimacy. We use minimal heat and electric light and prioritize being outdoors or semi-outdoors when reasonably possible.
$380 ($280 members); $50 deposit holds your space; balance due on arrival.
January 3rd @ 4pm, Sunday- January 10th @ 2pm, Sunday
Approximate Full Daily Sesshin Schedule (Sunday - Friday)
3:50 Wake Up
4:30 Zazen
6:50 Service
7:30 Body Practice
8:30 Oryoki Breakfast
10:00 Work Practice
11:20 End Work
12:00 Zazen
12:50 Service
1:00 Oryoki Lunch
3:00 Zazen/ Practice Check-in’s
3:30 Dharma Talk
5:20 Service
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Zazen/ Dharma Talk
9:20 Formal Tea