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Offerings

In addition to our weekly program, Zen West offers a number of venues for practitioners to deepen their practice. We do our best to support access working with different body limitations, the needs of seniors as well as working parents. We invite your participation regardless of financial means and provide scholarship funds to support your presence with us.  

Retreats

Zen retreats are held in silence. Ritual forms help the group  move in harmony with one another from stillness to activity. The schedule includes meditation, chanting, mindful eating and work as well as rest and dharma teaching. We offer monthly one-day retreats called zazenkai and four longer retreats, called sesshin (Dec, Mar, Jun and Aug). Doing a sesshin can be a very powerful experience. We recommend practitioners have experience with a full day zazenkai before doing a longer sesshin.     

Workshops

Zen West holds a number of workshops throughout the year often on themes of integrating Zen practice. Workshops include IFS for Zen Students, Death and Dying, Climate of Mind working with how we meet the ecological crisis and Working with Dreams within Zen practice.

Practice Periods

We offer a fall and spring focused practice periods called Ango.  Participants craft a personalized vow to intensify their practice for the duration including increased zazen, focused study and sangha participation, all adapted to one's current life conditions and level of experience. Ango participants often deepen their connection to sangha and find this period  rich in challenge and insight.  Membership is required for participation.

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