Sandy Gentei Stewart
A Taste of Zen
June 29 - July 2
3 nights $180 ($90 deposit) Dana
Practicing at Southern Dharma is both a joy and great opportunity. This gathering is open to all levels of participants and is designed to give you a taste of the daily life at a Zen training center. Zen training is not an end in itself; the benefits of the practice are meant to be used in our relationships and daily lives.
Although the full schedule will go from 5 AM to 9 PM with rest periods after meals, you will be able to participate according to your needs. Each full day will include chanting, sitting, walking, a work period, one or two lectures on a Zen text, question and answer sessions, and individual interviews with Gentei, which will be given three or four times a day. Most meals will be served in a formal Zen style. Work periods will be fully integrated into the retreat and will be helpful in bringing our practice home.
Part-timers are welcome, although registration preference will be given to full-timers.
Gentei is a Zen osho (abbot and teacher), a student of Joshu Roshi of Rinzai-ji. He began his practice with his teacher in 1967. Since 1977, he has been the osho at the North Carolina Zen Center near Pittsboro.
Here is the daily schedule of the Sandy Gentei Steart 2006 Southern Dharma retreat. The 2007 schedule may be different.
5:00 Wake-Up
5:30 Zendo
7:30 Breakfast
8:45 Work Period
10:45 Clean-Up
11:30 Zendo
12:30 Main Meal
2:15 Zendo – Tea, Chant
4:15 Dharma Talk
5:30 Evening Meal
7:00 Zendo
9:00 Sarei