Great Sky Sesshin
Great Sky Sesshin
August 7 - 14, 2010
sponsored by
Cedar Rapids Zen Center
and Milwaukee Zen Center
Great Sky Sesshin Registration Form
When: Arrival - by 4:00 p.m., Saturday, August 7, 2010
Departure - after 1:00 p.m. clean-up, Saturday, August 14, 2010
Where: Hokyoji Zen Practice Community, Eitzen, Minnesota.
A beautiful rural setting of meadow, forest and rolling hills in southern Minnesota just west of the Mississippi River. Accommodations are very simple, ranging from dormitory - style bunk beds to the zendo floor to personal camping equipment. Participants should bring their own sleeping bags, towels and toiletries. There are showers and outdoor toilets available. The zendo is a lovely Japanese style structure.
What: A daily schedule of zazen, dharma talks, services, dokusan, meals with oryoki, tea breaks and work periods. (See attached full schedule.)
Teachers:
Tonen O’Connor, Milwaukee Zen Center
Zuiko Redding, Cedar Rapids Zen Center
Rosan Yoshida, Missouri Zen Center
Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen, Sit Down & Shut Up and Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate
Associate Teacher:
Dokai Georgesen, Resident Teacher, Hokyoji Zen Practice Community
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The purpose of this Soto Zen style sesshin is to draw together teachers and practitioners for seven days of deepening their understanding of the dharma under the extraordinary big sky of Hokyoji.
Participation is limited to 24 practitioners.
Cost: $285 – bunk bed (with air mattress)
$250 – zendo or camping.
A registration form is attached and should be returned with payment in full to the Milwaukee Zen Center, 2825 N. Stowell Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211
Deadline for Registration: no later than July 12, 2010
A full information packet will be provided after registration.
For questions or further information, please contact the Milwaukee Zen Center.
E-Mail: kokyo-an@earthlink.net Phone: (414)963-0526 Fax: (414)963-0517
TEACHERS – GREAT SKY SESSHIN 2009
Dokai Georgesen began his study of Zen Buddhism at Minnesota Zen Center under the direction of Dainin Katagiri Roshi in 1974. Upon his return in 1982 from two years on pilgrimage studying Buddhism in India and Japan, he lived at Hokyoji until his ordination in 1984. In 1989, he received dharma transmission from Katagiri Roshi. Since then, he has returned to Japan several times to study under Ikko Narasaki Roshi, Tsugen Narasaki Roshi and Taizan Maezumi Roshi. He has also practiced at Plum Village in France under the direction of Thich Nhat Hanh. He returned to Hokyoji in June, 2003, and is now its resident teacher.
Tonen O’Connor is the resident priest at the Milwaukee Zen Center. She received ordination from Tozen Akiyama in 1994 and dharma transmission in 1999. She has trained in Japan at Shogoji, Hosshinji and Hokyoji. Since 1998, she has worked extensively with inmates within the Wisconsin correctional system, is active in interfaith programs, and is a past President of the Board of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. Prior to entering the Zen world, Rev. O’Connor had a 40-year career in the professional theater and was managing director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater from 1974-1995.
Zuiko Redding is the resident teacher at Cedar Rapids Zen Center. She practiced at Milwaukee Zen Center with Rev. Tozen Akiyama and at Minnesota Zen Center with Rev. Dainin Katagiri in the 1980s. In January, 1992, she received novice ordination in Japan from Tsugen Narasaki Roshi. She practiced under his direction at Zuioji Senmon Sodo and its sub-temple Shogoji until her return to the U.S. in 1997. She received dharma transmission from Rev. Narasaki in July, 1996. She also holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before ordination, she taught demography and social research methods at the university level and was a researcher with the Wisconsin State Center for Health Statistics.
Rosan Yoshida, founder and director of Missouri Zen Center, received dharma transmission from Dainin Katagiri Roshi in 1989 and from Tsugen Narasaki Roshi in 1993. He was certified by Soto Shu as an international teacher in 1994. He earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and M.A. from Tokyo University. He is the author of "NO SELF - A Systematic Interpretation of Buddhism" and "Limitless Life: Dogen's World" as well as other books, articles and translations. He participated in the Parliament of the World's Religions and is promoting the Global Ethic. He is a primary founder and advisor of the Global System Ethic Association.
Brad Warner is a dharma heir of Gudo Wafu Nishijima and the author of the books Hardcore Zen and Sit Down And Shut Up. His third book, Zen Wrapped In Karma Dipped In Chocolate came out in February 2009 and a new book is expected to be out in the fall of 2010. When not teaching and practicing Zen or writing, he plays bass for the hardcore punk band 0DFx (aka Zero Defex), and is the former vice president of the Los Angeles office of the company founded by the man who invented Godzilla.
Great Sky Sesshin Schedule
| Saturday Evening | Daily Schedule | Saturday Morning | ||
| 8/07/10 | 8/08 - 8/13 | 8/14 | ||
| 3:30 p.m. - arrive, settle in | 4:30 a.m.- wake-up |
4:30 a.m.- wake-up |
||
4:30 oryoki instruction, find place in zendo |
4:50 - jumpan |
4:50 - jumpan |
||
| 5:30 - informal supper | 4:55 - jundo |
4:55 - jundo | ||
| 6:30 - ryo meetings | 5:00 - zazen | 5:00 - zazen | ||
| 7:45 - orientation | 5:40 - kinhin | 5:40 - kinhin | ||
8:20 - jumpan |
5:50 - zazen | 5:50 - zazen | ||
| 8:30 - zazen | 6:30 - service | 6:30 - service | ||
| 9:00 - end of day | 6:45 - breakfast | 6:45 - breakfast | ||
| 7:30 - tea, break | 7:30 - tea, break | |||
| 8:10 - zazen | 8:10 work period | |||
| 8:50 - break | 9:50 - change for zazen | |||
| 9:00 - dharma talk | 10:10 - zazen | |||
| 9:50 - questions | 10:50 - kinhin | |||
| 10:10 - kinhin | 11:00 - zazen | |||
| 10:20 - zazen | 11:35 - memorial service | |||
| 11:00 - kinhin | 12:00 p.m. lunch (informal) | |||
| 11:10 - zazen | 1:00 - finish clean-up | |||
| 11:45 - service | 2:00 - departure | |||
| 12:00 p.m. lunch | ||||
| 12:45 - break | ||||
| 1:15 - work meeting | ||||
| 1:25 - work period | ||||
| 2:50 - clean up | ||||
| 3:00 - tea, break | ||||
| 4:20 - zazen | ||||
| 5:00 - service | ||||
| 5:15 - supper | ||||
| 6:00 - break | ||||
| 6:30 - zazen | ||||
| 7:10 - kinhin | ||||
| 7:20 - zazen | ||||
| 8:00 - kinhin | ||||
| 8:10 - zazen | ||||
| ryo – work group, kitchen people belong to the tenzoryo, etc. | 8:50 - end of day | |||
| call to zazen – the zendo han sounds 10 and 5 minutes before zazen. Be in your seat by the 5-minute han. There is a jumpan before afternoon and evening zazen as well as morning zazen. | the doshi enters the zendo, does three bows and walks around behind the practitioners in greeting |
