Commuter Participation
Commuter participation is designed for those who live off-site and commit to a level of participation for on-site events that works for their schedule. It is suggested that commuters set up a meditation space at home and commit to a regular sitting schedule; attend the Thursday class on-site or view later online; participate in home study and practice assignments as offered; attend the weekly Wednesday tea and dharma discussion; join the dokusan or practice discussion rotation; and attend ceremonies, daily zazen as practicable, and listen to Dharma talks on-site or online.
Nature and Experience
Led by Kyoshin Wendy Lewis
January 22 – February 15
Application deadline is January 15
In the tradition of spirituality, the natural world plays an essential role. Deep understanding of one’s relationship to mortality and eternity is revealed in the context of the indifference of forests, deserts, mountains, oceans, and city streets.
According to the life and teaching of the Buddha, solitude in those uncomfortable, even unpromising, settings is essential to insight and understanding, and to the development of mature compassion. In the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment, it is when, after several years living in the forest, that he finally determines to either discover the truth or die in the attempt, that his conversion unfolds.
The focus and work of this intensive will be to examine that inspiration in the context of our personal lifestyles, and find silence, solitude, and surroundings in which to test it in our own experience.
Participants can engage in the intensive in one of three ways:
- Residential
- Commuter (details below)
- Online
About the Winter 2020 Intensive – Nature and Experience
This is a traditional intensive training period common in the schools of Buddhism. Participants can engage in this training period in one of three ways: as a resident, as a commuter, and online.
This training period is a chance to develop and deepen your practice together with others in a supportive environment and through activities including daily sitting, study, practice discussion with teachers, and weekly sangha discussions. Weekly events include classes, ceremonies, dharma talks, and Wednesday afternoon teas with the practice period leader. During the three weeks students will have the opportunity to meet individually with the leader of the intensive and/or other practice leaders.
Wendy will also teach a class on the theme of the intensive, Spiritual Experience and the Natural World. It will meet three Thursday evenings, January 23, 30, and February 6, 7:30 – 9 pm.
Teas are on Wednesdays, 5:30 – 6:30 pm, January 29 and February 5. There will be a half-day sitting to open the intensive. The intensive concludes with a five-day sesshin, beginning the evening of Monday, February 10 and ending on Saturday, February 15. The final day will also be a general one-day sitting for the whole community.
Three ways to participate in the Intensive
Residential Options
- Work Practice Apprentice (WPA): For those who want to live and work full-time in the temple.
- Limited Resident: For those who want to live in the temple but will not participate in the daily work schedule.
Commuter Option: For those who live off-site but can attend all or part of the practice schedule on-site.
Online Option: For those whose schedule or location doesn’t allow for regular on-site attendance of temple events.
The commuter option includes:
- The Thursday on-site intensive class, Spiritual Experience and the Natural World
- Access to the class web page which contains videos of each class
- Weekly Wednesday tea and dharma discussion
- An invitation to join the dokusan or practice discussion schedule
- All temple Dharma talks, ceremonies, and daily zazen periods
Commuter Participation Fee: $85 general; $76 current SFZC members; $68 limited income.*
*The half-day sitting on Saturday, January 25, and the five-day sesshin to close the Intensive are available at an additional cost.
- Please review the Pure Standards for Residential Zen Training.
- Deadline for commuter applications: January 15.
- Some partial scholarships are available; please review this page for more information.