2026 Fall Practice Period at Green Gulch Farm, GGF 10/14–12/15

Practice Center
Date / Time
Oct 14, 2026 / 3:00pm - Dec 15, 2026 / 2:30pm
Event Type
Practice Periods
Description

The Fall 2026 Practice Period at Green Gulch Farm is an opportunity for beginning and experienced students to participate in an intense period of residential practice that centers around daily zazen, work practice, study, and regular one-on-one meetings with the teacher. Weekly events include lectures, formal ceremonies, classes, oryoki meals (formal meals in the meditation hall), and gatherings with the practice period teacher. Participants commit to stay in the Green Gulch valley during the entire nine weeks.

This practice period includes one day of tangaryo sitting, a one-day sitting, a five-day sesshin, and a seven-day Rohatsu sesshin led by Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler.

Students who are accepted into practice period generally have participated in at least one all-day sit, sesshin, and/or a guest student stay at Green Gulch. If you do not have prior experience with Zen practice, we strongly suggest completing a one-day sit or sesshin at Green Gulch before applying for the practice period. If you have questions about the practice period and aren't sure if applying is right for you based on your practice experience, please contact the Abbot's assistant at ggfabbotassist@sfzc.org before applying.

To Apply:
Please review the Practice Period Guidelines/Shingi before applying. Complete and submit a practice period application by the application deadline of September 3, 2026.

The Practice Period Applications Committee will notify applicants as to whether they have been accepted to the practice period by September 8, 2026. If you need to be notified about your acceptance earlier (for your planning purposes), please email ggfabbotassist@sfzc.org and let us know.

For questions or more information, please contact the Abbot’s assistant at ggfabbotassist@sfzc.org.

Fee Information

Non-refundable application fee: $30 (this fee is paid while filling out the application).

Practice period fee:

  • Benefactor (125%): $3019 — supports others’ participation
  • Standard (100%): $2415 — covers full program costs
  • Member (90%): $2174 — for current SFZC members
  • Sliding Scale 1 (50%): $1208 — supported rate
  • Sliding Scale 2 (30%): $845 — access rate

The notice of acceptance to the practice period will be accompanied by information on paying the fee, $500 of which is non-refundable when canceling less than 2 weeks prior to the start of the practice period.

Support Funds
San Francisco Zen Center is committed to making Zen practice and the Dharma accessible to all who seek it. In addition to our sliding scale fees, we offer both a General Support Fund and a dedicated BIPOC Support Fund for those who need financial assistance. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to supportfunds@sfzc.org before registering—we’re happy to support your participation.

For more information on our fee structure, see our guide to sliding scale fees.

Application deadline is Thursday, September 3.

Practice Period Application