Sesshin/Retreats
Ango Leading Up to Sesshin
Floating Zendo Practice Period (Ango): Peaceful Life
July 20 to August 27, 2010
ending with a 7 day sesshin at Jikoji August 20-27
This is a tradition that began in Buddha’s time, when the monks retired to practice together in a group during the rainy season. In a monastic setting, monks’ Ango becomes even more focused on zazen, with much study, interaction with the teacher, and sesshin.
In our lay life at Floating Zendo, we have taken this tradition into our homes, our meeting place, and sesshin once or twice a year, vowing to deepen our practice in ways that fit into the rhythms of our life. We take these few weeks to pay closer attention to how our life is going, and to renew our objectives. We take a fresh look at developing new ways to express our sincere life in practice.
Although we commit to ourselves, our teacher and sangha, and support each other as we can, how we maintain our commitments is up to each one of us. Meeting with our teacher, and cultivating sangha friends during this time is very helpful on both sides.
In Ango, we touch our place of intention with energy, and gratitude, and help it grow, like cultivating a garden, or sowing a field for wheat. Below are suggestions on how you can participate in this precious deepening of your practice within the shelter and support of your teacher and fellow sangha members.
Suggestions for deepening practice in Ango:
- Commit to sitting more than usual at home
- Memorize a chant or a sutra
- Study a particular sutra or some teachings
- Join every Tues. evening
- Choose a Precept or Paramita as your special study
- Offer to help with sangha needs
- Participate in sesshin
- Have dokusan at least once with Sensei
- Do an individual retreat of a day or so
2010 Floating Zendo Sesshin:
Annual Floating Zendo Sesshin
August 20 – 27, 2010
with Angie Boissevain, Sensei
at Jikoji Zen Center, Los Gatos, CA
Come and stay as long as you can; stay for a sit or two, day or two, or the entire week. Rate for full sesshin is $315 which includes all meals & lodging (excludes teacher’s dana). Day fee is $30 (no lodging). Scholarship(s) are available.
Please register by July 31. Please oh please…
Check payable to “Floating Zendo” and mail with your contact
information to:
donnalynn chase (FZ Shika)
PO Box 320433
Los Gatos, CA 95032
About Angie Boissevain:
Angie Boissevain, Zuiko Enji, is the inspiration for the Floating Zendo, which is comprised of her students dispersed throughout the world. She has been teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area for thirty years. She was ordained by Kobun Chino Otokawa and her transmission was completed by Vanja Palmers after Kobun’s untimely death. With over forty years of practice, Angie has a gift for teaching how practice can be integrated into everyday life. As an accomplished and published poet, she truly possesses the skillfulness to talk about the “untalkable” Dharma. Angie was one of a core group of students, who with Kobun, founded Jikoji.
About Jikoji:
Jikoji, Compassion Light Temple , is a rustic mountain retreat center
located less than 30 minutes from downtown Saratoga . It was established
in 1983 by Kobun Chino Otogawa and a group of students. The grounds
consist of 13.26 acres with a large pond and miles of hiking trails in
the surrounding 1800 acres of Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space
District. Jikoji is maintained by resident caretakers and non-resident
sangha members. Directions at www.Jikoji.org .
For more information or to register:
Contact Floating Zendo Shika, donnalynn chase, at 408.674.5956 or
dl@donnalynnchase.com.
General Sesshin/Retreats at Floating Zendo: Floating Zendo (centered in San Jose, CA) holds, or participates in, multiple sesshin (meditation retreats) during each year:
- Rohatsu (Buddha’s enlightenment)
- Winter
- Summer
Floating Zendo holds one major sesshin of its own each year, typically in August, in the San Jose/Silicon Valley/Bay Area. We have located these sesshin at affiliated zendos, such as Jikoji in Los Gatos, CA, and at other contemplative environments, such as the Villa Angelica Catholic retreat in Carmel, CA.
Members also attend sesshin held at further afield locations. These retreats are affiliated with sister zendos in the Floating Zendo community surrounding Angie, our teacher, with other Soto communities in the San Francisco Bay Area (such as Green Gulch), or with communities more loosely related to Floating Zendo such as Insight Meditation Center.
Information about specific sesshin are “posted” to the blog on the front page, so details are provided in a timely manner. We typically post the daily schedule (consisting mostly of zazen/sitting, kinhin/walking, and oryoki/eating), and map/location information for those who wish to join us.
We plan for sesshin dates and locations often a year in advance. If you are interested in joining us for the Floating Zendo hosted retreat, or any others, please contact us.
