Retreat Information

Registration

Please register and pay the balance of your retreat fees when you arrive. You will be asked to fill out a form telling us whom to notify in case of emergency. You will also be asked to sign a waiver of liability releasing the teacher, Blue Heron Zen Community, its trustees, and its members from any liability for any harm incurred as a result of your participation in the retreat.

Accommodations

Men and women sleep separately. Men sleep in the meditation room on meditation mats. Women sleep in the living room on meditation mats. Please bring your own sleeping bag or other bedding. If you like, you can bring a sleeping pad. Showers are limited; we encourage you to consider going without a shower during your time at the retreat. Please limit your time in the bathrooms so that others may use them. We encourage everyone to sleep at the Zen center. However, if you live close to the Zen center and have the permission of the Head Dharma Teacher, you may return home to sleep after the completion of evening practice. Please arrive at the Zen center no later than 4:30 am the next day for bows.

Schedule

Everyone participates fully in the retreat schedule. If you become ill or have some emergency that makes you miss any part of the schedule, please write a note to the Head Dharma Teacher. The Head Dharma Teacher is in charge of the dharma room, maintaining the schedule, and formal practice.

What to Bring

Retreats provide us with a rare opportunity to simplify our lives. For this reason, we encourage you to bring only basic necessities to the retreat. Please keep in mind that we will be walking and working outside. Consider bringing the following:
• Comfortable clothing for meditation (loose pants, T-shirts, sweater, socks, slip-on shoes). Clothing should be in darker shades and without bright patterns or logos.
• Work clothing for work practice (denims, work shoes); rain jacket; sturdy, dry shoes; gloves
• Coat; long-sleeve shirt; hat
• Sleeping bag or bedding; pillow and sleeping pad
• Toiletries, including towel, wash cloth, and soap
• Four bowls that nest into each other. Bowls should be about five-six inches across. Sturdy plastic bowls are best. One pair of chopsticks. One spoon. We cannot provide bowls.
We ask that you leave books, radios, and other forms of entertainment at home, with the exception of books by Zen Master Seung Sahn. We also ask that you leave extra food behind.

Head Dharma Teacher

The Head Dharma Teacher is a senior student who is responsible for the smooth operation of the retreat. He or she will conduct an orientation when the retreat begins and during the retreat as new participants arrive. If you have questions or problems during the retreat, please write a note to the Head Dharma Teacher who will help (or set up a meeting with the teacher leading the retreat).

Silence

During retreats we keep silence at all times. Silence not only helps you maintain strong practice, it is a gift that helps others sustain their own practice. If you need to communicate about a personal issue, formal practice, or your work period assignment, please write a note to the Head Dharma Teacher.

Meals

Vegetarian meals are part of formal practice and are eaten silently in traditional temple style. The meal forms will be explained during the retreat but you should keep a few things in mind. First, at the beginning of a meal, food is offered twice. The initial time serve yourself a small portion of food, the second time you can take more food. Remember that you must eat everything that you take. After you have finished eating, hot tea will be served. This tea is used to clean your bowls (using your fingers to rub the sides of the bowls); after you have cleaned your bowls, drink the tea and the food particles in it. Then, clean water is used for a final rinse.

Work Period

You will be given one or more work assignments each day. Please keep track of your assignments. After breakfast, everyone participates in work period. A bell signals the beginning and end of work period. Work period is part of formal practice—please do the job thoroughly and meticulously. If you finish your assignment before the hour is through, please see the work master for a new job. Most jobs are quite simple, but if you believe that your task is dangerous or you are not qualified to perform it, it is your responsibility to notify the work master and request another job.

The Dharma Room

Everyone helps maintain an atmosphere of quiet in the dharma room. Please don't move during sitting periods. If you are sleepy or in a great deal of pain you may do a sitting bow and then stand up quietly behind your cushion, with your hands in hapchong. Before sitting back down again, do a standing bow and then settle quietly. (This will be demonstrated at the start of the retreat.)

Entering and Leaving

When entering or leaving the dharma room, stop just inside the door, face the Buddha, and do a standing bow. During sitting periods, please enter or leave the dharma room only during walking meditation or when leaving for and returning from an interview. Of course, if you experience an emergency, you may quietly leave the dharma room. If you are late to a sitting period, sit outside the dharma room until the chugpi is hit; then enter during walking meditation.

Walking Meditation

During walking meditation, you may leave to use the bathroom or get something to drink; walk in line until you come to the door, then bow and leave. When you re-enter, either return to your place when the line passes the door or wait until everyone is standing behind their cushions and enter quickly.

Interviews

There will be private interviews with the teacher during the day. During an interview, the teacher can help you with your individual practice and answer specific questions about Zen meditation.

When you reach the interview room, open the door, step in, and do a standing bow facing the teacher. Close the door, then stand behind the cushion and do a standing bow, a full prostration, and a standing bow. Then sit. Follow this form in reverse when leaving.

When your interview is over, re-enter the dharma room immediately. (When returning from an interview, it's not necessary to wait until the end of a sitting period or a chant to re-enter the room.)

The Stick

Many people have heard of the “Zen stick”. In our tradition, the stick is used only to help people with their practice and no one will be hit without specifically requesting it. Most meditators quickly discover that the stick is their friend, as the quick slapping of the stick on the back muscles helps relieve muscle tension or sleepiness.

Again, no one will be hit without specifically requesting it and the hit, while firm, is relatively painless. Some teachers will give a congratulatory hit to all students at the end of a retreat.

End of Retreat

The retreat will end on Sunday, at approximately 3 pm, preceeded by a circle talk, during which participants are invited to share their thoughts about the retreat with the group.