Please scroll down to the bottom of this page to sign up for practice period.

Although we don't live in monasteries, each winter in the spirit of those in monastic practice, we try to settle our busy lives in order to intensify our practice. To bring our mindfulness and Dharma practice to the foreground of our lives more than usual.

Instead of having a head student, or shuso, at the center of the sangha wheel for practice period this year, Nomon Tim Burnett will lead the practice period as part of the year following his Dharma Transmission this last July.

Six weeks goes by quickly. To help us stay connected to practice period you might choose to find, or be paired with, a practice period partner. Someone you get together with or call regularly during practice period to discuss how it's going with your intentions and practice (indicate when you sign up if you you'd like help finding a practice partner, you can also arrange this yourself).

Also new this year is more support for participating at a distance. And this could include people in Bellingham whose schedules don't allow regular attendance, especially at the Dharma Seminar on Wednesday nights. Distance participants will be able to listen to and read seminar materials every week and can also be paired with a Red Cedar practice leader to check in with during practice period (indicate this when you sign up).

Starting with an opening ceremony on Wednesday January 18th at the Dharma Hall and a Saturday retreat on January 21st, and concluding with three day sesshin March 1-4, the Practice Period will include extra classes and zazen, see the full list of events below.

For most participants it's also a time to practice more at home, to study, or to take on a special focus in their practice lives.

Please use the registration form below to state your intentions in writing.  There will also be an opportunity to say something about your intentions for practice period at the opening ceremony on January 18th.

You can also indicate in the form is you are participating at a distance and would like to be assigned a practice leader who will check in with you during practice period, and if you would like help finding a practice partner to stay in touch with.

Practice Period Events, all at Red Cedar Dharma Hall (click title names for details):

• Opening Ceremony - January 18th 7pm - 9pm
  Join with sangha to open the ceremony and state our intentions.
• One Day Sesshin (meditation retreat) Jan. 21 6:00am - 9:00pm
  Opening sesshin led by Tim including meditation, dokusan, oryoki meals, and a Dharma Talk. Part time attendance available. Separate registration required.
• Mindful Yoga - Wednesdays Jan 25 - Feb 29th, 6pm - 6:45pm
  An optional pre-cursor to the seminar. Getting the body in mind.
• Dharma Seminar: The Heart of the Matter - Wednesdays Jan 25 - Feb 29th, 7pm - 9:00pm (replacing normal Wednesday eve. schedule)
  The central piece of the practice period. Studying the Heart Sutra and bringing up the "heart of the matter" together.
• Saturday Morning Practice - Saturdays Jan 28 - Feb 25 (not Feb 11), 6am - 9am
  Consider joining in our early Saturday practice during Practice Period. Meditation, service, temple cleaning and potluck breakfast.
• Saturday Public Program (Tim) - Feb 4 9:30 - 12:00 noon
  We are starting a new monthly mid-morning program with meditation, dharma talk, service, and discussion. Tim gives the talk. Come help us launch this new program during practice period!
• Introduction to Zen Practice - Feb 5 9:00 am  - 1:00 noon
  Our quarterly 4-hour class. Recommended if you haven't taken it yet.
• Koan Studies Group - Feb 13 7:30pm - 9:00pm
  Join this monthly koan studies group for it's February meeting during practice period.
• Saturday Public Program (Norman) - March 3, 9:30 - 12:00 noon
  The second iteration of our new monthly mid-morning Saturday program. Norman will give the talk, a good option if you can't do the 3 day retreat.
• Three Day Sesshin (meditation retreat) March 1, 7:00pm - March 4, 2:00pm
  Co-led by Tim and Norman. A thorough way to close practice period for those who have the time. If not able to attend sesshin consider coming to the Saturday morning program and the closing ceremony on Sunday. Initially opened to full time participation, part time will be opened in February if space allows. Separate registration required.
• Closing Ceremony & Lunch  March 4, 11:00am - 1:00pm
  All welcome and encouraged. Also the ending of the 3-day sesshin.

Recommended other Events:

• Freedom in a Female Form: Exploring Women's Stories and Koans About the Body    (women's retreat) February 10, 2012 7:30 pm - February 12, 2012 1:00 pm
• Weekly practice in Seattle on Sundays (and now Tuesdays) with Seattle Soto Zen.
• Weekly practice in Vancouver on Wednesdays and Sundays with Mountain Rain Zen community.
• Weekly practice in White Rock, B.C. on Monday evenings with Dharma Shore Zen sitting group - contact Nadine Apicello for directions nadineapicello@shaw.ca

Online Resources:
Recordings, readings, and resources for practice period will be posted regularly to the website - see especially the special Practice Period page in the Teachings menu.

To sign up for practice period:
Fill out the form below to sign up for practice period, stating your intentions and if you are interested in distance participation. Note that separate registration is required for the two retreats. Paper practice period signup forms are also available at the Dharma Hall.

A note on fees: to keep practice period accessible there is no overall fee for joining. There are registration fees for the opening and closing retreats (register separately) and participants are invited to make donations to the sangha or the teachers they work with as their means allow.

Note that there will be no Saturday morning practice on February 11st due to a conflict with the highly recommended women's retreat Freedom in a Female Form.

SATURDAY MORNING MEDITATION SCHEDULE
6:00am zazen (opening with robe chant, early morning bells, and priest’s jundo)
6:25am kinhin
6:35am zazen
7:00am kinhin
7:10am zazen
7:40am service (longer morning service)
8:00am soji (template cleaning) 8:20am potluck breakfast (with oatmeal, coffee and tea provided)
8:50am close (or break if extended program).

SATURDAY MORNING ARRIVAL CHOICES: Please note that this is a flexible schedule. Please avoid entering or leaving the zendo during zazen (sitting meditation). Come at 6am for the entire program or arrive on the half hour for: the second (6:30am) or third (7:00am) zazen period, service (7:30am) or soji and breakfast (8:00am). If zazen in in progress when you arrive just wait in the lobby until you hear the bell then enter quietly and take your place standing before an empty cushion or chair.

SATURDAY MORNING POTLUCK BREAKFAST: A pot of oatmeal, tea and coffee are made that morning at the Dharma Hall for community breakfast. To keep cooking work to a minimum we invite each person coming to bring a small potluck item. Sugggestions: a bowl of nuts, fruit, bread, or anything that can be added to a bowl of oatmeal.

t

Exploring the "Heart of the Matter" is an embodied journey. In this gentle yoga session before the Dharma Seminar we return to the body and explore the feeling in the body using postures from yoga.

Mindful yoga is very gentle and focused on body awareness and body-mind integration more than building strength and flexibility and modifications for people with physical limitations will be offered.

Schedule and Attendance:
Wednesdays 7pm - 9pm (replacing our usual Wednesday night program)
January 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29.
Recommended to attend all six meetings. Registration is not required, but consider in your practice period intentions what your level of attendance will be.

Remote attendance:
The talks will be recorded and posted by 5pm on the following Thursday to the Dharma Talks section of this website. See also the special Practice Period section which will include additional resources suggestions and notes.

Home practice and study:
Tim will be making suggestions at each seminar for a home practice topic. Readings if any will be provided as paper handouts in class on on the Practice Period page of the website.

Recommend texts:
Tim will not be working directly through a text and any readings will be provided (paper and online) but the following texts are a wonderful support for this study:

Thich Naht Hahn, The Heart of Understanding (1988) - a slim and accessible volume. If time for study is short, get this one.

Red Pine,  The Heart Sutra  (2004) - our Buddhist Scholar neighbor in Port Townsend translates the sutra along with excerpts from several commentaries.

H.H. Dalai Lama, Essense of the Heart Sutra (2002) - his holiness puts the teachings references in the Heart Sutra into a broader Buddhist context.

 

Note that there will be no Saturday morning practice on February 11st due to a conflict with the highly recommended women's retreat Freedom in a Female Form.

SATURDAY MORNING MEDITATION SCHEDULE
6:00am zazen (opening with robe chant, early morning bells, and priest’s jundo)
6:25am kinhin
6:35am zazen
7:00am kinhin
7:10am zazen
7:40am service (longer morning service)
8:00am soji (template cleaning) 8:20am potluck breakfast (with oatmeal, coffee and tea provided)
8:50am close (or break if extended program).

SATURDAY MORNING ARRIVAL CHOICES: Please note that this is a flexible schedule. Please avoid entering or leaving the zendo during zazen (sitting meditation). Come at 6am for the entire program or arrive on the half hour for: the second (6:30am) or third (7:00am) zazen period, service (7:30am) or soji and breakfast (8:00am). If zazen in in progress when you arrive just wait in the lobby until you hear the bell then enter quietly and take your place standing before an empty cushion or chair.

SATURDAY MORNING POTLUCK BREAKFAST: A pot of oatmeal, tea and coffee are made that morning at the Dharma Hall for community breakfast. To keep cooking work to a minimum we invite each person coming to bring a small potluck item. Sugggestions: a bowl of nuts, fruit, bread, or anything that can be added to a bowl of oatmeal.

t

Exploring the "Heart of the Matter" is an embodied journey. In this gentle yoga session before the Dharma Seminar we return to the body and explore the feeling in the body using postures from yoga.

Mindful yoga is very gentle and focused on body awareness and body-mind integration more than building strength and flexibility and modifications for people with physical limitations will be offered.

Schedule and Attendance:
Wednesdays 7pm - 9pm (replacing our usual Wednesday night program)
January 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29.
Recommended to attend all six meetings. Registration is not required, but consider in your practice period intentions what your level of attendance will be.

Remote attendance:
The talks will be recorded and posted by 5pm on the following Thursday to the Dharma Talks section of this website. See also the special Practice Period section which will include additional resources suggestions and notes.

Home practice and study:
Tim will be making suggestions at each seminar for a home practice topic. Readings if any will be provided as paper handouts in class on on the Practice Period page of the website.

Recommend texts:
Tim will not be working directly through a text and any readings will be provided (paper and online) but the following texts are a wonderful support for this study:

Thich Naht Hahn, The Heart of Understanding (1988) - a slim and accessible volume. If time for study is short, get this one.

Red Pine,  The Heart Sutra  (2004) - our Buddhist Scholar neighbor in Port Townsend translates the sutra along with excerpts from several commentaries.

H.H. Dalai Lama, Essense of the Heart Sutra (2002) - his holiness puts the teachings references in the Heart Sutra into a broader Buddhist context.

 

Sesshin times:
Thursday 7pm - 9pm
Friday 6am - 9pm
Saturday 6am - 9pm,
Sunday 6am - 2pm

This more silent meditation retreat will include oryoki meals, sitting and walking meditation, and breaks. The schedule is strong but do-able for anyone who has sat with us.

Daily Dharma Talks by both Norman and Tim with the opportunity for dokusan with both teachers as well.

Housing can be arranged for out of town retreatants, please register early and indicate in your registration that you need housing. There is no need to contact the registrar separately to request housing, it is built into the registration process.

Oryoki sets available to borrow or purchase ($40) and oryoki instruction will be provided during the retreat, and is available at other times in practice period by request.

The retreat closes with a shosan ceremony (public question and answer) with Tim on Sunday March 4th at 11am. All in the sangha are invited to this ceremony regardless of attendance at this sesshin. Shosan is followed by lunch and work period with all leaving the Dharma Hall by 3pm. Those traveling from afar will be able to leave at about 1:30pm or even earlier if needed to make connections to get home.

Attendance
Initial registration opening if for full time attendance only.  A part time option will be opened in February if there is room in this retreat.

Registration and Cost
Advance registration required for retreat with a $30 deposit required at registration. (Note that paying the entire amount up front reduces our volunteer work.). Reduced rate for Red Cedar Zen Member and options to donation to support our scholarship fund and sangha viability are included. Also note new option to register two people at once.

Scholarships available - apply by Feb 20th at the latest.

Feel free to arrive at 9:30am for meditation instruction, 10am for meditation, or 10:30am for the talk. No pre-registration needed. Free event, donations to the teacher invited.

Schedule:
9:30am meditation instruction
10:00am zazen (sitting meditation) - arrive 9:50 for meditation
10:30am kinhin (walking meditation) - arrive for Dharma Talk
10:40am Dharma Talk & Discussion
11:30am Service (chanting and bowing ritual)
11:50am Tea & Cookies About noon: close.

The kick-off speaker schedule is:
Feb. 4 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
March 3 - Zoketsu Norman Fischer (Everyday Zen Foundation)
April 7 - Eido Francis Carney (Olympia Zen Center)
May 5 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
June 2 - TBA
July - summer break
Aug 4 - TBA

And note that we will have this program even if there is a retreat happening that day. If you are attending the sesshin then the sit and talk will just be a part of the schedule and if you aren't coming to the public program will be a way to plug in to that sesshin day.

Marti Bartlett is our Ino (zendo coordinator) and primary organizer for the Zen in Bellingham program. If you have ideas for speakers or are willing to help with setup or offering zazen instruction (training is available) please contact her at bartlettmartha@gmail.com.

And note that our 6am-8:30am every Saturday morning meditation program continues every Saturday morning. On the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month a potluck breakfast continues until 9am. Participation in both early morning and Zen in Bellingham on those 1st Saturdays is an option!

Note that if you are already attending the Three Day Sesshin you will already be in place for this closing ceremony.

 

Koans are short stories of Zen awakening and understanding packed with meaning and allusion. This study group facilitated by Seishu John Wiley will investigate koans from the Blue Cliff Record, The Book of Serenity, and the Gateless Barrier as well as other sources.  There will be some talk about how to approach koan study.  The group is open to anyone who is interested.

No registration required.

Please contact John for information at 360-296-1677 or millingwiley@comcast.net

Feel free to arrive at 9:30am for meditation instruction, 10am for meditation, or 10:30am for the talk. No pre-registration needed. Free event, donations to the teacher invited.

Schedule:
9:30am meditation instruction
10:00am zazen (sitting meditation) - arrive 9:50 for meditation
10:30am kinhin (walking meditation) - arrive for Dharma Talk
10:40am Dharma Talk & Discussion
11:30am Service (chanting and bowing ritual)
11:50am Tea & Cookies About noon: close.

The kick-off speaker schedule is:
Feb. 4 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
March 3 - Zoketsu Norman Fischer (Everyday Zen Foundation)
April 7 - Eido Francis Carney (Olympia Zen Center)
May 5 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
June 2 - TBA
July - summer break
Aug 4 - TBA

And note that we will have this program even if there is a retreat happening that day. If you are attending the sesshin then the sit and talk will just be a part of the schedule and if you aren't coming to the public program will be a way to plug in to that sesshin day.

Marti Bartlett is our Ino (zendo coordinator) and primary organizer for the Zen in Bellingham program. If you have ideas for speakers or are willing to help with setup or offering zazen instruction (training is available) please contact her at bartlettmartha@gmail.com.

And note that our 6am-8:30am every Saturday morning meditation program continues every Saturday morning. On the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month a potluck breakfast continues until 9am. Participation in both early morning and Zen in Bellingham on those 1st Saturdays is an option!

---

We're excited by our progress so far in transforming the back parking lot of the Dharma Hall into a Sanctuary Garden with raised bed plantings, a fish pond with flowing water, dwarf cedars, maples and pine trees, benches for contemplation, beds for food production, and a circular path for walking meditation, and ultimately even a Japanese-style tea house.  If you haven't been by to see our progress - please take a look. The garden is accessible from the alley even when the building is closed or busy with a program. The first garden fundrasier in August raised enough to get us quite far. Thank you for your help. This second fundrasier we hope will allow us to retire some small debts and move forward into finishing the water feature, laying out the patio pavers, and planting plants! So... to help, all you need to do is come get a massage! On Saturday April 7th from 2pm - 6pm and again on Sunday April 8th from 10am - 3pm we will have our 2nd Massage Drive Fundraiser at the Red Cedar Dharma Hall.  We have a team of talented licensed massage practitioners specializing in everything from myo-facial release, deep tissue, and therapeutic work to craino-sacral and energy work. There will be multiple therapy tables set up in the beautiful meditation room, partitioned by privacy screens and soft fabric. It will be a fun, communal and healing atmosphere while still ensuring a safe and private container for you. Each session will be one hour in length.  $70 is the cost of a one hour professional massage.  $50 will go directly to create the Sanctuary Garden and $20 to the Licensed Therapist for their time and service. Matching funds have also been promised by community groups in support of the project, so your dollars will go even further. You will be able to select your therapist on a first come first serve basis and schedule a time that fits your needs (morning, afternoon, or early evening).  If you are unable to receive a massage that day you will still have an opportunity to support the SanctuaryGarden by purchasing a gift certificate for massage to use at a later date.  We wish to have as many massages pre-paid and pre-scheduled as possible so please reserve your massage today. Email Danielle AhMaiua at Danielle@bodywalkmassage.comor call her at 360-220-5280 to schedule an appointment.  She will listen to any personal needs or preferences you have,  give you detailed information about the therapists and the times they are available.  You can make checks out to the Majestic Dharma Forest and mail them to 1023 N. Forest St. Bellingham WA 98225. You will also be able to receive a massage the day of the event without prior scheduling as long as your time is flexible... Just show up, allow your tensions to be massaged away, and envision the benefit your support will bring to the Red Cedar Community. Thank you so much for your support, we look forward to serving you and creating a beautiful Sanctuary Garden for you and with you!

For more info, updates, and images please check out our project at www.majesticdharmaforest.org

Koans are short stories of Zen awakening and understanding packed with meaning and allusion. This study group facilitated by Seishu John Wiley will investigate koans from the Blue Cliff Record, The Book of Serenity, and the Gateless Barrier as well as other sources.  There will be some talk about how to approach koan study.  The group is open to anyone who is interested.

No registration required.

Please contact John for information at 360-296-1677 or millingwiley@comcast.net

Please go to http://mahasangha.blogspot.com/ to see the notice for this event.

For details and to receive a registration form, please contact Ann at acolburn@verizon.net or call our retreat manager, Rowan, at 250-537-2831. Rowan may also be reached at rjpercy@shaw.ca

Feel free to arrive at 9:30am for meditation instruction, 10am for meditation, or 10:30am for the talk. No pre-registration needed. Free event, donations to the teacher invited.

Schedule:
9:30am meditation instruction
10:00am zazen (sitting meditation) - arrive 9:50 for meditation
10:30am kinhin (walking meditation) - arrive for Dharma Talk
10:40am Dharma Talk & Discussion
11:30am Service (chanting and bowing ritual)
11:50am Tea & Cookies About noon: close.

The kick-off speaker schedule is:
Feb. 4 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
March 3 - Zoketsu Norman Fischer (Everyday Zen Foundation)
April 7 - Eido Francis Carney (Olympia Zen Center)
May 5 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
June 2 - TBA
July - summer break
Aug 4 - TBA

And note that we will have this program even if there is a retreat happening that day. If you are attending the sesshin then the sit and talk will just be a part of the schedule and if you aren't coming to the public program will be a way to plug in to that sesshin day.

Marti Bartlett is our Ino (zendo coordinator) and primary organizer for the Zen in Bellingham program. If you have ideas for speakers or are willing to help with setup or offering zazen instruction (training is available) please contact her at bartlettmartha@gmail.com.

And note that our 6am-8:30am every Saturday morning meditation program continues every Saturday morning. On the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month a potluck breakfast continues until 9am. Participation in both early morning and Zen in Bellingham on those 1st Saturdays is an option!

The full day runs from 6am to 9pm. We encourage you to attend the full day - watching the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening from your seat in the zendo is a powerful opportunity. Sitting a full day is do-able if you have been sitting for a while at our weekly events. The day includes alternating sitting and walking meditation, Dharma Talks, optional private meetings with the teachers, meals, breaks, and afternoon tea.

Note that the monthly Zen in Bellingham event is included in this sesshin. You may come to that section of the day (9:30 - noon) without registering.

This sesshin includes a ceremony in celebration of Buddha''s birthday.

Part time attendance is also fine. Please indicate during registration which of the four sections of the day you will be there for. We need to know for meals. The day is broken into four parts: early morning, morning, afternoon, and evening.

Schedule Summary

Early Morning 6am - 8:45am: zazen, kinhin & service, oryoki breakfast

Morning 9:30am - 1:00pm: zazen, kinhin, dharma talk by Tim, service, oryoki lunch

Afternoon 2pm - 6pm: zazen, kinhin, tea, zazen, oryoki dinner

Evening 7pm - 9pm: zazen, kinhin, encouraging words, refuge chant

Exact schedule from previous sesshin (subject to change) is available here
online at the workgroups site.

Note on oryoki: instruction is included and oryoki sets are available to borrow or purchase ($40) at the Dharma Hall. There will also be guidance during the meals. If you do not have a chance to get training it will be okay.

Note to out-of-town retreatants: If you wish to arrive in Bellingham the evening before please indicate this in your registration. We have some spaces at the Dharma Hall and with sangha members'' homes for spending the night.'

Koans are short stories of Zen awakening and understanding packed with meaning and allusion. This study group facilitated by Seishu John Wiley will investigate koans from the Blue Cliff Record, The Book of Serenity, and the Gateless Barrier as well as other sources.  There will be some talk about how to approach koan study.  The group is open to anyone who is interested.

No registration required.

Please contact John for information at 360-296-1677 or millingwiley@comcast.net

Feel free to arrive at 9:30am for meditation instruction, 10am for meditation, or 10:30am for the talk. No pre-registration needed. Free event, donations to the teacher invited.

Schedule:
9:30am meditation instruction
10:00am zazen (sitting meditation) - arrive 9:50 for meditation
10:30am kinhin (walking meditation) - arrive for Dharma Talk
10:40am Dharma Talk & Discussion
11:30am Service (chanting and bowing ritual)
11:50am Tea & Cookies About noon: close.

The kick-off speaker schedule is:
Feb. 4 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
March 3 - Zoketsu Norman Fischer (Everyday Zen Foundation)
April 7 - Eido Francis Carney (Olympia Zen Center)
May 5 - Nomon Tim Burnett (Red Cedar Zen Community)
June 2 - TBA
July - summer break
Aug 4 - TBA

And note that we will have this program even if there is a retreat happening that day. If you are attending the sesshin then the sit and talk will just be a part of the schedule and if you aren't coming to the public program will be a way to plug in to that sesshin day.

Marti Bartlett is our Ino (zendo coordinator) and primary organizer for the Zen in Bellingham program. If you have ideas for speakers or are willing to help with setup or offering zazen instruction (training is available) please contact her at bartlettmartha@gmail.com.

And note that our 6am-8:30am every Saturday morning meditation program continues every Saturday morning. On the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month a potluck breakfast continues until 9am. Participation in both early morning and Zen in Bellingham on those 1st Saturdays is an option!

Many photos of Samish are available on our Photos page.

Schedule:
You may attend the entire retreat, or the first or second half. Second half attendance is appropriate to those who have sat sesshin with us before only. We are unable to offer other attendance choices due to the size of the sesshin.

Full Retreat

Friday 6/15 5:00pm to Saturday 6/23 at noon

First Half

Friday 6/15 5:00pm to Tuesday 6/19 at 5pm

Second Half

Tuesday 6/19 at 5pm to Saturday 6/23 at noon.

Prerequisites & Requirements
While less demanding than some Zen sesshin this is a rigorous and structured experience. To benefit from being at Samish Sesshin please abide by the following requirements.

• You should have attended at least one full day formal meditation retreat before attending this 7-day retreat. Please do not register if you have never sat a full day of formal meditation (in Zen or other traditions is fine).
• If you have never attended Samish sesshin please start at the beginning (attend full retreat or first half) and do not attend just the second half. Orientation and instructions are offered at the beginning only.
• No other attendance options other than the three listed above can be accommodated. Retreatants coming and going at other times increases the organizational work for our volunteers considerably and can disrupt the sesshin experience for the community.
• This is a silent retreat without talking, reading, writing, computer or cell phone use. Please be prepared to follow this guideline fully.
• Following the full schedule is a core practice of Zen. Some alternate schedules can be arranged with the Ino in cases of health and other needs.
• Plan on remaining at Samish Island camp during the entire time of your sesshin attendance, not leaving for errands or appointments, etc.

Housing:

Most housing will be private (not shared), however if couples or friends are willing to share a cabin this can make a difference in accommodating everyone if the sesshin is full.

Housing is provided with three options:

E-Cabins are recently built with a bath shared with one other cabin.

Full Retreat: $565 - $665 sliding scale
Half of retreat: not available (full time for e-cabins only)

Regular Cabins - simple plywood cabins built in the 1950's. Camp style bathrooms in a separate building.

Full Retreat: $460 - $560 sliding scale
Half of retreat: $250 - $290 sliding scale

Tent - you can bring a tent and camp on the lawn. A lower cost option.

Full Retreat: $370 - $460 sliding scale
Half of Retreat: $190 - $240 sliding scale

Notes on sliding scale fees:
1) Dana (teacher donations) is not included in these fees. Registration fees cover retreat costs with any extra to Red Cedar Zen Community for our ongoing expenses and costs. An opportunity to make teacher donation (dana) will be available at the site.

2) Paying higher on the sliding scale enables us to allow scholarships.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available for one quarter of retreat costs. If funds allow a second grant of another quarter might be possible (to a total of half of sesshin cost). Please apply with an email request to the registrar as soon as possible and no later than May 27th. We typically do two rounds of funding for scholarships depending on demand. Earlier requests help us to assess need.

Deposit
A deposit of $100 and a completed registration form will be required to hold your place. The registration deposit is non-refundable.

We look forward to practicing with you at Samish! It's a very deep and wonderful retreat with participants coming from all over the country. Please register soon if you are coming, this popular retreat is likely to fill this year.

Cost is $750 plus transport to Petersburg (flight or ferry are similar in cost, timing of the retreat does allow ferry transport from Bellingham to work out).

Details and registration are through the Inside Passages website: http://insidepassages.com/alaska-program/alaska-2012/
(Scroll down to the middle of the page to find our trip)

Registration page direct link is:
http://insidepassages.com/alaska-program/registration-information-form/
(Note that a $300 deposit is required to hold your place.)

There is only space for 11 participants, please sign up soon if you are able to attend.

Inspired by Dogen's Mountains and Rivers Sutra (Sansuikyo), this retreat includes silent backpacking through a beautiful old growth hemlock forest to a seldom-visited base camp at Mazama Park, just south of Mount Baker at the foot of Park Butte. Activities include traditional Zen practice, a short solo exercise, and opportunities for day hiking. The retreat is appropriate for new meditators and beginning backpackers.

The retreat is led by Reizan Bob Penny, M.S., naturalist, senior Zen student and experiential educator. Hiking is gentle to moderate, seven one way. A sturdy three-sided shelter is available for meditation if the weather is bad.

Participants provide their own lunches and trail snacks. Limited to 8 participants.

For any questions, please call Bob Penny at bobp@nas.com or (360) 398-8834.

Cost includes breakfasts, dinners and trail parking passes and pre-registration is now requested via the website or mail on the hiking retreat.

Registration this year will be done through the regular Red Cedar Zen registration system. Registration will open in July.

Note that first night is at Hawk Meadow Farm in Bellingham and the Red Cedar Zen Sangha is invited to join for an evening of practice to see the hiker's off. 7pm to 9pm, 1102 E. Kelly Road.

Mountains & Rivers Photo Essay

Another Step on the Journey, dharma talk from Nomon Tim Burnett on the night before the 2003 hiking retreat

Here from Bob about the ideas behind this new offering:

The process of circumambulation is ancient in Buddhist practices, involving intimate ritualized contact with and around a sacred center.  It evolved from the original forms of the cloisters carved into living rock, which by their details indicated that there were earlier temples made similarly, but of wood.  These chambers had columned passageways, carved inside of cliffs, going around stupas (ritual mounded forms containing relics) at the end of a nave.  Eventually the stupas were constructed outside, and then increased in size, essentially to emulate sacred mountain forms.  Here the process of circumambulation was brought out of the cloister and the stupa, or “World Mountain”, became the focus of pilgrimage journeys.  This coincided with the rise of Mahayana Buddhism and the new emphasis upon the role of the laity in Buddhist life.  In the Mauryan period, ruled by the great Buddhist king Ashoka two centuries before Christ, it is reputed that 84,000 stupas were erected throughout the kingdom.  Over the next few centuries many of these were expanded and enlarged as the ritual of circumambulation increased and grew.  Eventually the stupa form was transported with Buddhism to become the pagodas of east asia and the chortens of Tibet.  In China, Tibet and Japan the ritual of pilgrimage and circumambulation was brought to actual mountains….So, my thought is that this form of practice would be the basis of the Mt. Rainier experience...

Please contact Bob directly at bobp@nas.com if you're interested in this exciting opportunity. He needs to start booking campground reservations soon.

Note that this year's Mountains and River's hike is tentatively scheduled a few weeks earlier than usual for August 23-26.