WHY WE PROMOTE FULL SESSHIN ATTENDANCE…
We understand that some participants might like to come for just one day to a Sesshin. Understandably, life has its own opinion of how long one can dedicate to a retreat of this nature — AND sesshin can look quite daunting. However, one of the profound gifts of a full sesshin is that it works precisely because it carries us beyond our usual preferences, rhythms, and limitations.
The first few days of sesshin are about settling, softening the body and mind, meeting restlessness or doubt, wondering how you'll get through your own resistance, both mental and physical. But by the fifth and sixth day, the momentum of practice carries you into a place that can’t be reached if you step away early. Those last two days aren’t just “more of the same.” They’re when the accumulated silence, stillness, and shared practice ripen.
To stay with a full sesshin is like following a river all the way from the top of our mountains down to the ocean — you can step out of the path at any point, but only if you go the whole way do you really taste its fullness. Completing the circle with everyone else also strengthens the sangha; your presence helps hold the container for others, just as theirs holds it for you.
We encourage you to see the sesshin as a container into which you can safely pour your entire existence, and ours — one body — whose completeness you’re invited to experience.
If you are unable to do so due to the expense, please inquire about scholarships or reduced-rate options.