ZMM Retreats

Upcoming Retreats at Zen Mountain Monastery

Explore Zen Mountain Monastery through one of our upcoming retreats. Please don’t let financial issues prevent you from attending a program at the Monastery. If you can’t afford the program fee, there are options. If you are looking for retreats at the Zen Center of New York City, click here.

Click here to read about our response to the coronavirus outbreak and the online programming we’re offering while our centers are temporarily closed.
intro To Zen

INTRO TO ZEN WEEKEND

Experience Zen training for yourself. Our most popular retreat and a great place to start.

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Coming To The Monastery

COMING TO THE MONASTERY

How to enter the schedule and life of the Monastery for the first time. Come visit us on Mount Tremper.

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ONE-MONTH RETREAT

Each month we’re joined by individuals seeking an immersive experience of Monastery life.

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RETREAT CATEGORIES

– Arts

– Buddhist Studies

– Introductory

– Meditation Intensives

– Women’s Retreats

Upcoming Retreats at Zen Mountain Monastery

Fall 2020 Ango

September 4 - November 22, 2020
Ango is a wonderful time to work toward making our lives more unified with practice. In addition to practicing moment-to-moment awareness in your daily activities, what other ways can you bring yourself into contact with the dharma during the day? Let this question guide you as you formulate your commitments for the training period...

BIPOC Book Group: “My Grandmother’s Hands”

September 14 - November 16, 2020
The BIPOC sangha will be reading Resmaa Menakem's "My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies." The book club will be largely a peer-exchange. Together, we will explore the book's concepts and the somatic body-centered practices to help liberate ourselves from racialized trauma. To learn more about the book, please visit Menakem's website: https://www.resmaa.com/books...

ZCNYC Sangha Meeting: Noble Path Talk & Paramita Study

with Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei and Ron Hogen Green, Sensei

October 1, 2020
For ZCNYC Sangha Members: Please join us for the upcoming Temple Sangha Meeting. Beginning with zazen, we’ll then listen to the first Noble Path Talk offered by Sandy Joshin DeValle, followed by an Introduction to Paramitas and the first paramita Dana, generosity.  The teachings of the Six Paramitas, qualities of mind of the Bodhisattva, the enlightened being who helps bring others to the other shore, the shore of liberation can be a great resource for us on our path always and especially now...

In Touch with Bodhisattvas: A Weekly Art Practice Series – October

with Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

October 2 - 30, 2020
For art practice during these three months of Ango we will focus on learning, reflecting, embodying and embracing the qualities of Bodhisattvas and then bringing to life in expression the energy that we receive. In this way, we can call in these qualities as we face our lives and what we may encounter...

Body of Practice / The Shape of Awake

with Hope Martin

October 3, 2020
"To take this posture itself is the purpose of our practice. When you have this posture, you have the right state of mind, so there is no need to try to attain some special state.” —Suzuki Roshi Discover how being fully present and at ease in your body transforms your practice. Being upright is not just an arbitrary shape; it’s a perfect expression of meditation itself. In this workshop, Hope, a master teacher of the Alexander Technique, will help you develop ease and non-striving in meditation and other activities...

Half-Day Sit

with Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

October 3, 2020
A three-hour practice of connecting with the still point by letting our body- mind and heart take refuge. Let us sit deep into our well and show up from a place of love and courage-- the two things that throughout history have been shown are necessary in order to help humanity not only survive, but thrive...

Beginning Instruction

with MRO Teachers and Senior Staff

October 4, 2020
Zen Mountain Monastery
A chance to receive beginning instruction in Zen meditation and an orientation to the Sunday program, which you will join following this brief class. You will have a chance to try out different meditation postures and set-ups, so plan to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Please plan to sign on promptly at 9:45, and in order to experience the full service…

Using Power to Help, Not Harm

with Tenku Ruff

October 8, 2020
How we understand and use power affects every aspect of our lives. This interactive workshop introduces some of the core principles of The Right Use of Power, developed by Cedar Barstow. We will learn pragmatic and meaningful ways to apply these principles in our daily lives, such as the deep relief and nourishment that comes when finally making an apology, and looking within some of the power dynamics at work in the conflict between Black Lives Matter protesters, police, and the Proud Boys movement. We’ll explore how power is related to gender, race, privilege and hierarchy. And we’ll learn how to ask for, give, and receive a quality of feedback that allows the Sangha jewel to shine at its brightest...

Our 40th Anniversary Weekend

October 9 - 10, 2020
It’s our 40th year here on Mount Tremper (20th year in Brooklyn) and we want you to celebrate with us. Let’s come together in gratitude to appreciate what these past 40 years have brought us, and to envision how we want to shape our future. The weekend will include live entertainment, a memorial for Daido Roshi, a festive video presentation, and a Board of Governors meeting. The Board of Governors is comprised of all stakeholders in the unfolding direction of the Mountains and Rivers Order and its various endeavors. So, if you practice with us, even if you have mainly done so starting this year with online programs, you are invited to join us!

Beginning Instruction

with MRO Teachers and Senior Staff

October 18, 2020
Zen Mountain Monastery
A chance to receive beginning instruction in Zen meditation and an orientation to the Sunday program, which you will join following this brief class. You will have a chance to try out different meditation postures and set-ups, so plan to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Please plan to sign on promptly at 9:45, and in order to experience the full service…

One Continuous Thread: Home Practice Intensive

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi, Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei and Ron Hogen Green, Sensei

October 19 - 25, 2020
Welcome to One Continuous Thread, a way to bring elements of a formal zazen intensive into your daily life. You will be able to view and participate in parallel with ZMM's Harvest Sesshin via live webcast. We've designed this retreat keeping in mind the unique circumstances that each person finds themselves in...

Introduction to Zen Practice Weekend (Online)

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

October 30 - November 1, 2020
This online version of the Monastery’s popular monthly Introduction to Zen Training is an opportunity to engage these time-honored practices and begin a meditation practice at home or strengthen a practice that has already begun. Designed for those new to Zen training, this retreat introduces the Monastery’s Eight Gates program, an approach for taking up the whole of our lives as a path of spiritual practice. Led by a training staff of Monastics, Home Practicing Seniors and Teachers, this online immersion experience...

Engaging the Circle: Dancing Across the Distance

with MK Abadoo

October 31, 2020
This intergenerational workshop invites participants to relish in the joy of movement by exploring the question: how do we embody the wisdom of being in a circle, from a distance? Circling is ancient, whether they occur in dances, community gatherings, within the ecosystems of our cells, and beyond. Circle practice encourages equanimity, reciprocity, accountability, deep seeing, feeling, sensing and sharing. Together, we will enliven our bodies to take up circling together by dancing together, as a creative expression of our interdependence.

Half-Day Sit

with MRO Seniors

October 31, 2020
A three hour practice of connecting with the still point by letting our body- mind and heart take refuge. Let us sit deep into our well and show up from a place of love and courage-- the two things that throughout history have been shown are necessary in order to help humanity not only survive, but thrive...

Beginning Instruction

with MRO Teachers and Senior Staff

November 1, 2020
Zen Mountain Monastery
A chance to receive beginning instruction in Zen meditation and an orientation to the Sunday program, which you will join following this brief class. You will have a chance to try out different meditation postures and set-ups, so plan to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Please plan to sign on promptly at 9:45, and in order to experience the full service…

In Touch with Bodhisattvas: A Weekly Art Practice Series – November

with Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

November 6 - 27, 2020
For art practice during these three months of Ango we will focus on learning, reflecting, embodying and embracing the qualities of Bodhisattvas and then bringing to life in expression the energy that we receive. In this way, we can call in these qualities as we face our lives and what we may encounter...

Ango Intensive: To Benefit Others—The Practice of a Bodhisattva

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi

November 6 - 7, 2020
"Now that I have this great ship, a precious human life, so hard to obtain, I must carry myself and others across the ocean of samsara. To that end, to listen, reflect, and meditate day and night without distraction, Is the practice of a bodhisattva."-Ngulchu Thogme. To "carry myself and others across the ocean of samsara" is the great vow of the Bodhisattva: one who is on the path of Liberation for oneself and all beings. What better time to study the Bodhisattva Path then when we are in the midst of a global pandemic; a spiritual mandate to address our 400 hundred years of oppression of Black, Indigenous and People of Color; and a historically significant national election...

Milarepa: Lessons From the Life and Songs of Tibet’s Great Yogi

with Judy Lief

November 13 - 14, 2020
"I am the yogi Milarepa, Who looked directly and saw the nakedness of my mind. Without complications, it is like the sky. See the sky and rest naturally, And you will be able to see the innermost nature of mind.” In this workshop, we will focus on what we can learn from Milarepa’s life, as it reflects on our own challenges as students and dharma practitioners. We will also explore some of his key teaching songs...

Beginning Instruction

with MRO Teachers and Senior Staff

November 15, 2020
Zen Mountain Monastery
A chance to receive beginning instruction in Zen meditation and an orientation to the Sunday program, which you will join following this brief class. You will have a chance to try out different meditation postures and set-ups, so plan to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Please plan to sign on promptly at 9:45, and in order to experience the full service…

One Continuous Thread: Home Practice Intensive

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi, Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei and Ron Hogen Green, Sensei

November 16 - 22, 2020
Welcome to One Continuous Thread, a way to bring elements of a formal zazen intensive into your daily life. You will be able to view and participate in parallel with ZMM's Shuso Hossen Sesshin via live webcast. We've designed this retreat keeping in mind the unique circumstances that each person finds themselves in...

Introduction to Zen Practice Weekend (Online)

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

November 27 - 29, 2020
This online version of the Monastery’s popular monthly Introduction to Zen Training is an opportunity to engage these time-honored practices and begin a meditation practice at home or strengthen a practice that has already begun. Designed for those new to Zen training, this retreat introduces the Monastery’s Eight Gates program, an approach for taking up the whole of our lives as a path of spiritual practice. Led by a training staff of Monastics, Home Practicing Seniors and Teachers, this online immersion experience...

Half-Day Sit

with MRO Seniors

November 28, 2020
A three hour practice of connecting with the still point by letting our body- mind and heart take refuge. Let us sit deep into our well and show up from a place of love and courage-- the two things that throughout history have been shown are necessary in order to help humanity not only survive, but thrive...

Beginning Instruction

with MRO Teachers and Senior Staff

November 29, 2020
Zen Mountain Monastery
A chance to receive beginning instruction in Zen meditation and an orientation to the Sunday program, which you will join following this brief class. You will have a chance to try out different meditation postures and set-ups, so plan to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Please plan to sign on promptly at 9:45, and in order to experience the full service…

Beginning Instruction

with MRO Teachers and Senior Staff

December 13, 2020
Zen Mountain Monastery
A chance to receive beginning instruction in Zen meditation and an orientation to the Sunday program, which you will join following this brief class. You will have a chance to try out different meditation postures and set-ups, so plan to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Please plan to sign on promptly at 9:45, and in order to experience the full service…

One Continuous Thread: Home Practice Intensive

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

December 26, 2020 - January 1, 2021
Welcome to One Continuous Thread, a way to bring elements of a formal zazen intensive into your daily life. You will be able to view and participate in parallel with ZMM's Rohatsu Sesshin via live webcast. We've designed this retreat keeping in mind the unique circumstances that each person finds themselves in...

Introduction to Zen Practice Weekend (Online)

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

January 8 - 10, 2021
This online version of the Monastery’s popular monthly Introduction to Zen Training is an opportunity to engage these time-honored practices and begin a meditation practice at home or strengthen a practice that has already begun. Designed for those new to Zen training, this retreat introduces the Monastery’s Eight Gates program, an approach for taking up the whole of our lives as a path of spiritual practice. Led by a training staff of Monastics, Home Practicing Seniors and Teachers, this online immersion experience...

One Continuous Thread: Home Practice Intensive

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

January 25 - 31, 2021
Welcome to One Continuous Thread, a way to bring elements of a formal zazen intensive into your daily life. You will be able to view and participate in parallel with ZMM's Interdependence Sesshin via live webcast. We've designed this retreat keeping in mind the unique circumstances that each person finds themselves in...

Introduction to Zen Practice Weekend (Online)

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

February 5 - 7, 2021
This online version of the Monastery’s popular monthly Introduction to Zen Training is an opportunity to engage these time-honored practices and begin a meditation practice at home or strengthen a practice that has already begun. Designed for those new to Zen training, this retreat introduces the Monastery’s Eight Gates program, an approach for taking up the whole of our lives as a path of spiritual practice. Led by a training staff of Monastics, Home Practicing Seniors and Teachers, this online immersion experience...

One Continuous Thread: Home Practice Intensive

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

February 22 - 28, 2021
Welcome to One Continuous Thread, a way to bring elements of a formal zazen intensive into your daily life. You will be able to view and participate in parallel with ZMM's Sesshin via live webcast. We've designed this retreat keeping in mind the unique circumstances that each person finds themselves in...

One Continuous Thread: Home Practice Intensive

with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi and Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei

March 22 - 28, 2021
Welcome to One Continuous Thread, a way to bring elements of a formal zazen intensive into your daily life. You will be able to view and participate in parallel with ZMM's Sesshin via live webcast. We've designed this retreat keeping in mind the unique circumstances that each person finds themselves in...