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Formal Zen Practice
Formal Zen practice includes
our Sunday sessions, and all intensive retreats.
Periods of sitting are twenty-five minutes
in length, punctuated by five-minute periods
of walking practice. Sitting, walking, chanting,
ritual Zen meals, care-taking practice, and
one-on-one meetings with Eshu create a dynamic
matrix of practice through which we may begin
to realize the vastness our True potential.
*Orientation by way of consultation
or Introductory
Course is a prerequisite for Formal Zen
Practice at the Sooke Zendo.
Intensive Preparation Course
If you have successfully developed a stable daily practice of Zen meditation as a member of the Victoria Zen Centre, and are wondering how to go further with our Sangha, this course is your next step. Participants will be introduced to the subtleties and differences involved in intensive training, and will receive an orientation to, and experience of, practices that are specific to intensive training in the Zen tradition. The Intensive Preparation course is the gateway to deepening your practice.
Intensive Preparation courses in 2009 will be held on:
Download Course Outline
Saturday mornings 9:00-11:30am
June 20th & 27th
November 14th & 21 st
Monday evenings 7:00-9:30pm
August 10th & 17th
September 28th & October 5th
Fundamentals
of Zen
Building on the foundation
of practice established through the Introduction
to Zen Meditiation Course you will be introduced
to some of the fundamental teachings of
Zen Buddhism. Group activities and practice
assignments ask that we take these teachings
out of our head and engage them in the day
to day unfolding of our lives. Download
the Fundamentals
of Zen Course Outline
Date: Alternating Thursday evenings 7:30-9:30
pm
Spring: March 13th, 27th April 10th, 24th
Fall: September 11th, 25th October 9th and
23rd
Location: Main Zendo, Sooke.
Practice Meetings
Maintaining Formal Zen practice while leading
a busy life with a family and career can
be difficult. If you aren't able to make
it to the Zendo as often as you would like,
one way of supporting your daily home practice
is to schedule Practice Meetings with Eshu.
This is an opportunity to investigate your
practice in an intimate one-on-one environment
with our resident monk.
Click
here for rates and guidelines.
Monthly
one-day intensive
The schedule for our silent
one-day intensive runs from 6am to 5pm,
and includes sitting, walking, chanting,
meal practice, and a period of care taking.
Eshu gives a Zen talk during the mid-morning
sitting, and conducts one-on-one meetings
with each student.
Five-day intensives
Our longer intensives on Saturna
Island feature an extended schedule, which
runs from 4am to 9pm. These silent retreats
include sitting, walking, chanting, meal
practice, and a period of care taking. Eshu
gives a Zen talk each day, and meets with
each student privately twice each day.
Eldership
Programme
For those
who wish to develop further in practice
at the Victoria Zen Centre, each January
we offer the Eldership Programme. To qualify
for this year long focused programme of
practice and study, a candidate must maintain
membership in good standing with the Victoria
Zen Centre for a minimum period of one year,
and complete a minimum of two five-day intensives
with Eshu. For more information on the Eldership
Programme, please contact the Centre.
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