7-day Retreat 2019

4-day Intense Sitting Training and
3-day Zen Tour from south to north Taiwan!

Click to find the Application Form

7-day Retreat Kit (2019, TW7R2)

A Zen retreat is an intensive training to help practitioners deepen their Zen experience, break through the forms of duality, and discover the nature of self within a set time period. We will be practicing the Zen method of doubting meditation (ch: huatou, jp: wato, kr: gwanhwa), a time-tested and widely-applied skill which has been proven to lead people to enlightenment, to discover their self.

This is a rare opportunity to learn and practice the traditional Zen method of doubting meditation, through self-inquiring to self-realization. You will be introduced to the history and the skill of doubting meditation, learn the fundamental Zen concepts through Zen stories from the discourses of ancient Zen masters and their disciples, practice doubting meditation, and share your Zen experience with your fellow practitioners.

You will also take a Zen trip to visit various temples and explore the local culture (and FOOD!) from the south to the north of Taiwan, conduct outdoor sitting meditation, and above all, practice doubting meditation while enjoying the Zen trip to learn how to meditate in your daily life!

If you want to prepare yourself before the 7-day retreat, here are the meditation classes we recommend you attend:

For Zen Beginners, you may

1. Take a three-session Beginner’s Class
2. Continue to take Bridging Class and Advanced Class .

For Seasoned Practitioners*, you may

1. Take the Bridging Class if you haven’t learned the skill of doubting meditation before.
2. Join the Advanced Class and/or Training Program.

*Please contact us at sanjose@nonezencenter.org to find the proper classes to suit you.

The 7-Day Retreat Plan

You will have 4 days of intense sitting meditation training and then spend 3 days on a Zen tour. Here is the general plan for the 7-day retreat:

7-day Zen Retreat Plan November 3 – 10, 2019
Nov 2	Sat	Departing from SFO at 00:10am (BR17, suggested flight fro students from San Francisco Bay Area)
Nov 3	Sun	Arriving Taipei at 5am and arriving Tainan retreat site at 10am (for students flying BR17) Retreat check in at 11am
Nov 4	Mon	Intense Sitting Training
Nov 5	Tue	Intense Sitting Training
Nov 6	Wed	Intense Sitting Training
Nov 7	Thu	Intense Sitting Training Zen Tour
Nov 8	Fri	Zen Tour
Nov 9	Sat	Zen Tour
Nov 10	Sun	Retreat check out at 11am Departing from Taipei at 7:50pm and arriving SFO at 2:50pm (suggested flight BR18 for students from San Francisco Bay Area)
Nov 11	Mon	Veterans Day

Daily Schedule

The wake-up time is 6am and bedtime is 10pm.

From November 3^rd to November 7^th, we will have at least twelve sessions per day, including sitting meditation, walking meditation, and working meditation. Please note that working meditation is part of the intense training, and practitioners will be assigned to cleaning and/or other laboring jobs. The working meditation session is about one hour, right after the breakfast and lunch breaks each day.

The detailed schedule won’t be released until two weeks before the start date of the retreat, and is subject to change according to Shifus’(teachers’) instructions. Practitioners are required to follow the daily schedule designed for the Zen retreat, and arrive on time for every session, meeting, and meal.

Retreat Site:
Tainan International Zen House, Taiwan

Our retreat site, Tainan International Zen House (hereafter Zen House) is located in downtown Tainan City, the oldest city in Taiwan. The Zen House is None Zen Center’s newest facility, first rented in July 2018 and completely renovated by October 2018. It provides dorm room style bedrooms; most beds are twin size and a few are single beds. The dorm rooms are without private bathrooms, but have access to the nearby common bathrooms and showers.

Meals

The food service is vegetarian—no meat, fish, or fowl. Foods containing dairy will be clearly marked.

Breakfast will be provided at 7am, lunch at 12pm, and dinner at 6pm. Fruit, snacks, water, tea, and instant coffee will be available 24/7.

Please note that NO FOOD may be brought to the retreat site. If you have a special request, please address your needs in the application form.

Retreat Fees and Suggested Donation Amount

Just like all meditation classes provided by the None Zen Center, the retreat is also tuition-free. However, every practitioner will be charged a retreat fee for the bed and board (excluding two meals in local markets), the Zen trip, insurance, etc. To cover the income difference, the retreat fee for practitioners from outside Taiwan is US$800 and for practitioners from Taiwan is US$550.

Please note that the None Zen Center is run entirely by donations, so we do hope you consider donating to the retreat site (Tainan International Zen House), the Taipei Center, and the San Jose Center.

You may find the suggested donation amounts in the table below, but donations of greater or less sums are all appreciated. No one will be turned away.

7-day Retreat, Taiwan, Nov 3-10, 2019 Retreat Fee, Suggested Donation, and Estimated Extra Cost
1	Retreat Fee (for students from outside Taiwan) * Retreat Fee for students from Taiwan is US$550 (or NT$16,800)	US$800
2	Suggested Donation	US$200
	Total	US$1,000
Extra – A	The transportation fees from TPE airport to Tainan High Speed Rail Station, and from Tainan High Speed Rail Station to the retreat site.	US$70
Extra – B	Spending Money	US$150

Please note that the Retreat Fee and additional Commute Fee are not donations to None Zen Center, and the Center will not issue donation receipts for those fees.

Payment

The payment for the Retreat Fee should be delivered with the retreat application form, on or before September 30, 2019. The registration process won’t be complete until both the fully-filled application form and the payment are received.

If you have donations, you may give your gift when you make the retreat payment, when you check in the retreat, and/or at the ending day of the retreat.

You may complete your payment online. Click to the 7-day retreat payment page.

Please contact us for other payment methods and, if needed.

San Jose Center (and practitioners from outside Taiwan)
sanjose@nonezencenter.org

Taipei Center and Tainan Center
Elaine Hsiung
Class Secretary
iling.hsiung@thenone.org

Application

Please fill out the application form online.

We will send you a notice email to inform you of your application status within five business days after receiving your application.

You will be given a Zen backpack once your application is accepted and you compete the payment. Please bring your Zen backpack to the retreat.

Cancellation Policy

The None Zen Center reserves the right to either hold or cancel the retreat, and to accept or reject applications.

Note that the payments and donations are nonrefundable. In the event that you are not accepted to the retreat, or the retreat is canceled, you will receive a full refund, minus a $60 handling fee.

Rules

Practitioners are required to accept and abide by the Shifus’ (teachers’) instructions, the rules of the retreat, and the regulations of the retreat site in order to communally create an intense training environment and benefit from the teachers, your fellow practitioners, and the retreat site, as well as to advance your Zen practice.
You will be asked to hand in your handsets, 3C devices, and watches when checking into the retreat. Your devices will be returned to you when you sign out of the retreat.
We follow the code of silence during Zen retreats. Practitioners are required to keep silent, not talk to others (not engage in unnecessary conversation), not use handsets or any 3C devices, not write any diary or note, and not read books, in order to focus your entire body and mind on your Zen practice.
Practitioners are required to follow the daily schedule and be on time for every session, meeting, and meal. The detailed schedule won’t be released until two weeks before the start date of the retreat, and is subject to change according to the Shifus’ (teachers’) instructions.
We provide vegetarian meals. Foods containing dairy will be clearly marked. Fruit, snacks, water, tea, and instant coffee will be available 24/7. No food may be brought to the retreat site. If you have any special request or are allergic to particular foods, please address your needs in the application form.
No illegal drugs, no smoking, no alcohol, no pets, no incense, no candles, and no kerosene lamps are allowed at the retreat site. Do not wear scented body products. Shoes are not worn indoors.
Working meditation is part of the retreat training. Practitioners will be assigned cleaning, gardening, or other laboring jobs.
For the communal benefit, anyone who does not abide by the Shifus’ (teachers’) instructions, rules, or regulations will be asked to leave without refund.

What to Bring and What to Wear

Students from the Taipei Center and Tainan Center should bring their meditation gear, including their cushion, blanket, and backpack. Students and practitioners from outside Taiwan are granted the privilege of not bringing their cushion and blanket.
Bring the Zen backpack along with you.
The weather is mostly sunny with an average temperature at 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit (18-30 Celsius) in Taiwan during November, but the humidity can be as high as 75-85 degrees year-round. We will turn on AC when the humidity degree is high.
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for rural settings.
Bring socks, as shoes are not worn indoors.
Bring loose clothing for your sitting meditation, and warm clothing for cool nights and mornings if necessary.
The retreat site does not provide laundry service. Do bring ENOUGH clothes for your daily change.
Bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, and towels. The retreat site provides shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in all shower facilities. Please do not wear scented body products. For male practitioners, bring your own shaving gear.
Bringing your own mug is optional.
Don’t forget your personal medicine, if any.

Spending Money

You will need some spending money during the Zen tour. USD $150 could be a healthy budget to spend on souvenirs and in local night markets if you are not shopping too much. Practitioners coming from outside of Taiwan will need about $70 for the ground commute from TPE airport to Tainan High Speed Rail Station and from Tainan High Speed Rail Station to the retreat site on your arrival day.

Please buy New Taiwanese Dollars when you arrive TPE airport, as you will not have another opportunity for money exchange during the 7-day retreat.

Retreat Site Address

Tainan International Zen House
Address: 199 Youai Street, Floor 4, Zhongxi Dist, Tainan 700, Taiwan
(Chn: 台南市中西區友愛街 199 號 4 樓）
Phone: +886 (0)6 221 4552

Thank You for Joining Us

Thank you for your interest in joining the 7-day Zen retreat.

For more information about the Zen method of doubting meditation, please go to: https://thenone.org/zen-practice/what-is-doubting-meditation/
For more information on Zen practice and None Zen Center, please visit our website at www.nonezencenter.org
For any question about the Zen retreat, Zen practice, or None Zen Center, please contact us at sanjose@nonezencenter.org

7-day Retreat 2019

4-day Intense Sitting Training and
3-day Zen Tour from south to north Taiwan!

Click to find the Application Form

Click to Complete the Payment

Check the 2018 retreat video

7-day Retreat Kit (2019, TW7R2)