Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have cancelled the retreat 2020. We are planning for the retreat 2021 and hope to see you there!
4-day Intense Sitting Training and
2-day Zen Tour
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Watch 2019 retreat video
Watch 2018 retreat video
If you have any questions or inquires about the Zen Retreat, please contact us at friend@nonezencenter.org.
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Zen Retreat Kit (2020)
A Zen retreat is an intense training to help practitioners deepen their Zen experience, break through the forms of duality, and uncover 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 uncover 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 meditation experience with your fellow practitioners.
You will also take a Zen tour to explore the local culture (and FOOD!) , conduct outdoor sitting meditation, and above all, practice doubting meditation while enjoying the Zen tour to learn how to meditate in your daily life!
If you want to prepare yourself before the retreat, here are the meditation classes we recommend you attend:
For Zen Beginners, you may
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Take a three-session Beginner’s Class
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Continue to take Bridging Class and Advanced Class .
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For Seasoned Practitioners*, you may
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Take the Bridging Class if you haven’t learned the skill of doubting meditation before.
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Join the Advanced Class and/or Training Program.
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*Please contact us to find the proper classes to suit you.
Retreat Plan
You will have 4 days of intense sitting meditation training and then spend 2 days on a Zen tour. Here is the general plan for the retreat 2020:
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October 2020 |
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Retreat check-in at 10:30am Intense sitting meditation training |
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Intense sitting meditation training |
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Intense sitting meditation training |
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Intense sitting meditation training |
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Intense sitting meditation training Zen tour (pm) |
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Zen tour |
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Zen tour Retreat check-out at 11am |
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Daily Schedule
The wake-up time is 6am and bedtime is 10pm.
From October 3rd to Oct 7th, 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:
None Zen Center
1680 The Alameda, Ste C, San Jose, CA 95112, USA
Our retreat site, San Jose Center is located in downtown San Jose, California. The Center is a city-style well-utilized site. In its 2-story carriage house with an office/break room/dining room downstairs and a Zen Hall and restroom upstairs, the Center provides a simple, cozy, yet serious Zen meditation environment.
Meals
The food service is vegetarian—no meat, fish, or fowl. Foods containing dairy will be clearly marked.
During Oct 3rd to Oct 7th, the intense sitting training period, breakfast will be provided at 7:30am, lunch at 12pm, and dinner at 6pm. Fruit, snacks, water, tea, and instant coffee will be available 24/7.
During the period of Zen Tour, the breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided to fit the tour schedule.
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.
Accommodations
Practitioners will stay in a nearby hotel as the San Jose Center does not provide accommodations. Every two practitioners will share one hotel room, facilitated with two beds and one bath. Anyone who requires a single occupied room please address your need in the application form. Note that there will be an additional charge of $600 to $720 for a 6-night stay in a single occupied room (see Retreat Fees.)
The hotel is located in a 10-minute walking distance from the Center. Practitioners will walk to the Center every morning and back to the hotel in the evening.
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, the Zen tour, insurance, etc. , excluding:
- Traveling costs to the San Jose Center on the starting day
- Traveling costs from the San Jose Center to any destination on the ending day
- One meal during the period of Zen Tour
- Personal spending (e.g. coffee and snacks during the Zen Tour period )
Early Bird Rate (on or before May 17, 2020)
Double Occupancy : $1,850
Single Occupancy: $2,450
Since the hotels in downtown San Jose are running at historical high occupancy rate, the prices for hotel rooms get higher and higher. The retreat fees reflect the high-growth economy of the Silicon Vally. Please apply and pay for the retreat fees as soon as possible to benefit from the Early Bird Rate.
Click to the Annual Zen Retreat 2020 Payment Page.
Regular Rate (on or after May 18, 2020)
Double Occupancy: $2,050
Single Occupancy: $2,750
Commuter Rate (only one-night stay during the Zen Tour)
Double Occupancy: $1,350
Single Occupancy: $1,500
The Commuter Rate applies to students who do not need accommodations in San Jose. Please address your need in the application form. Please also note that you are still required to take a one-night overnight stay (Oct 8 to Oct 9) outside San Jose when we have the Zen Tour.
Suggested Donation Amount
Please note that the None Zen Center is run entirely by donations, so we do hope you consider donating to the retreat site, San Jose Center. We recommend you give a $200 donation to support San Jose Center. Donations of greater or less sums are all appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of donations.
Please note that the retreat fees are not donations to None Zen Center, and the Center will not issue donation receipts for retreat fees.
Payment
The payment for the Retreat Fee should be delivered with the retreat application form. 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 via Paypal. You do not need a Paypal account to use Paypal service. Click to the Annual Zen Retreat 2020 Payment Page.
Please contact the class secretary for other payment methods and/or any questions.
San Jose Center, Manchester Meetup, and global (excluding Taiwan)
Mathew Edwards
Class Secretary
mathew.edwards@thenone.org
Taipei Center and Tainan Center (Taiwan)
Karen Yang
Class Secretary
karen.yang@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 10% handling fee (mainly the Paypal/bank fees).
Rules
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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We provide vegetarian meals. Foods containing dairy will be clearly marked. During the period of intense sitting training, 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.
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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.
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Working meditation is part of the retreat training. Practitioners will be assigned cleaning, gardening, or other laboring jobs.
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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
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Students from San Jose Center should bring their own meditation cushions. Students from outside USA are granted the privilege of not bringing their cushions.
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Bring the Zen backpack along with you.
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The weather is mostly sunny with an average temperature at 53-76 degrees Fahrenheit (12-24 Celsius) in San Jose during October. But due to the climate change, the temperature could be as high as 90 or 100 degree Fahrenheit (32 or 38 Celsius) in the beginning of October. We will turn on AC when needed.
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Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for walking meditation, outdoor meditation and Zen Tour.
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Bring socks, as shoes are not worn indoors.
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Bring loose clothing for your sitting meditation, and warm clothing for cool nights and mornings if necessary. Wind/rainproof hoodies or jackets are recommend for outdoor meditation, especially on the BEACH!
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The retreat site does not provide laundry service, and you will not have time to do your laundry at hotel. Do bring ENOUGH clothes for your daily change.
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Bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, and hair dryer. For male practitioners, bring your own shaving gear. Please do not wear scented body products.
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Bringing your own mug is optional.
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Don’t forget your personal medicine, if any.
Spending Money
You will need some spending money during the Zen tour. USD $200 could be a healthy budget to spend on souvenirs, coffee and snacks, and in local markets during the Zen Tour if you are not shopping too much. It will cost you about $60 to $80 from San Francisco airport (SFO) to the Center via Uber.
Students from outside USA, please buy US Dollars when you arrive SFO airport, as you will not have another opportunity for money exchange during the retreat.
Thank You for Joining Us
Thank you for your interest in joining the Zen retreat 2020.
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For more information about the Zen method of doubting meditation, please go to: https://thenone.org/zen-practice/what-is-doubting-meditation/
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For more information on Zen practice and None Zen Center, please visit our website at www.nonezencenter.org
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For any question about the Zen retreat, Zen practice, or None Zen Center, please contact us.
None Zen Center 無有禪社 