The post-COVID phenomena :
Due to the uncertainty yet blooming travel requirement in the post-Covid period, hosting an in-person meditation retreat in the summer of 2022 has become very challenging. We have all hands on deck and work our better-than-best to make the in-person retreat happen with good hope. We sincerely invite you to join us in Retreat 2022 in Vancouver, Canada, July 16-21. Let’s meet together, meditate together, and go beyond COVID together!
Fill out the Application Form Zen Retreat 2022
Watch 2019 retreat video Watch 2018 retreat video
If you have any questions about Zen Retreat 2022, please contact us at friend@nonezencenter.org.
Zen Retreat Kit (2022)
A Zen retreat is an intense training event to advance your Zen practice, know yourself better, and uncover your self-nature within a set 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-nature.
You will be introduced to the history and the skill of doubting meditation, learn the fundamental Zen concepts through Zen stories (Gongan or Koan) from the discourses of ancient Zen masters and their disciples, practice doubting meditation, and share your Zen meditation experience with your fellow practitioners to learn from each other’s progress and mistakes.
You will also take the Zen Tour training 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!
Preparing for the Intense Zen Training
You are very welcome to sign up for the Zen retreat whether you are a Zen beginner or seasoned practitioner. However, you may want to prepare yourself for the intense Zen training. We suggest you practice sitting meditation consistently, at least once a week, and train yourself to sit for at least 30 minutes a session before attending the retreat.
We provide video classes at our Online Zen School.where you may find structured Zen meditation courses from Beginner’s Class to Advanced Class series. If you are not familiar with the skill of doubting meditation (ch: huatou, jp: wato, kr: gwanhwa), you may enroll in the Bridging Class to have some basic concepts about doubting meditation before the retreat. Or you may attend the in-person or Zoom classes at our Centers in San Jose (CA, USA), Manchester (UK), Tainan (Taiwan), or Taipei (Taiwan).
To find the class suits you best, please contact us at friend@nonezencenter.org.
Practitioners Safety – COVID and beyond
We plan the Zen Retreat 2022 to meet with our worldwide fellow practitioners in person after the COVID lockdown. With each other’s strength and support, we hope to create a Zen environment for you to advance your Zen practice in Vancouver, Canada, in the beautiful summer of 2022.
To ensure the safety and health of our practitioners and local community, we will continue to comply with the government, retreat site, and None Zen Center’s safety protocols through the COVID period and beyond. Thank you for your cooperation to support a safe Zen community. Here are some basic rules to apply, though the measures will be subject to change.
- All travelers can be eligible to enter Canada as fully vaccinated travelers regardless of citizenship. You may find the boarder measures at https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/covid/menu-eng.html.
- We will take your temperature when you check in to the retreat and every morning and evening during the retreat. If your temperature is higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius, you won’t be able to attend or continue the retreat.
- Practitioners must sanitize their hands whenever entering the Zen hall, dining area, bedroom, or when needed. If necessary, practitioners will be required to wear a mask.
- Where possible, we provide plated meals rather than buffets.
- We don’t use shared meditation gear. Please bring your cushion and blanket with you.
- For the best teaching-learning experience, limited seats are available.
Retreat Plan
You will have about three and a half days of intense sitting meditation training and spend one day on the Zen Tour training. Here is a brief plan for retreat 2022.
July 16 Saturday |
July17 Sunday |
July 18 Monday |
July 19 Tuesday |
July 20 Wednesday |
July 21
Thursday |
1. Retreat Check- in at 4pm 2. Intense Sitting Meditation Training |
Intense Sitting Meditation Training | 1. Zen Tour Training 2. Winner’s Night Event |
1. Retreat Conclusion
2. Retreat Check-out at 11:30am |
Daily Schedule
The wake-up time is 6 am, and bedtime is 10 pm.
We will have intensive training, including sitting meditation, walking meditation, and working meditation. You will be assigned retreat-related jobs for your working meditation. Please note that working meditation is part of the intense training.
The detailed schedule won’t be released until two weeks before the retreat and is subject to change according to Shifus’ (teachers’) instructions. Practitioners must follow the Zen retreat’s daily schedule and be on time for every session, meeting, and meal.
Retreat Site:
Carey Center on UBC Campus, Vancouver, Canada
The retreat site Carney Center is located at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. With a short distance of 11 miles (or 18 km) from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and 6.5 miles (or 10.5 km) to downtown Vancouver, Carey Center provides a tranquil yet easy-to-access venue for global practitioners.
Intense Sitting Meditation Training
We will turn the Carey Center’s Lecture Hall or meeting room into our Zen Hall. Use the UBC Rose Garden, Acadia Beach, or Spanish Banks Beach for our outdoor meditation if conditions allow.
Zen Tour Training
We will have the Zen Tour Training on July 20. The purpose is to learn how to bring our meditation into our daily life. On the same day, we will use the YWCA Hotel venue for the evening event Winner’s Night and stay at YWCA Hotel. And on July 21, we will have the retreat conclusion in the YWCA Hotel venue.
Meals
The food service is provided by Carey Center catering and is vegetarian—no meat, fish, or fowl. Foods containing dairy will be clearly marked. The breakfast is at 7:30 am, lunch is at 12:15 pm, and dinner, at 6:30 pm. Where possible, we provide plated meals rather than buffets. Water, tea, instant coffee, and snacks will be available during morning and afternoon breaks or when needed.
Please note that NO FOOD may be brought to the retreat site. If you have a special request, please address your needs in the retreat application form.
Accommodations
Carey Center provides hotel-style bedrooms with a private bathroom in each bedroom. On July 20, we will stay at YWCA Hotel in downtown Vancouver.
Application
Read the Retreat Kit 2022 (this webpage) thoroughly before filling out the application form.
After sending the retreat application, you will receive an acceptance or rejection notification within 5 business days. None Zen Center reserves the right to hold or cancel the Zen Retreat 2021 and accept or reject applications.
Please note that you will not complete your application process until you receive the retreat acceptance notification and complete the full retreat payment.
Retreat Fees and Suggested Donation Amount
Just like all meditation classes provided by the None Zen Center, the retreat is also tuition-free. However, you will need to pay the retreat fees for the bed and board, Zen tour, insurance, retreat related expenses, etc.. Please note that the retreat fees do not cover the following items.
- Traveling costs to the retreat site Carey Center on July 16
- Traveling costs from downtown Vancouver to any destination after the retreat
- Lunch and snacks on July 20, the Zen Tour day
- Personal spending (e.g., lunch, coffee and snacks on the Zen Tour day)
When to pay for the retreat fees
The post-COVID phenomena:
Due to the uncertainty yet blooming travel requirement in the post-Covid period of summer 2022, we have luckily secured the retreat venues and a limited number of bedrooms with a relatively fair rate very close to 2021’s rates. We provide Early Bird Rates for applicants willing to commit to the retreat by April 10 on the first-come, first-serve principle. The Standard Rate will apply when the said secured beds run out and if the retreat sites still have beds available.
We will provide you with a Paypal link in the retreat notification email when you are accepted to the retreat. Please complete your payment within 5 business days of receiving the retreat notification to secure your spot. Contact us at friend@nonezencenter.org when you complete your payment or if you have any questions about the payment method or the due dates. We will release your spot if we do not receive your email or payment within 5 business days, as a very limited number of seats are available.
We will issue you a retreat fee receipt when we confirm your payment. Please note that the retreat fees are not donations to None Zen Center, and the Center will not issue donation receipts for retreat fees.
Early Bird Rate US$1,500 for double occupancy US$1,800 for singe occupancy Due by April 10, 2021 |
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Room Type | Amount | Paypal Button | |
Early Bird Rate
* Limited seats and beds are available ** The Standard Rate will apply if the bed requirement exceeds said limited number |
Double occupancy | $1,500.00 | |
Single occupancy | $1,800.00 | ||
Standard Rate
(if seats and beds are available) US$1,700 for double occupancy US$2,000 for singe occupancy Due by June 10, 2021 |
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Room Type | Amount | Paypal Button | |
Standard Rate
|
Double occupancy | $1,700.00 | |
Single occupancy | $2,000.00 |
Suggested Donation Amount
Please note that the None Zen Center is run entirely by donations and we do hope you consider giving a $300 donation to support None Zen Center. Donations of greater or less sums are all appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of donations.
Click the Paypal donation button below to select or set up your donation amount, and give the gift contactlessly. You will receive an instant donation receipt from Paypal to confirm your donations. Due to
Bank Transfer
If you consider paying retreat fees and giving your donations via bank transfer, please separate your retreat fees and donations into two transactions, as retreat fees are not donations. Contact us at friend@nonezencenter.org when you complete your bank transfer. Thank you for your help.
Bank Information:
Account Name: None Zen Center, Inc.
Add: 1680 The Alameda, Suite C, San Jose, CA 95126, USA
Account No.: 325104413676
Routing No.:121000358 (paper & electronic)
026009593 (wires)
SWIFT Code (for incoming wires in U.S. dollars): BOFAUS3N
Bank Add: Bank of America, NA
555 California Street, San Francisco, CA94104
Cancellation Policy
The None Zen Center reserves the right to either hold or cancel the retreat, to accept or reject applications, and to change the retreat venues and dates.
Note that the retreat fees and donations are non-refundable. In the event that None Zen Center cancels the retreat, you will receive a refund, minus the retreat deposit that None Zen Center has paid to the retreat venues and vendors, and 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 and 3C devices when checking in to 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 the Zen retreat. 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 starting 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, water, tea, instant coffee, and snacks will be available when needed. 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 in the Zen meditation hall.
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Working meditation is part of the retreat training. Practitioners will be assigned retreat-related jobs.
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For the communal benefit, anyone who does not abide by Shifus’ (teachers’) instructions, retreat rules, or retreat site’s regulations will be asked to leave without refund.
What to Bring and What to Wear
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All practitioners must bring their own meditation gear – meditation cushion, blanket, outdoor meditation mat (blanket), and the None Zen backpack.
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If this is the first time that you are accepted to our retreat, you will receive a None Zen backpack, blanket, and outdoor meditation mat from your local Center. If you are an online student or do not belong to any of our physical centers, you will be given the backpack, blanket, and outdoor mat when you check in to the retreat. Remember to bring your own meditation cushion!
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The weather is comfortable and sunny with a rare chance of rain, and the average temperature is 55 – 73 degrees Fahrenheit (or 13 – 23 degrees Celsius) in Vancouver, Canada, during the summer time. However, due to climate change, Vancouver hit the 92-degree-Fahrenheit (or 33- degrees-Celsius) mark on Aug 16, 2020.
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Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for the walking meditation, outdoor meditation, and Zen Tour training.
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Bring socks, as shoes are not worn in the Zen hall.
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Bring loose clothing for your sitting meditation, and warm clothing for chilly nights and mornings if necessary. Wind/rainproof hoodies or jackets are recommended for outdoor meditation. Bring your hat to avoid sunburn.
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You will not have time to do your laundry. Remember to bring ENOUGH clothes for your daily change.
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Bring your toothbrush and toothpaste. For male practitioners, bring your own shaving gear. Please do not wear scented body products, if possible.
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Bring your mug and/or water bottle.
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Don’t forget your personal medicine, if any.
Spending Money
You will need some spending money during the Zen tour. CA$200 could be a healthy budget to spend on souvenirs, coffee and snacks, and your lunch on the Zen Tour day if you are not shopping too much. It will cost you about CA$30 to CA$50 (depending on Uber service types) to take an Uber from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to the retreat site Carey Center.
Students from outside Canada, please buy Canadian Dollars when or before you arrive at YVR airport, as you will not have another opportunity for money exchange during the retreat.
Thank You for Joining the Intense Zen Training
Thank you for your interest in joining the Zen retreat 2021.
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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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If you have any questions, please email us at friend@nonezencenter.org.