Zen Retreat 2026, Taiwan

Deepening Your Zen Practice Through Doubting Meditation

Join us for the 3-Day Zen Retreat (TW3R11), an intensive meditation training hosted by None Zen Center, Taiwan. The retreat will be held at the Tainan Center, from Saturday, October 24, to Monday, October 26, 2026.

This bilingual retreat (中英雙語) will be conducted in English, with Mandarin Chinese summaries provided as needed.

—- Sign up now to secure your spot.

—- Email friend@nonezencenter.org if you have any inquiries.

Enhancing Your Self-Awareness and Continuous Concentration

This 3-day retreat is designed to deepen your Zen practice, particularly by enhancing your self-awareness and strengthening your continuous concentration. Through the practice of doubting meditation, or huatou, you will be guided not only to acknowledge your mind movements, but also to meditate on your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. In this way, you deepen your self-awareness rather than ignoring or simply letting go of your mind movements.

You will also be guided to repeatedly return to your meditation method whenever you drift away or become distracted by your inner state or outer environment during the retreat’s intensive and consecutive sitting sessions. In this way, you develop continuous concentration by repeatedly refocusing on one thing and one thing only — your meditation method.

Unfamiliar with Doubting Meditation?

None Zen Center specializes in teaching and practicing doubting meditation (huatou). During the retreat, we will practice doubting meditation, a time-tested and widely practiced method in the Zen tradition that has long been used to lead practitioners toward enlightenment and uncovering their self-nature.

If you are unfamiliar with this method, you are welcome to review the videos from Beginner’s Class 3 Series in our Online Zen School on YouTube, or join our in-person Beginner’s Class or Tuesday’s Zoom Sitting Sessions.

Retreat Site: Tainan Center

No. 199, Fl. 4, Youai Street
Zhongxi Dist, Tainan
Taiwan

Bedrooms

Our Tainan Center 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 poultry. Foods containing dairy products will be clearly marked.

Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m., lunch at 1:00 p.m., and dinner at 6:20 p.m. Water, tea, coffee, and snacks will be available during the morning and afternoon breaks, as well as whenever needed.

Retreat Schedule

No need to worry—there’s no need to feel overwhelmed.

Each 2-hour block will be divided into several 20–40 minute sessions. You may even choose to sit on a meditation cushion or in a chair.

If you have any questions or requests regarding the retreat schedule, please email us at friend@nonezencenter.org.

Please note that the retreat schedule is subject to change.

Retreat Donation

None Zen Center is a non-profit organization that provides tuition-free meditation classes and operates entirely through donations.

All of our Zen masters and instructors are not only volunteers but also primary donors.

We suggest a sliding-scale donation of $3,000–$6,000 NTD to make the retreat financially possible, sustain the tuition-free Zen environment, and grow the Zen community.

Two-Step Application Procedure

1. You are required to submit the completed retreat application below.

2. Once your application is accepted, you will be invited to complete the retreat donation.

3. Please note that your retreat seat will not be confirmed until both the retreat application form and the retreat donation have been received.

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.

Retreat Rules

Practitioners are required to follow the Shifus’ (Zen Masters’) instructions, the retreat rules, and the retreat site regulations in order to help create an intensive communal training environment, benefit from the teachers, fellow practitioners, and the retreat site, and deepen their Zen practice.
We observe a code of silence during the Zen retreat. Please refrain from unnecessary conversation with others, as well as from internal dialogue as much as possible.
To support a focused environment, you will be asked to hand in your mobile phones and other electronic devices upon check-in. Each day at 6:50 p.m., you may collect them from Shifu (Zen Master) Linda and return them by 7:50 p.m. At the end of the retreat, please remember to collect your phone and other devices from Shifu Linda.
Practitioners are required to follow the daily schedule and arrive on time for all sessions, meetings, and meals. The retreat schedule may be adjusted in accordance with Shifus’ instructions.
We provide vegetarian meals, and foods containing dairy will be clearly labeled. Water, tea, coffee, and snacks will be available as needed. If you have any special dietary requests or food allergies, please indicate them on the application form.
Illegal drugs, smoking, vaping, alcohol, pets, incense, and candles are not permitted at the retreat site.
Please wear clean socks, as shoes are not permitted in the Zen meditation hall.
For the benefit of the community, anyone who does not follow the Shifus’ instructions, retreat rules, or retreat site regulations may be asked to leave without a refund.

What to Bring

Bring your own meditation gear, including a meditation cushion, at least one blanket to use as a mat, and additional blankets or towels for padding if needed. For personal hygiene reasons, None Zen Center does not provide shared meditation equipment.
Bring your mug and/or water bottle, although paper cups will be available at the retreat site.
Don’t forget your tooth brush and other personal items.
Bring any necessary medications.
You will not have time to do your laundry. Remember to bring ENOUGH clothes for your daily change.

What to Wear

Wear loose-fitting clothes for comfortable sitting meditation, and comfortable shoes for possible outdoor walking meditation.
Wear clothing that will keep you cool, and bring a light long-sleeve layer if needed, as the air conditioning will be on. October in Tainan, Taiwan, still feels like summer, with average temperatures reaching highs of around 87°F (31°C) and lows of around 75°F (24°C). It is also a transitional season, with a moderate chance of rain.
Wear clean socks, as shoes are not permitted in the Zen hall.
Please use unscented personal care products to support an allergy-free meditation environment.

Thank You for Joining the Intense Zen Training

Thank you for your interest in joining the 3-Day Zen Retreat at Tainan Center, Taiwan.

If you have any questions, please email us at friend@nonezencenter.org.