Registration for this retreat is now closed.

This year's retreat will be a silent Zen sesshin (meditation retreat). Seven days of silent practice of sitting and walking meditation in this beautiful church camp on the water on Samish Island. Retreat includes dharma talks by Norman and other northwest teachers, doksusan and practice discussion, sitting and walking meditation, and delicious vegetarian meals. A deep time for practice and reflection with the support of sangha and teachers.

Schedule: You may attend the entire retreat, or the first or second half. Full Retreat Friday 6/18 5:00pm to Saturday 6/26 at noon First Half Friday 6/18 5:00pm to Tuesday 6/22 at 5pm Second Half Tuesday 6/22 at 5pm to Saturday 6/26 at noon.

Prerequisites & Requirements While less demanding than some Zen sesshin this is a rigorous and structured experience. To benefit from being at Samish Sesshin please abide by the following requirements.

• You should have attended at least one full day formal meditation retreat before attending this 7-day retreat. Please do not register if you have never sat a full day of formal meditation (in Zen or other traditions is fine).
• If you have never attended Samish sesshin please start at the beginning (attend full retreat or first half) and do not attend just the second half. Orientation and instructions are offered at the beginning only.
• No other attendance options other than the three listed above can be accommodated. Retreatants coming and going at other times increases the organizational work for our volunteers considerably and can disrupt the sesshin experience for the community.
• This is a silent retreat without talking, reading, writing, computer or cell phone use. Please be prepared to follow this guideline fully.
• Following the full schedule is a core practice of Zen. Some alternate schedules can be arranged with the Ino in cases of health and other needs.

Housing: Private (not shared) housing is provided with three options:

E-Cabins are recently built with a bath shared with one other cabin. Full Retreat: $525 - $625 sliding scale Half of retreat: not available (full time for e-cabins only)

Regular Cabins - simple plywood cabins built in the 1950's. Camp style bathrooms in a separate building. Full Retreat: $425 - $525 sliding scale Half of retreat: $220 - $270 sliding scale

Tent - you can bring a tent and camp on the lawn. A lower cost option. Full Retreat: $350 - $450 sliding scale Half of Retreat: $175 - $225 sliding scale

Notes on sliding scale fees: 1) Dana (teacher donations) is not included in these fees. Registration fees cover retreat costs with any extra to Red Cedar Zen Community for our ongoing expenses and costs. An opportunity to make teacher donation (dana) will be available at the site. 2) Paying higher on the sliding scale enables us to allow scholarships.

Scholarships May 26 update: We regret that no more scholarships are available.
Scholarships are available for up to one half of retreat costs. Please apply with an email request to the registrar as soon as possible and no later than June 1st. We typically do two rounds of funding for scholarships depending on demand. Earlier requests help us to assess need.

Deposit A deposit of $100 and a completed registration form will be required to hold your place. The registration deposit is non-refundable.

We look forward to practicing with you at Samish! It's a very deep and wonderful retreat with participants coming from all over the country. Please register soon if you are coming, this popular retreat is likely to fill this year.

Registration:

To register online for this event please complete our online registration form.
For additional information please contact the Registrar at 360-312-7088 or registrar@redcedarzen.org.