with Roshis Chozen and Hogen Bays
How often in your daily life do you allow yourself to reflect on your own impermanence, mortality, your own death? During this retreat we take up the Buddha’s Parinirvana – the Buddha’s death – as the essential meditative inquiry into our own relationship with death, dying and the uncertainties of this life.
With the guidance of experienced teachers and the stillness and quiet of retreat, the structure and support needed to look into the many misconceptions, fears and anxieties we carry, consciously and unconsciously, surrounding the fragility of life will be examined. As we allow our body, heart and mind to deeply settle and rest, we will feel our way into some fundamental life questions that we rarely ask ourselves: Who is it that’s alive right now? Who or what dies? What remains after death?
The great Zen teachers have all encouraged us, “if you die before you die, you will no longer fear your death or your life.” In this time of great uncertainty for the planet and our species, this profound spiritual insight will give us the courage to directly face the unknown so we can live our lives with unshakeable stability, unceasing compassion, and deep understanding.
A Zen silent meditation retreat can be rigorous and, at times, challenging, and is not recommended for beginners. In order to attend in person, it is recommended that you have first attended one of our silent weekend or longer retreats or a five-to-seven day silent retreat at another Buddhist Center.
Retreat Logistics
This retreat is in-person only participation at FCM ’s Tampa Center. The retreat will begin with orientation at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, February 6 and ends after lunch on Sunday, February 11. Participation is open to both FCM members and non-members.
The fee for in-person participation is $450 for overnighters and $350 for commuters, with a $50 deposit required to apply. The deadline for application for this retreat will be December 20. We anticipate that we may have more applicants than spaces available for this retreat, so please understand that this application DOES NOT guarantee you a spot in the retreat. We will notify all applicants by December 27 as to whether or not they have been accepted into the retreat. For those accepted, the balance of the fee will be then be due by January 5, otherwise the spot will be given to another applicant.
Retreat Scholarships are available; please click here to see FCM’s Retreat Scholarship Policy and for an Application, which needs to be submitted prior to the registration deadline for this retreat. The teachings are offered in the Buddhist tradition of Dana, wherein the teachers freely give of themselves to the students out of gratitude for what they’ve received from their teachers and a desire to be of service. The student’s response is also based on Dana, i.e. generosity that naturally flows from a sense of appreciation of the value of Dharma and gratitude to the living lineage. All retreat dana will go towards supporting the retreat teachers.
The retreat registrar will be sending additional information to accepted registrants once registration is closed.
Retreat Leaders
Roshi Chozen Bays has been the teacher for Zen Community of Oregon since 1985. In 2002 she helped to found Great Vow Zen Monastery and is co-abbot. In 2011 she also helped found Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple in Portland, Oregon. She has written books on mindfulness and mindful eating, and written articles published in Buddhadharma and Shambhala Sun.
Roshi Hogen Bays began practicing Zen in 1968 with Philip Kapleau, Roshi doing residential training at Zen Center of Rochester and eventually at Zen Center of Los Angeles with Taizan Maezumi Roshi. He continued his Zen studies with Shodo Harada Roshi in Japan and on Whidbey Island from 1990 – 2015. He’s a psychologist and Naturopathic Doctor (ND). He is co-abbot of Great Vow Zen Monastery.
Questions?
For more information, please contact Angie at parrish26@gmail.com.
