Calendar

Great Vow Zen Monastery Zendo

Online Zendo Schedule: 

Wednesday – Saturday (Connect via Zoom link below)

4:30 – 6:20 – Zazen

 6:20 AM – Service 

Monastery Sunday Public Program, Clatskanie, Oregon
10 AM-12:15 PM – in person and online.

YouTube link for Sunday Program
Zoom link for all events

Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple

Sunday Mornings: 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Led by Zen Teacher Larry Fuho Trussell
Meditation, Dharma talk, and chanting service. During sitting, Fuho offers sanzen, one-on-one meetings about Zen practice.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Sunday Morning (must be logged into Zoom)

Sunday Evenings: 7 PM to 9:00 PM
Led by Hogen Bays, Roshi
Meditation and teachings on Buddhist sutras and spiritual practice.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Sunday Evening (must be logged in to Zoom)

Tuesday Evenings: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
 Led by Zen Teacher Nancy Kodo Conover
Meditation, a short talk and group discussion about how Buddhist teachings apply to our life today.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Tuesday  Evening (must be logged into Zoom)

Wednesday Evenings: 7 PM to 9:00 PM
Led by Jogen Sensei
Silent and guided meditation including calm-abiding, emptiness practice and/or loving-kindness followed by dharma talk.           In person and Online. New Zoom link:
Zoom link for Wednesday Evening

Thursday Evenings: 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Led by Shonin Ashton and Gensho Welsh
Meditation and Dharma talk with a focus on foundational Buddhist teachings and practices.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Thursday Evening (must be logged in to Zoom)

Friday Mornings: 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Led by Doug Onkatsu Kagel
Begins with chanting service, seated and walking meditation, and meditation instruction in the zendo. Open zendo – drop in.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Friday Morning (you must be logged into your Zoom account)

Other Ongoing Events

Morning Meditation with Trillium House Residents
Monday – Friday, 6:00 AM to 7 AM PT
Online. In person at Heart of Wisdom on Fridays. Zoom link.

Monday Evenings:  6 PM to 7:30 PM.
Led by Amy Kisei, Sensei

Guided + silent meditation practice that includes the themes of embodiment, compassion and awareness practices. Dharma talk begins at 6:45P, followed by discussion. Drop in anytime! Online Only. Zoom link for Monday Evening

Tuesday Evenings: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Led by Laura Jomon Martin, Zen Teacher

Vancouver Zen Group
Upstairs from Bauman Chiropractic
202 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98663

In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Tuesday Evening

LGBTQIA+ Dharma Group
Meets monthly on the 1st Saturday, 7 PM to 8:30 PM PT.
For more information and the Zoom link: Send an email.
In Person at Heart of Wisdom and Online.

The Work of Byron Katie – facilitated by Linda Cho-on Frischmeyer
Whether you are new or experienced with The Work of Byron Katie, this opportunity is for you. Experienced participants with completed worksheets may be paired with each other. Participants new to The Work, or without prepared worksheets, work on a universal belief.
In person at Heart of Wisdom. 
   1st & 3rd Monday each Month: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
   1st Friday of the month: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Online:
2nd and 4th Monday each month: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Zoom link for The Work.

Friday Evenings: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Led by Zen Teacher Patrick Bansho Green
Guided meditations on metta (loving-kindness).
Online Only. Zoom link for Friday Evening

Meditation Retreats, Sesshin, Workshops

Workshops and sesshin are currently offered in-person and online format unless otherwise noted.
Please do not attend in person if you feel sick or you live with someone who feels ill.

Retreat Cabin Application

Open Dates
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The retreat hut is available only to those who have already participated in a weekend retreat or longer here at the monastery.  The monastery retreat cabin rests on the edge of our 23 acres of forest. Though, just a short walk to the monastery buildings, it has a feeling of a forest hermitage. Equipped with running water, electricity, a small kitchenette with electric stovetop and small refrigerator and a compost toilet it is an ideal location for doing short solo retreat practice. You will have access to our forest trail system, beautiful meadows and gardens, as well as the privacy…

Doing The Work of Byron Katie

With Linda Chōon Frischmeyer

November 14 - 15, 2025
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
“Of all the diseases, all the ailments that afflict humanity, there is one common denominator: the conditioned mind. Our unconditioned minds are deeply interconnected." --Chakung Jigme Wangdrak "The Work is about internal cause and effect. It is not about the external world.” – Byron Katie Please attend Friday evening and Saturday. This in-person workshop at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple provides newcomers and those familiar with this form of meditation opportunities for: Learning about The Work of Byron Katie Identifying our beliefs Doing The Work (meditation) Learning to facilitate another; listening and being present Q & A Guest facilitating will…

Online Ango Practice Check-in 

With Kodo Conover

November 16, 2025
Online
Online Ango Practice Check In  Sunday November 16 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm PST This Ango check-in is an opportunity to share reflections on your Ango experience with Sangha members, renew your intentions, and ask a teacher questions about practice. This event will be on Zoom only. Zoom link to join.       Enso calligraphy by Kaz Tanahashi

Silver Dragons Monthly Gathering on Aging, Death and Dying (Online)

With Kodo Conover

November 19, 2025
Online Only
Zoom Only   Join other Silver Dragons (people 60 and older) to deeply explore Aging, Death, and Dying through a Buddhist Lens. We will meet monthly over zoom for the rest of 2025 with preselected topics and both large and small group facilitated discussions. In her Dharma Talk “Diving into Impermanence,” Chozen Roshi taught: Impermanence is not just a teaching, it is also a practice. (You can view her Dharma talk here.)   Zoom link for this gathering. (You must be logged into Zoom.) These gatherings will be facilitated by Temple Priest Nancy Kodo Conover and ZCO members Gina Enchu…

ZCO Board meeting at Great Vow

November 23, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery (in person) and Online (Zoom)
Board meetings are open and members of the community are invited to attend. Board meetings  are a place to find out what’s happening and how ZCO functions. Typical topics include finances, reports on goings on at the monastery and temple, committee reports, and the community's strategic plans.

Way Seeking Mind with Chozen Roshi – Part 3 at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple

November 30, 2025
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
 HEART OF WISDOM ZEN TEMPLE A Way Seeking Mind talk is a way to tell our life story from the perspective of our spiritual life path and its maturation. It is an offering to our community as the teller examines and shares their history from the perspective of opportunity and the cultivation of life vows. This Way Seeking Mind Talk is special because Chozen Roshi turned 80 on August 9th! She has lived many lives, seen many things, and had many adventures. Her life could not possibly be contained in a short talk. Nonetheless, we will get a peek at…

December Sesshin – Rohatsu

With Hogen Bays, Roshi, Larry Fuho Trussell and Myoyu Haley Voekel

December 7 - 14, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
The current option is to sign up for the Waitlist. We will contact you with more information once you have joined the waitlist.  The light of the Buddha's awakening has not dimmed. This very moment, alive, awake and luminous. Each year people from all over the world gather to celebrate, to sit in stillness and to be nourished by this truth. All over the world people join in the ritual of Rohatsu sesshin. This sesshin is the culmination of a year of practice and is also the culmination of our fall Ango practice period. At many centers and monasteries, this…

Silver Dragons Monthly Gathering on Aging, Death and Dying (Online)

With Kodo Conover

December 17, 2025
Online Only
Zoom Only   Join other Silver Dragons (people 60 and older) to deeply explore Aging, Death, and Dying through a Buddhist Lens. We will meet monthly over zoom for the rest of 2025 with preselected topics and both large and small group facilitated discussions. In her Dharma Talk “Diving into Impermanence,” Chozen Roshi taught: Impermanence is not just a teaching, it is also a practice. (You can view her Dharma talk here.)   Zoom link for this gathering. (You must be logged into Zoom.) These gatherings will be facilitated by Temple Priest Nancy Kodo Conover and ZCO members Gina Enchu…

Beginner’s Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat

December 19 - 21, 2025
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism empower us to live our lives wholeheartedly with openness, insight and compassion. During this weekend retreat we follow a silent retreat schedule, which allows us to temporarily put aside outside concerns and go deeply into inner work. The silent retreat schedule includes about seven hours of sitting meditation (with breaks), Buddhist chanting services, formal oriyoki meals, and a period of community work practice. On the first evening the retreat leaders will give thorough instruction on the foundations and methods of Zen meditation. Opportunities to meet with a teacher or senior practitioner to discuss…

Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living – In Person

With Kodo Conover

January 13 - February 17, 2026
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
These one hour 5 Precepts classes will happen every Tuesday for six weeks. We all want to live a compassionate life. The precepts give us a framework for what it means to live an ethical life. More then a set of rules to follow, the precepts are deep inquiries into the actual living of our lives with attention and love. The format is an introductory talk followed by class discussion. Participants will be encouraged to do a short writing on each precept and practice with the precept during the week. There are also some supplemental readings.

ZCO Board meeting January 2026

January 25, 2026
Heart of Wisdom (in person) and Online (Zoom)
Board meetings are open and members of the community are invited to attend. Board meetings  are a place to find out what’s happening and how ZCO functions. Typical topics include finances, reports on goings on at the monastery and temple, committee reports, and the community's strategic plans.

The Work: a weekend Inquiry workshop

With Eduardo Kyozen Zambrano

February 5 - 8, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery
During this Workshop, we will use Byron Katie’s method of inquiry called The Work to investigate our core beliefs and fixed ideas which cause suffering in our world. What ideas to you have about your life and the world that actually are not in service to the development of compassion? We hold many views simply from habit. In this retreat we will be given tools to expand beyond what we believe to be our limitations, and see our world from a place of insight and deeper wisdom. The monastery environment provides an ideal setting in which to deepen the practice of…

Pari-Nirvana Sesshin: A Meditation Retreat exploring Life, Death & the Unknown

With Larry Fuho Trussell, Myoyu Haley Voekel and Ed Gensho Welsh

February 16 - 22, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
During this sesshin we take up the Buddha’s Parinirvana–the Buddha’s death--as the essential inquiry into our own relationship with death, dying and the uncertainties of this life. How often in your daily life do you allow yourself to reflect on your own mortality, your own death? This sesshin provides the structure and support needed to look into the fears and anxieties surrounding death, dying and the unknown. Supported by the stillness and quiet of winter, we allow the body, heart and mind to deeply settle and rest - as we feel into the fundamental koans - Who is it that's…

Beginner’s Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat

February 27 - March 1, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism empower us to live our lives wholeheartedly with openness, insight and compassion. During this weekend retreat we follow a silent retreat schedule, which allows us to temporarily put aside outside concerns and go deeply into inner work. The silent retreat schedule includes about seven hours of sitting meditation (with breaks), Buddhist chanting services, formal oryoki meals, and a period of community work practice. On the first evening the retreat leaders will give thorough instruction on the foundations and methods of Zen meditation. Opportunities to meet with a teacher or senior practitioner to discuss…

March Sesshin – Deep Listening

With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei, Hogen Bays, Roshi and Anusha Enryu Fernando

March 14 - 22, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
Awareness meeting sound has been a gate into the depths of the heart-mind for as long as human beings hve longed to open. During this sesshin we come together in joyous recognition of the power of deep listening, and sink into the rhythms of our wild, wonderful and mysterious life.

Spring Practice Period: Awakening with the Earth

April 7 - May 26, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery
  Spring at Great Vow Zen Monastery is beautiful. The fruit tree blossoms open towards the heavens, the forest is abuzz with new life as birds, insects  and tree frogs are wake up from their winter slumber.  Early spring flowers emerge in  abundant color, offering fresh perspectives and encouragements. With the natural world springing to life with such exubrance and force, residency at the monastery inclines towards the out of doors. We dedicate more of our daily practice to the care and maintenance of our garden and grounds. This includes maintaining our trails and caring for native trees in our…

April Sesshin

With Larry Fuho Trussell and Laura Jomon Martin

April 13 - 19, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery
Our meditation practice can be one of relaxed openness and vivid presence, with wisdom into our nature naturally revealing. This is the practice of serene-illumination, a form of meditation where calm-abiding (shamatha) and insight (vipassana) are practiced as one.   Sesshin is a rigorous and, at times, challenging silent meditation retreat that is not recommended for beginners. In order to attend in person, we require that you attend one of our silent weekend retreats or a five-seven day silent retreat at another Zen Center before registering for our longer zen retreats. For more information about what to expect when attending…

May Sesshin – The Light of our Ancestors

With Amy Kisei, Sensei, Patrick Bansho Green and Darah Shonin Ashton

May 11 - 17, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
Zen is a direct Mind to Mind transmission--a transmission of light. We study with teachers who help us recognize and embody our awakened wisdom and compassion. During this sesshin, we will connect with our roots and draw strength from the stories of those who have come before us. Our ancestors are real people, walking the path of their lives and opening the Dharma truths - just as we aspire to do. Join us for this intimate week of practice. Sesshin is a rigorous and, at times, challenging silent meditation retreat that is not recommended for beginners. In order to attend…

Summer Residency Program 2026

July 7 - August 16, 2026
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The Summer Program at Great Vow Zen Monastery is an opportunity to plunge into Zen practice with the support of community and teachers, and to taste the benefits of calming the mind and opening the heart. Our Summer Program is a special part of our on-going residential program at the monastery. It is designed to give you a genuine immersion in Zen practice, through the practices of meditation, mindful eating. ritual/liturgy, movement practices (yoga/qi gong), and temple work.