Calendar

Great Vow Zen Monastery Zendo

Current monastery online schedule:

Tuesday – Saturday
5:30AM to 6:50AM – Meditation (No morning meditation on Tuesday)
6:50AM to 7:20AM – Chanting service
8:00PM to 9:20PM – Meditation

Sunday Morning Program
10AM-12:15PM – in person and online. To attend in-person, please take a covid tests the morning before arriving. check out our evolving covid policy on the front page of this website. 

YouTube link for all events
Zoom link for all events

Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple

Sunday Mornings: 9:30AM to 11:00AM
Led by Zen Teacher Larry Fuho Trussell
Meditation, Dharma talk, and chanting service. During sitting Fuho offers sanzen, private practice meetings for ZCO members.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Sunday Morning (must be logged into Zoom)

 

Sunday Evenings: 7PM to 8:30PM
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: 7:00PM to 9:00PM
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: 6PM to 7:30PM
Led by Jogen Sensei
Silent and guided meditation including calm-abiding, emptiness practice and/or loving-kindness followed by dharma talk. Talk begins at 7pm. Drop in whenever!
Online only.
Zoom link for Wednesday Evening

Thursday Evenings: 7:00PM to 8:30P
Led by Kisei Sensei
Guided Meditation that includes embodiment, compassion, absorption and awareness practices. Currently exploring Awakening through the Zen koan technology.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Thursday Evening (must be logged in to Zoom)

Friday Mornings: 11:00AM to 12:30PM
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)

Friday Evenings: 7:00PM to 8:00PM
Led by Zen Teacher Patrick Bansho Green
Guided meditations on metta (loving-kindness) as well as compassion, gratitude, and other qualities of the heart.
Online only.
Zoom link for Friday Evening

Other Ongoing Events

Morning Meditation with Trillium House Residents
Monday – Friday, 6:10am – 7am PT 
Online. Zoom link.

LGBTQIA+ Dharma Group
Meets monthly on the 1st Saturday, 7pm-830pm PT.
In Person and Online.
For more information and the Zoom link: Send an email.

EcoSattvas –  Zen practice and action on climate
Meets monthly on the 2nd Monday, 7pm-830pm PT.
Online. Zoom link for meeting.  For more information email.

The Work of Byron Katie – facilitated by Linda Cho-on Frischmeyer
1st & 3rd Monday each Month: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
2nd  and 4th Saturdays each Month: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Whether you are new to The Work of Byron Katie and want to ‘try it on,’ or are familiar, even experienced, and want to do The Work in a small group setting, this opportunity is for you. We explore a belief common to many (all?!) of us each time we meet.
Online only. Zoom link for The Work.

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.
Open DatesRetreat Cabin Application

March 2023

3/5 - 4/916 Bodhisattva Precepts Online Classes
3/17 - 3/26March Sesshin – Deep Listening
3/24 - 3/25Transforming the Inner Critic – Saturday workshop

April 2023

4/1Spring Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat
4/4 - 5/28Spring Practice Period: Awakening with the Earth
4/6 - 4/9When Bad News is Good News: Living in Harmony with What Is
4/17 - 4/23April Sesshin: This is a Dream

May 2023

5/3 - 6/7Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living: Online Class Series
5/4 - 5/7Lovingkindness: Tibetan Buddhist Practices for Uncovering Essence-Love
5/6Service to the Temple: A Half-day of Zazen & Volunteering
5/13Jizo Ceremony for Children Who Have Died
5/15 - 5/21May Sesshin – The Light of our Ancestors
5/26 - 5/28Deepening Mind Weekend Meditation Retreat

June 2023

6/3Investigating Zen Practice: a one-day workshop
6/5 - 6/11June Sesshin – Loving Kindness
6/19 - 6/25Six-Day Chan Retreat with Guo Gu

July 2023

7/6 - 8/20Summer Residency Program 2023
7/17 - 7/23July Sesshin – Cultivating the Empty Field
7/22Summer Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat
7/28 - 7/30Seeing Through Obstacles – Inner Critic, Perfectionist and More…

August 2023

8/14 - 8/20Grasses, Trees, and the Great Earth Sesshin

September 2023

9/10 - 9/17Wilderness Backpacking Sesshin: a weeklong meditation retreat
9/12 - 9/17Jizo Sesshin
9/24 - 10/1Wilderness Backpacking Sesshin: Resting in Wild Spaces
9/30Investigating Zen Practice: a one-day workshop

October 2023

10/4 - 11/8Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living: Online Class Series
10/7Service to the Temple: A Half-day of Zazen & Volunteering
10/12 - 10/22October Sesshin – The Ancient Way
10/28Autumn Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

November 2023

11/6 - 11/12November Sesshin – Generosity
11/18Half-Day Zazen Retreat

December 2023

12/3 - 12/10December Sesshin – Rohatsu

Retreat Cabin Application

Open Dates
Great Vow Zen 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 for solo meditation and dharma study. The intention of the retreat hut is to provide practice support for those looking to deepen…

16 Bodhisattva Precepts Online Classes

With Larry Fuho Trussell

March 5 - April 9, 2023
Online
The beginning and end of our practice is ethical living; acting, speaking and thinking in ways that support the greatest wellbeing and awakening for all beings. Anyone who has taken the 5 Precepts Class can take this class, whether you have already formally taken the precepts, are considering taking the precepts, or you are simply curious about the ethical guidelines that rest at the foundation of Zen practice.

Transforming the Inner Critic – Saturday workshop

With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi

March 24 - 25, 2023
Heart of Wisdom
**This is the first time Chozen Roshi has brought this event to Portland.** Everyone has an Inner Critic. Sometimes experienced as an inner voice of clear criticism and judgement, directed inside or at others. Sometimes experienced energetically or wordlessly. When out of balance the Inner Critic has the potential to destroy relationships, turn our mind towards anxiety and depression, sap our physical energy and undermine our spiritual practice, creativity and careers. Yet the Inner Critic is not the enemy. It contains the wisdom of discernment. Rather than try to destroy or silence this powerful voice, our work is to become…

Spring Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

April 1, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice in the city. Join us for a silent day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, mindful eating, temple care-taking, and a dharma talk. We close the day with a ceremony to renewing our intention to live an ethical life.

When Bad News is Good News: Living in Harmony with What Is

With Hogen Bays, Roshi

April 6 - 9, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
Our practice is a continual invitation to expand our view. As our view expands, we no longer live tethered to our preferences and judgements and even the most tumultuous and challenging circumstances can become opportunities for deep insight and possibility. Living awake in this world is living on the brink of tenderness. As a human species and planet we are undergoing a time of great uncertainty and change, as a nation we are experiencing polarization and reckoning with the systems of injustice and oppression. Living through this time of change can elicit confusion, anxiety, grief, anger, rage and fear. Compassion…

April Sesshin: This is a Dream

With Amy Kisei, Sensei

April 17 - 23, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
"Now think of what is without thought. How can you think of it? Be Before Thinking. This is the essence of zazen. Shatter obstacles and become intimate with Awakening Awareness." - Keizan Zenji More details about this sesshin will be added soon)

Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living: Online Class Series

With Darah Shonin Ashton

May 3 - June 7, 2023
Online
These one hour online 5 Precepts classes will happen every Wednesday 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.

Lovingkindness: Tibetan Buddhist Practices for Uncovering Essence-Love

With Lama Lekshe

May 4 - 7, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
In this weekend retreat, we’ll explore meditations drawn from the words and spirit of two beloved sutras* and advice from the great Nyingma master, Longchenpa. We’ll work at the intersection of shamatha and mind/heart training to familiarize ourselves with view, meditation and actions that will help us recognize the spiritual opportunity inherent in moments of chaos and fear.

Service to the Temple: A Half-day of Zazen & Volunteering

May 6, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Working together is part of our spiritual practice, and allows us to honor and care for the sacred space that Heart of Wisdom provides in our city. Please join with community for this morning of practice and work together. There is work available for all skills and abilities. Bring something to share for lunch. Tentative schedule 9:00 to 9:50   Morning meditation 10:00 to 11:50 Work practice 12:00 to 1:00   Lunch & socializing Everyone is invited, please email how@zendust.org or sign up at the work board at Heart of Wisdom. Come for all or part of the day. Projects Include: Gardening               …

May Sesshin – The Light of our Ancestors

With Hogen Bays, Roshi

May 15 - 21, 2023
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…

Investigating Zen Practice: a one-day workshop

June 3, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Experience an Introduction to Zen Practice through the Ten Directions. This one-day in-person workshop is for beginners or those who want to dive deeper into Zen practice. Learn how to practice using ancient methods that are applicable in today’s world: Meditation and sitting with stability Mindfulness practice off the cushion Chanting Mindful eating Work practice Stillness Walking meditation Koans Tradition and ritual Dharma teachings Lunch is included. Your RSVP helps us know how much lunch to prepare.

June Sesshin – Loving Kindness

With Laura Jomon Martin and Patrick Bansho Green

June 5 - 11, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
Our Original Heart is always open. Loving Kindness practice can help dispel fear and anxiety, that prevents us from experiencing the ease and joy of the present moment. This is not a complacent practice but a call to honest intimacy with ourselves and the world in which we live. Join us for this meditation retreat where we immerse ourselves in the teachings and practices of Loving Kindness. This Sesshin will take place both in-person at Great Vow Zen Monastery and Online. Sesshin is a rigorous and, at times, challenging silent meditation retreat that is not recommended for beginners. In order…

Six-Day Chan Retreat with Guo Gu

With Guo Gu

June 19 - 25, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
This retreat is offered both in person and on Zoom. In the Chan tradition, there are two main approaches to awakening: the method of silent illumination (mòzhào) and investigating a critical phrase (huàtóu). The former is a settling method of serene reflection on the nature of awareness; the latter is an explosive approach that aims to concentrate and shatter all mental states so awakening manifests. Retreat practice is an excellent way to deepen our practice, as it allows practitioners to engage with the meditation method in a sustained, focused way under a protected environment with a retreat teacher. Practitioners receive guidance on issues or experiences that wouldn't…

Summer Residency Program 2023

July 6 - August 20, 2023
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.

July Sesshin – Cultivating the Empty Field

With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei

July 17 - 23, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery
Summer is bright and alive. The sun hangs high in the sky, illuminating the earth with unflinching clarity. What wisdom does a warm summer day offer? Everything is laid bare before the luminous rays of the sun. In this meditation immersion, we will endeavor to study the self, forget the self and glimpse Buddha Nature, opening in silent communion with this community of human and non- human beings. This is our collective awakening.

Summer Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

July 22, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice in the city. Join us for a silent day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, mindful eating, temple care-taking, and a dharma talk. We close the day with a ceremony to renewing our intention to live an ethical life.

Seeing Through Obstacles – Inner Critic, Perfectionist and More…

With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei

July 28 - 30, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery
“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” – W. Whitman Transformation of our hearts and minds has never been more vital. The very possibility for future humans to experience Truth, Beauty and Goodness is up in the air! And yet, most of us have significant challenges following through with our aspirations and continuing through the ups and downs that come with committed Dharma work. This retreat will bring together Parts Work modality (i.e. IFS, Voice Dialogue) with Buddhist meditation practices to amplify understanding and dis-identify from ‘voices’ or ‘selves’ that hinder our…

Grasses, Trees, and the Great Earth Sesshin

With Amy Kisei, Sensei and Kodo Conover

August 14 - 20, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery
Earth body, sky heart. Rooted and flowing. Luminous and open. We are made of earth and sky, of wind breath and rain song, our lives woven from the teachings of the natural world. This retreat is an opportunity to re-connect and relax into the wild, ancient, wisdom of the Grasses, Trees and Great Earth. We will spend time learning from each of the five elements, as they manifest in our experience. Deeply exploring and releasing into our interconnection with the living, breathing body of the Earth, waters, energizing air, bright fiery sun, and vast spacious sky. This retreat is held…

Wilderness Backpacking Sesshin: a weeklong meditation retreat

With Danney Soten Lynch and Kosho Ault

September 10 - 17, 2023
Mt. Hood Wilderness (Wy'east)
This retreat will be held in the Mt. Hood Wilderness, Oregon. Previous meditation retreat and backpacking experience is highly recommended. Immerse yourself in the silent wisdom of the forest, mountains, and sky. Allow these wild places to awaken within you and inform how you experience and embody this life.

Jizo Sesshin

With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi and Laura Jomon Martin

September 12 - 17, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery - In Person Only
This retreat begins on Tuesday!   This retreat will focus on the qualities of Jizo Bodhisattva, guardian of all that comes from the earth, and Jizo’s qualities – benevolence, optimism, fearlessness, determination, and vow. A unique element of this retreat is the inclusion of time devoted to art projects, creative time, and a slide show and talk about Jizo. As part of our practice, we will be making small Jizo-related items. Due to the nature of this retreat schedule, we will be sitting outside and also out of the zendo to make art, there will not be an online option.…

Wilderness Backpacking Sesshin: Resting in Wild Spaces

With Sara Shinei Monial and Kurt Hoelting

September 24 - October 1, 2023
Mt. Hood (Wy'east) Wilderness Oregon
Previous meditation retreat and backpacking experience is highly recommended. Immerse yourself in the silent wisdom of the forest, mountains, and sky. Allow these wild places to awaken within you and inform how you experience and embody this life.

Investigating Zen Practice: a one-day workshop

September 30, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Experience an Introduction to Zen Practice through the Ten Directions This one-day in-person workshop is for beginners or those who want to dive deeper into Zen practice. Learn how to practice using ancient methods that are applicable in today’s world: Meditation and sitting with stability Mindfulness practice off the cushion Chanting Mindful eating Work practice Stillness Walking meditation Koans Tradition and ritual Dharma teachings Lunch is included. Your RSVP helps us know how much lunch to prepare.

Five Buddhist Precepts for Ethical Living: Online Class Series

October 4 - November 8, 2023
Online
These one hour online 5 Precepts classes will happen every Wednesday 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.

Service to the Temple: A Half-day of Zazen & Volunteering

October 7, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Working together is part of our spiritual practice, and allows us to honor and care for the sacred space that Heart of Wisdom provides in our city. Please join with community for this morning of practice and work together. There is work available for all skills and abilities. Bring something to share for lunch. Tentative schedule 9:00 to 9:50   Morning meditation 10:00 to 11:50 Work practice 12:00 to 1:00   Lunch & socializing Everyone is invited, please email how@zendust.org or sign up at the work board at Heart of Wisdom. Come for all or part of the day. Projects Include: Gardening               …

October Sesshin – The Ancient Way

With Hogen Bays, Roshi

October 12 - 22, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
There is something very special about the magic of autumn and the kicking off of the fall practice period that makes this sesshin so powerful. What a great gift it is to be able to sit together in silence. This is our longest sesshin of the year. The extra days enable us drop down into the bare bones essentials of our lives. We have this rare opportunity to turn towards the practice/awakening that is our true nature, and to celebrate quietly together in the container of sesshin. Day after day plunge into the waters of mystery and exploration. Turn off…

Autumn Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

October 28, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice in the city. Join us for a silent day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, mindful eating, temple care-taking, and a dharma talk. We close the day with a ceremony to renewing our intention to live an ethical life.

November Sesshin – Generosity

With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei and Larry Fuho Trussell

November 6 - 12, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
  With gratitude for our beloved sangha near and far, in person and on zoom, the Monastery joyfully offers another sesshin. This sesshin has no set price. All are welcome to attend, and donations from the heart are welcome. During this week of practice, we will eat only the offerings brought to us specifically for this retreat. So food donations, while always welcome, are particularly helpful! Bring food that you like to eat, bring food that will challenge our kitchen team and cook. The head cook (tenzo) will need to dive into creativity and allow the surprises of each donation…

Half-Day Zazen Retreat

November 18, 2023
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple and Online
If you use your mind to study reality, you won’t understand either your mind or reality. If you study reality without using your mind, you’ll understand both. -Bodhidharma This Ango check-in is a half day of Zen practice and an opportunity to share reflections on your Ango (traditional intensive period of practice) experience and ask a teacher questions about it. Join us for a silent half day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, and interaction with community and teachers. During this half day of practice we’ll sit facing the wall, embodying the spirit of Bodhidharma’s Zazen. This retreat is held…

December Sesshin – Rohatsu

With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi and Hogen Bays, Roshi

December 3 - 10, 2023
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
  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 is the most valued sesshin of the year, and may be the only one that many people are able to attend. We…