We sit every Wednesday, from 7-8:30pm. In addition to seated/walking meditation and tea, you can expect:
1st Wednesday: A Senior Dharma Student gives a talk or leads the group in an intimate koan discussion
2nd Wednesday: An experiment placing one aspect of practice into tension and discussing the results
3rd Wednesday: Zen Teacher David Weinstein offers one on one practice conversations
4th Wednesday: Community night. Bring your curious friends, significant others, children, etc. There will be an in depth beginning instruction, and a member of the Sangha or visiting teacher will take the reins. After practice, we go out for a meal or drink together
5th Wednesday: This does happen occasionally. And when it does, all hell breaks loose. Up is down, black is white, dogs and cats living together. Total chaos. Actually, we hold another Community night
1st Wednesday: A Senior Dharma Student gives a talk or leads the group in an intimate koan discussion
2nd Wednesday: An experiment placing one aspect of practice into tension and discussing the results
3rd Wednesday: Zen Teacher David Weinstein offers one on one practice conversations
4th Wednesday: Community night. Bring your curious friends, significant others, children, etc. There will be an in depth beginning instruction, and a member of the Sangha or visiting teacher will take the reins. After practice, we go out for a meal or drink together
5th Wednesday: This does happen occasionally. And when it does, all hell breaks loose. Up is down, black is white, dogs and cats living together. Total chaos. Actually, we hold another Community night
SPECIAL EVENTS
2013.06.22 Full day meditation retreat with John Tarrant in Rockridge
A Day with John Tarrant, Roshi
June 22, 2013 – 12pm to 5pm
Rockridge Meditation Community
Buddhist meditation is something to do, not to believe, so the measure of it is always related to what is happening to your mind and your life.
It is a practice—something you do over and over again, as in, “I’m practicing the guitar” or “I’m practicing my computer game.”
If you practice meditation in this regular way, Buddhism has a mysterious and unpredictable healing power. By mysterious, I mean that while the effect of meditation is more or less as advertised, you are on a journey that does not reveal all its features at once, and even the destination is uncertain. And by unpredictable, I mean that surprise is one of the consequences of meditation. You arrive at places you never intended to reach and didn’t know existed. The first thing that’s surprising is that meditation changes you, and so after a while you are not the same person who set off.
- John Tarrant
This one-day retreat consists of Zen meditation, teachings, and conversation.
Price: $65
Location:
Rockridge Meditation Community
5463 College Avenue
Oakland, Ca 94618
REGISTER NOW
June 22, 2013 – 12pm to 5pm
Rockridge Meditation Community
Buddhist meditation is something to do, not to believe, so the measure of it is always related to what is happening to your mind and your life.
It is a practice—something you do over and over again, as in, “I’m practicing the guitar” or “I’m practicing my computer game.”
If you practice meditation in this regular way, Buddhism has a mysterious and unpredictable healing power. By mysterious, I mean that while the effect of meditation is more or less as advertised, you are on a journey that does not reveal all its features at once, and even the destination is uncertain. And by unpredictable, I mean that surprise is one of the consequences of meditation. You arrive at places you never intended to reach and didn’t know existed. The first thing that’s surprising is that meditation changes you, and so after a while you are not the same person who set off.
- John Tarrant
This one-day retreat consists of Zen meditation, teachings, and conversation.
Price: $65
Location:
Rockridge Meditation Community
5463 College Avenue
Oakland, Ca 94618
REGISTER NOW
2013.07.9-14 Summer meditation retreat
The two great questions of life are, “Who am I?” and “What do I want?” One question is about our place in the universe and the other is about how to become most truly ourselves, how to show up for our own lives and take our true place.
This is a Summer Zen meditation intensive, an exploration of the koan tradition of inquiry at Santa Sabina in San Rafael, Northern California. In Zen we are deeply interested in throwing open to question things you thought were the ground of reality. The sacred truths are usually about who we think we are and what is impossible for us, and what is a problem. The sacred truths are not true. Examples of sacred truths are: I have to do it all myself. People will let me down. I’ll be abandoned. If I change other people will be hurt. if I stop worrying something bad will happen. Something bad can happen. I can’t really be happy. There’s something wrong with me.
We are not our thoughts. we don’t have to live in the movie set they make. In order to be free it’s good to live in the questions, to not know long enough for the creative moment to occur. A koan drops into the story that is already going on and begins to open other possibilities. There is a curriculum of koan inquiry we will explore. Meals will be cooked for you. This retreat has a particular focus on giving you the time for meditation, walking, sitting, inquiry. Everything is provided for you to to really let go into the depths.
REGISTER NOW
This retreat is held at the beautiful Santa Sabina Center.
David Weinstein and Deb Saint will also be teaching at this retreat.
PRICING
Full-Time Retreat Cost (including a stipend for the teachers)
This is a Summer Zen meditation intensive, an exploration of the koan tradition of inquiry at Santa Sabina in San Rafael, Northern California. In Zen we are deeply interested in throwing open to question things you thought were the ground of reality. The sacred truths are usually about who we think we are and what is impossible for us, and what is a problem. The sacred truths are not true. Examples of sacred truths are: I have to do it all myself. People will let me down. I’ll be abandoned. If I change other people will be hurt. if I stop worrying something bad will happen. Something bad can happen. I can’t really be happy. There’s something wrong with me.
We are not our thoughts. we don’t have to live in the movie set they make. In order to be free it’s good to live in the questions, to not know long enough for the creative moment to occur. A koan drops into the story that is already going on and begins to open other possibilities. There is a curriculum of koan inquiry we will explore. Meals will be cooked for you. This retreat has a particular focus on giving you the time for meditation, walking, sitting, inquiry. Everything is provided for you to to really let go into the depths.
REGISTER NOW
This retreat is held at the beautiful Santa Sabina Center.
David Weinstein and Deb Saint will also be teaching at this retreat.
PRICING
Full-Time Retreat Cost (including a stipend for the teachers)
- $350 before June 9 (a $50 Early Bird Discount)
- $400 after June 9
- Shared Room $585
- Single Room $705
- Shared Room $200
- Single Room $250
