retreat

Excerpts

What our teachers say on it: excerpts from the talks and texts, lightly edited and shortened; an ellipsis (…) marks a sentence or more left out. The titles above the excerpts are mine, the teacher's words are in the excerpt; a question under a title really was asked at the talk. How they were made →

1. Not a retreat but a sesshin

   I think in the end the word “retreat” doesn’t really describe what we do; it’s really called a sesshin. The reason I say so is that I realised that lots of people think of a retreat as a retreat from the world into a peaceful little hideaway, to have a very peaceful and pleasant relaxing time. Although I don’t deny that this kind of experience is useful, a sesshin is not like that. As we all know, it’s quite hard work; it’s a kind of training, and if we try and find what we’re training, we’re training ourselves. That applies to all of us. So I think “self-management” might be a good term: how to manage ourselves. … Some people might imagine that Buddhists go off to a retreat somewhere and find some kind of eternal peace, but our peace is really a kind of truce between warring factions. … So as Jane said this morning, it’s not like you expect. And that’s right: if it’s like what you expect, that’s not it.

   Mike · Bussho 4: Real Present Time Summer 2004 — Bussho

2. Concentrated days and original clarity

   Sesshin is a concentrated few days to live in a quiet, settled way, not being disturbed by ideas, not talking too much, leaving all those activities which cloud our mind, and finding the clarity that we may have had when we were children, original clarity. So that's the meaning of sesshin. It's not to meet together with friends and talk about Buddhism or other kinds of activities that may be useful. It's not even about making this place a nice place, clearing stones and cutting wood, although we can't exclude those things. That's not the purpose.

   Mike · One Real Teacher and Simplicity August 2014 — Banský Studenec

3. A strange, formal kind of holiday

   When we come on a retreat, sometimes we feel very happy, sometimes we feel quite lonely, sometimes we feel quite depressed. We shouldn’t worry about our mood changing when we’re on a retreat, because a retreat or a sesshin is a very strange kind of holiday, in the sense that it’s formal – it has a beginning and it has an end. And the reason it has a beginning, an opening ceremony, and a closing ceremony, is to create a certain kind of ‘isolated from the world’ atmosphere. … But in unusual situations, where we’ve got some kind of formal structure, we have a chance to notice ourselves. And to notice ourselves, particularly in my case, is not always pleasant. … So that’s one reason why we have this kind of strange formal structure, where we begin and we end, and we don’t talk during meals, and we make efforts not to chat about silly things, and we try and restrain ourselves. Because in restraining ourselves, we notice ourselves. And there’s no chance to do that in daily life, because we can run off to the next thing.

   Mike · Kuge 5: Compassion and Freedom in Action Winter 2007 — Kuge

4. Coming out of society to see

   If we stay in society, the power of society, of the ideas and the beliefs, is so strong that we can't see what the real situation is. So it's necessary to come away. … The reason why sesshin — in medieval times living in the temple, in Gautama Buddha's time living in the forest — was so helpful is that it may be the simplest way to find out what's going on. When we're immersed in our family, our jobs, our relationships, we can't see. We get pulled this way, pulled that way. We get disturbed. We get tired. We get anxious. We can't see what's going on. … We can live in society, but come out sometimes. And only when we come out can we see what's happening, where we came from.

   Mike · Civilisation as a Shared Trance July 2021 — Skalní fara

5. Customs in common make life easier

   I learned Buddhist habits because I lived in Japan for so many years, and because I practised often in the temple. I learned to eat in the temple tradition, with three bowls and chanting, that kind of tradition. And for me, it became a kind of habit. But actually, I guess they didn't eat like that in India, so we can't say it's part of original Buddhism. Of course, it's become part of Buddhism if you practise Zen, but that's all. So as long as we have some habit, some tradition, some custom which we have in common, it makes life easier on the retreat. So it doesn't matter if we do it as you used to do in the Kaisen group, or by the method that we used to do in the Dogen Sangha group. But if we agree and everybody knows, then we can do it easily.

   Mike · Three Teachings from Japan September 2013 — Banský Studenec

6. Irritated on the first day, settling into our real states

   If we feel little conflicts coming and going, it’s a kind of settling down process. I’ve been to lots of retreats, maybe more than 70; it’s always the same. On the first day we sometimes feel quite irritated with other people; it’s strange to go on a retreat and feel irritated. Some don’t and some do. I think it’s a process of settling down to being in a group together again. … What we endeavour to do in Dogen Sangha is to have a real sesshin, not some kind of manufactured retreat where we impose some kind of manufactured state on ourselves, but to discover our real states at this moment and to practice Zazen. When we practice Zazen, we discover our real state, whatever that is. Being together practicing Zazen for 3 days, we can settle into our real states.

   Mike · Bussho 1: Having Buddha-Nature Summer 2005 — Bussho

7. Two or three days to settle

   If we have a busy, mentally active job, it often takes two or three days of practicing zazen for us to start to settle, and feel settled. That’s why coming on a retreat is very helpful. Even though we might notice that we’re more settled after two or three days, just practicing zazen at home in the evening or morning also has the same effect, though we may not notice it. If we do it every day, that effect accumulates in our body because we lose our muscular habits.

   Mike · Introductions 3: A Middle Without Intention Summer 2003 — Introductions to Shobogenzo ChaptersAlso in: Escape and Refuge in Zazen

8. Towards the end, just sitting

   We start off on a sesshin thinking that we will sit a certain way, with our legs like this, and so on, and we have a kind of slight idea, but then in sitting itself, our body adjusts itself, and towards the end of the sesshin, if we’re lucky, we’ve given up all those ideas, and in giving up the ideas, we find ourself just sitting. And in just sitting, we find some kind of satisfaction, but that satisfaction contains disappointment with ourselves. We say “ah, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter…” So then we sit, and in that sitting containing happiness and disappointment, there’s some kind of contentment.

   Mike · Genjo-koan 5: Freedom Within Limits Summer 2002 — Genjo-koan

9. Imagining a wonderful weekend retreat

   Dogen’s “flowers blossoming and falling” we can think of in many different ways. … If we see “flowers” not only as real events but also as our imaginings, then “the falling of a flower” can suggest our imagination disappearing. So, for instance, ‘I’m going to go to a retreat at Rowardennan this weekend, and it’s going to be wonderful’ – and I build up a kind of flowery picture in my mind, and then I arrive, and I’m too early, the doors are locked, it’s pouring with rain, and everybody else has met down the hotel down the road, and they’re all sitting there, so I drop into a deep depression. So we could say that we create flowers and then they fall, in a metaphorical sense.

   Mike · Kuge 3: The Whole World in Each Flower Winter 2007 — Kuge

10. Peaceful, not euphoric, when we leave

    Well, I’ve heard people in the AZI say that if you practice a sesshin, at the end you get a special state, and I heard a leader of an AZI sesshin say that you should be careful when you go off home because you’ll be really high, things like that. I think that that is nothing like the Buddhist state. So they may get some state, but it’s not the Buddhist state; it’s a kind of euphoric state, not a normal state. A normal state when we leave a sesshin: we feel quite peaceful, perhaps a little frightened to see the world again, because we’ve been away from it. And we just think “oh, I’ve got to get back to things now”. So not a euphoric state at all.

    Mike · Introductions 4: Ordinary Balance Summer 2003 — Introductions to Shobogenzo Chapters

11. The benefit of zazen after a retreat

    People often ask how they can take zazen into their lives. It’s absolutely impossible to do it, and it’s absolutely impossible not to. The reason it’s impossible to do it is that we can’t practice zazen while we’re riding a bike. The reason that we can’t avoid taking zazen into our life is that when we sit like this for 30 minutes, the fact that we’re sitting straight changes our physiological state. So when we return home after a retreat, we have the benefit of zazen whether we want it or not. We can then choose to keep it or throw it away. We can say “oh, thank god that’s over” and go down the pub and get drunk and lose it quite quickly, maybe in a day and a half. But if we don’t do that, it stays with us. So we feel something more settled or balanced.

    Mike · Introductions 2: Reality in Ordinary Moments Summer 2003 — Introductions to Shobogenzo Chapters

12. Missing the disturbance at home

    Often, for instance, if we come to the sesshin after practising zazen for some time and keeping away from the disturbances of everyday life, we go home and we feel, ah, very nice and happy and balanced and satisfied. And then sometimes, from our deep subconscious, we feel that we miss the disturbance. So we think, oh, I'll just have a couple of glasses of wine tonight. Or, hmm, I feel too peaceful, so I… And then we disturb ourselves a bit, and we feel better.

    Mike · Zazen Without an Intentional Aim February 2009 — Cholín

13. Ceremonies outside the sesshin

    So the reason we have ceremonies is that we teach ourselves to behave properly or nicely. If, when we leave the ceremony, we go home and lie on the floor and turn on the television, and our posture is very bad, and we watch a film for three hours until we're very tired and sleepy, then our nice behaviour before and our lazy behaviour after may cancel each other out. People who come to a Buddhist session, for instance, where we try to behave very correctly and very cooperatively, and then after the session behave in a different way, don't understand what Buddhism is about, because there are other ceremonies outside the sesshin which are more important than the ceremonies inside the sesshin.

    Mike · Ceremony and Everyday Life February 2009 — Cholín

14. A few minutes every day

    My teacher always said, an hour a day. … That is what I always remember: an hour a day. Sometimes I don’t do an hour a day; sometimes I do two hours a day. But I never do nothing. … It’s more important to practise, say, twenty minutes a day every day, or a few times a week, than it is to practise five hours a day for five days on a sesshin and then do nothing. It’s much more important to do just a few minutes a day, even if it is just fifteen minutes. Zazen is a very simple, almost stupid activity, but it is very powerful. We don’t notice; we only notice if we keep doing it for a long time. Then we notice that it does actually have a big effect on us.

    Mike · Buddhism Free from ‘Buddhism’ September 2009 — Earth SpiritAlso in: Enlightenment as a Normal State

• sesshin is a concentrated few days to live in a quiet, settled way, not being disturbed by ideas

  One Real Teacher and Simplicity August 2014 — Banský Studenec

Texts

1. Kuge 5: Compassion and Freedom in Action ●●● Winter 2007 — Kuge

   in restraining ourselves, we notice ourselves

   noticing ourselves through restraint · retreat as a strange holiday · silent agreement to sit without moving
2. Bussho 4: Real Present Time ●●● Summer 2004 — Bussho

   So I think “self-management” might be a good term - how to manage ourselves.

   expectations of a retreat · meaning of sesshin
3. Civilisation as a Shared Trance ●●● July 2021 — Skalní fara

   So I'd like to talk about why it's necessary to come away from society.

   coming away from society
4. Introductions 2: Reality in Ordinary Moments ●●● Summer 2003 — Introductions to Shobogenzo Chapters

   So when we return home after a retreat, we have the benefit of zazen whether we want it or not.

   retreat and daily life
5. Introductions 4: Ordinary Balance ●●● Summer 2003 — Introductions to Shobogenzo Chapters

   I’ve heard people in the AZI say that if you practice a sesshin, at the end you get this special state

   expectations of a retreat
6. Bussho 1: Having Buddha-Nature ●●● Summer 2005 — Bussho

   On the first day we sometimes feel quite irritated with other people, it’s strange to go on a retreat and feel irritated.

   settling down on a retreat
7. Ceremony and Everyday Life ●●● February 2009 — Cholín

   there are other ceremonies outside the sesshin which are more important than the ceremonies inside the sesshin

   ceremonies outside the sesshin
8. Buddhism Free from ‘Buddhism’ ●●● September 2009 — Earth Spirit

   than it is to practise five hours a day for five days on a sesshin and then do nothing.

   retreat and daily life
9. Escape and Refuge in Zazen ●●● May 2014 — Banský Studenec

   then we come to sesshin, it takes some time for our stress, busyness and tiredness to come out.

   settling down on a retreat
10. One Real Teacher and Simplicity ●●● August 2014 — Banský Studenec

    sesshin is a concentrated few days to live in a quiet, settled way, not being disturbed by ideas

    meaning of sesshin
11. Genjo-koan 5: Freedom Within Limits ●●● Summer 2002 — Genjo-koan

    towards the end of the sesshin if we’re lucky, we’ve given up all those ideas

    settling down on a retreat
12. Introductions 3: A Middle Without Intention ●●● Summer 2003 — Introductions to Shobogenzo Chapters

    it often takes two or three days of practicing zazen for us to start to settle, and feel settled.

    settling down on a retreat
13. Ikka-no-myoju 1: A Pearl in Ordinary Things ●●● Summer 2006 — Ikka-no-myoju

    We try to do the best we can to make sure that the little things run smoothly, and then the retreat will go smoothly.

    retreat
14. Kuge 3: The Whole World in Each Flower ●●● Winter 2007 — Kuge

    I’m going to go to a retreat at Rowardennan this weekend, and it’s going to be wonderful

    expectations of a retreat
15. Zazen Without an Intentional Aim ●●● February 2009 — Cholín

    from our deep subconscious, we feel that we miss the disturbance

    missing the disturbance
16. Enlightenment as a Normal State ●●● July 2009 — Dibbavana

    is a very nice tradition. But the most important thing is to practise every day.

    retreat and daily life
17. Three Teachings from Japan ●●● September 2013 — Banský Studenec

    as long as we have some habit, some tradition, some custom which we have in common, it makes life easier on the retreat.

    retreat
18. Reading Dogen from Experience ●●● May 2014 — Banský Studenec

    And maybe if I do sesshin, I can become peaceful and happy quicker.

    expectations of a retreat

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