Tuesday, February 19, 2019

ANNUAL SPRING ZEN RETREAT ON SALT SPRING ISLAND April 4th to 7th, 2019

               
Salt Spring Zen Circle, which practices in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, author of the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, will be offering our annual Spring Retreat, called sesshin, at the beautiful Gatehouse and gardens of Stowel Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. The retreat begins at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 4th, and ends at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 7th.
                                                  

Beginning and experienced meditators are most welcome to attend. We ask those new to meditation to read the guidelines regarding this retreat carefully. We encourage participants to maximize the benefits of this session by making this a residential retreat at Stowel Lake Farm. In addition, a very limited number of free billets are available for off island participants who would like to stay with sangha members.**

Known for his warmth, humour, clarity and the depth of his teachings, poet and founding teacher of Salt Spring Zen Circle, Eihei Peter Levitt, will lead this traditional Zen retreat. He has practiced Zen for almost 50 years. Award-winning author of fourteen books of poetry and prose, he also served as Editor of Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of Understanding; was Associate and Translation Editor of the Zen classic, The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo (Shambhala, 2010), and coeditor, with Kazuaki Tanahashi, of The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master. Most recently, he is the author and translator, with Kaz Tanahashi, of The Complete Cold Mountain: Poems of the Legendary Hermit Hanshan (Shambhala Publications 2018.)
  
In keeping with our tradition of offering authentic practice for the least possible fee, the cost of the retreat is $170 - $220 (sliding scale) for the entire session, including all eight meals, plus voluntary dana (donation) for the practice and teachings Peter will provide. 

The cost of accommodation at the farm is separate. More information about this sesshin, accommodations at the farm, or billeting can be obtained by contacting our Registrar. Please see below.  


**We encourage those who want to make this a residential retreat, and off-island visitors who may want billeting, to register early since such accommodations are provided on a first come first served basis.