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Event Series: Sesshin / Retreats

Traditional Zen Retreat with Henry Shukman and Valerie Forstman

Traditional Zen Retreat with Henry Shukman and Valerie Forstman

Rohatsu Sesshin: Waking Up to this World

Saturday, December 6 – Friday, December 12

Mountain Cloud Zen Center is hosting its annual 6-day Rohatsu Sesshin — a traditional Zen retreat celebrating Shakyamuni Buddha’s awakening. The retreat is intensive and not designed for first-timers. It embraces some of the more traditional trappings of Buddhist practices such as silent sitting, chanting, and dharma talks that reference the canon of Buddhist teachings, koans, and history. This retreat is for those who have experience with traditional Zen-style silent retreats, don’t mind a bit of form and ceremony, and can self-guide their meditation for extended periods.

Join us if you’d like to dive into extended, unguided, silence and stillness, explore the enigmatic world of zen awakening, and experience vestiges of Japanese Zen traditions like chanting, bowing, and more.  See below for more information about the Schedule.

In-person Registration is Closed. Instead, join us for a very special online retreat experience or sign up to receive the daily talks.

3 Ways to Participate: 

1. Online: Full Time ($345)

Full access to retreat (from 6am MST – 9pm MST daily), receive daily talk recordings via email, and access to the optional 1-1 guidance sessions with Zen Teacher Carolyn Seburn.

2. Online: Part Time ($175) 

Design your own schedule and receive daily talk recordings via email. For example,  you could join for the Dharma Talk Block from 9:30am – 12pm which includes guided movement, 1-3 periods of silent meditation, a dharma talk, and optional break-out discussion sessions with our assistant teachers. Or, you could join for just the Morning & Evening blocks to bookend your day. Whatever schedule you choose, each day you will receive the recording of the day’s talk and Q&A to view at your convenience.

3. Just the Talks ($75)

Not able to sit with us but curious to hear how Henry and Valerie co-create their talks over the course of the week? Sign up to receive recordings of daily dharma talks & Q&As, so you can follow along with the progression of the retreat.

Immersive Online Experience

We are thrilled to offer a comprehensive online experience that can offer profound connection and depth. Online participation includes:

  • Orientation & Welcome Session: Saturday, December 6th at 6:00 PM MT. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to meet your fellow online retreatants, set the tone, and establish intentions for the week ahead.
  • Closing Session & Integration Session: We offer a closing circle at the end of the retreat, and an “integration” session in the week after the retreat. These provide extra context, opportunity for Q&A, and the chance to connect with fellow participants.
  • Daily Recordings: Receive recordings of Talks and Q&A sessions each day, allowing you to revisit and deepen your understanding of the teachings at your own pace.
  • Optional Break-Out Group Support Sessions: Days 1-3 we will offer sessions with Scott Thornton, Carolyn Seburn, and Shana Smith, for personalized support and guidance as you settle into your practice, make adjustments, or navigate challenges. Learn more about these teachers here.
  • Optional 1-1 Practice Guidance: Full-time participants will have the opportunity to meet 1-1 with Sanbo Zen teacher Carolyn Seburn, providing extra support to dive even deeper during the retreat.

Explore our Online Retreat Handbook to delve deeper into the practices and principles of our Zen retreats. Learn how to create an optimal environment for deep practice from the comfort of your home. Click here to access the handbook.

Click on the video below to hear Valerie and Henry share about their Rohatsu experiences and how powerful online sesshin can be,
in this “one here”:

Sample Retreat Schedule (Mountain Time)

* Note that this Sesshin starts on Saturday evening rather than the usual Monday evening.

Saturday

  • 6pm Dinner & Orientation

Daily Schedule (Sunday – Friday)

Morning

  • 6:00-7:30am  Sitting
  • 7:30-9:30am  Break

Main Block

  • 9:30am -Noon Sitting and dharma talk, and chants (recorded and shared via email in the evening)
  • Noon -1:30pm  Break
  • 2:00-5:30pm   Movement, Sitting and Q&A (recorded and shared via email in the evening)

Evening Block

  • 5:30-7:00pm   Break
  • 7:00-8:30pm    Sitting & Closing Chants

Friday

  • Same as above until Closing Ceremony at 11am.

Program Cost

Just the Talks – $75 (Recordings of 6 Talks & 3 Q&As emailed daily)

Part time – $175 (3 days or just a portion of each day)

Full time – $345 (4-6 days)

Benefactor – $425, pays for your attendance and supports scholarships for others.

Scholarships –  We will also provide 25% and 50% needs-based scholarships upon registration.

For general questions about the retreat contact Xander

What is Rohatsu Sesshin?

Sesshin, sometimes translated as “finding the heart”, is the practice that opened up Shakymuni Buddha to his true nature, and it’s the well-tested practice that can open up the boundlessness at the core of each of our lives. We gather in stillness to let ourselves relax, rest, and release into the true source of all experience – the wisdom and compassion that is our true home.

Rohatsu” literally means the 8th day of the 12th month, known elsewhere as “Bodhi Day,” the day Siddhartha Gautama is said to have looked up at the morning star and attained enlightenment. During this retreat we celebrate his experience and take it into our practice as a teaching for our own path.

This retreat occurs as days are getting shorter and we approach the darkest time of year. We gather ourselves together in the warmth of one another’s presence, bolstered by the silence of the coming winter to deepen our practice-realization through zazen.

Start
December 6, 2025
End
December 12, 2025