
- This event has passed.
Summer Sesshin 2022 with Henry Shukman and Valerie Forstman

Summer Solstice Retreat: June 20-26, 2022
Intimacy with all things — what koans can teach us
What a wonderful thing it is that we can discover our intimacy with all the things of this world. To do so, to whatever degree, is a great homecoming. It feels like a deep return to some kind of true homeland of our deeper nature.
The premier time to make this kind of return, this kind of homecoming, is in the shared depth of awareness that emerges during a longer retreat – a “sesshin” in the Zen tradition.
“Ses-shin” means “to connect with our hearts.” And when we do, we find our heart is already in a deep intimate connection with all the things of this world. We come to know that we are already at home in a world of love.
So in a longer retreat, we allow ourselves to slip into that deeper realm, and support one another in doing so. We find our real intimacy with all things.
Join Valerie and Henry for six days of deep shared practice. There will be guided meditations, talks, Q&A periods, and plenty of deep silence. There will be ongoing sitting with koans. We will explore the many ways koans can help us in the deep project of reconnecting intimately with our world. They call us back to a wild freedom and a wild love for this world that are just waiting for us.
This Zen retreat will be a six day hybrid event streamed on zoom from Mountain Cloud’s zendo, beginning the evening of Monday June 20 (for onsite participates) and Tuesday morning 6am for everyone else. The retreat closes mid-day Sunday June 26. All onsite spots have been filled.
June 21-26 Daily Schedule (MT)
6:00-7:30am Sitting
7:30-9:30 Breakfast, samu, rest
9:30am-noon Sitting and dharma talk
Noon-1:30 Lunch and rest
1:30-5:00pm Sitting and Q&A
5:00-7:00pm Dinner, rest, personal time
7:00-8:30pm Sitting (Tuesday-Saturday)
The retreat orientation for all will take place Tuesday morning June 21 at 9:30am MT.
Virtual Attendance
We have been hosting virtual retreats for over two years since the covid shut down and have learned how to create a remarkably intimate virtual zendo via zoom. It you haven’t experienced this, give it a try. Watch this video, a conversation with Sarah Giffin and long term sangha member Janine who has done many virtual retreats with Mountain Cloud.
We will be streaming the retreat from our zendo in Santa Fe with a small group of participants attending on-site. If you have questions about this retreat, please contact Johanna. We encourage you to attend full time, but we understand that this is difficult for many, so you may attend part time as needed.
Cost for Online Participants
$150 – Part-time fee (attending less than 4 days)
$300 – Full fee (attending 4-6 days)
$500 – Benefactor fee
These costs are for online attendance only. Full fee is for full time attendance. Part-time fee is for those attending fewer than 4 days (half time or less). Those who pay the benefactor fee help support those with financial need attend the retreat. If you need financial assistance please contact our registrar. Johanna to make arrangements for an affordable payment. No one is turned away.
If you are a new practitioner or have not sat a multi-day retreat in the past, you are encouraged to dive into this summer online retreat. If you would like to sit with us for one, two or more days, please give it a try. Our zoom zendo makes it easy for this to happen without disturbing those who are diligently sitting for the entire retreat.
Registration and payment for virtual participants
Our onsite spots are all filled. Please register as a virtual attendee.
Image: Heart by CDD2, from Pixabay.com
- Start
- June 20, 2022
- End
- June 26, 2022
- Event Categories
- Retreats, Sanbo Zen, Special Events, Virtual Retreats