NORTH SHORE ZENDO

Retreats

A black rakusu with its green broken pine needle in the center with text summarizing the retreat

Sesshin and Zazenkai Retreats
We hold 6- and 7-day meditation retreats (sesshin) throughout the year that anyone is welcome to attend as their life schedules permit. We try to hold half-day meditation retreats (zazenkai) every month, and sometimes hold weekend zazenkai.  Details of sesshins and zazenkais are given below. 

Sesshins

There are two residential sesshins planned for 2026. Residential sesshins require participants to live in the sesshin space for the duration of the sesshin, with breakfast and lunch meals shared in formal oryoki style. Food costs for residential sesshins are shared among participants, and determined after sesshin.

Participants of non-residential sesshin’s will sleep at their homes and provide their own meals. For both sesshin types, people are welcome to sit with sesshin participants for one or more zazen periods. Those wishing to join a specific zazen period are asked to come to the zendo roughly 10 minutes before the start of the sitting time. 

Emails will be sent out roughly a month before the start of each residential sesshin with information about registration, with a follow up email usually sent two weeks before sesshin start.

Residential sesshin dates

  1. April 6th – 12th, inclusive
  2. December 5th – 11th, inclusive

Non-residential sesshin dates

  1. March 11th – March 15th, inclusive
  2. May 3rd – May 9th, inclusive 

More non-residential sesshins may be planned for the fall.

Zazenkais

We hold half-day zazenkai’s one Sunday a  month, from 8 AM to 12 PM, on the first Sunday of each month unless it is a holiday weekend.  The schedule for 2026 is below.  For location and other details, please email Hoben, Do’ei, Shikan, or Tenryu.

MonthDate
MarchMarch 1
AprilApril 12
MayMay 3
JuneJune 7
JulyJuly 5
AugustAugust 9
SeptemberSeptember 13
OctoberOctober 4
NovemberNovember 1
DecemberDecember 6