Sundays at the Monastery:
Anyone wishing to come to the Zen Monastery Peace Center to participate in the Sunday morning program is welcome. If you have not previously been to the Monastery, we require that you attend an orientation. Orientations are scheduled at 8:45 am before the 10:00 am Sunday meditation. If you would like to attend an orientation, please contact the office by phone or email, and the office will send you an email with information about Sundays at the Monastery. When you have confirmed that you definitely will attend a scheduled orientation, you will be sent directions to the Monastery.
Sunday morning:
10:00 sitting meditation
10:30 group discussion
11:30 sitting meditation
12:00 lunch
Retreats & Workshops: Workshops and retreats of varying lengths are offered on a variety of subjects
supportive of spiritual practice. To
sign up for a retreat or workshop, please take a moment
to read the instructions.
Training Opportunities
If you are a Sangha member who has done retreats at the Monastery and would like to have an experience of what it is like to train as a monk without making a long-term commitment, the Monastery offers two modified, less-intensive opportunities to practice.
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VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT PROGRAM:
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU RETREATS
The first option is to come as a Volunteer Assistant during a There Is Nothing Wrong With You retreat, to practice alongside resident monks and provide support for the extraordinary, transforming work of this popular retreat. Read more...
Deepening Practice Training
The Deepening Practice Training is designed to provide spiritual training in a monastic setting for serious students practicing in the world. The program is divided into two phases.
The first phase consists of a one-month “Basic Training Retreat” during which a student is provided with the tools of awareness practice, an environment that supports practice with these tools, and the guidance of Cheri Huber and the resident monks as the student learns to incorporate awareness practice into daily life. A full description of this phase follows below. The Basic Training Retreat will benefit both beginners and long-term practitioners: the deeper a student’s practice, the deeper the experience that will result from the training. For this reason, the training may be repeated indefinitely, either as a preparation for the next phase or as a means of support for a student’s increasing awareness.
The second phase will consist of four week-long trainings in the art of spiritual facilitation. During these retreats a student will continue to deepen practice and learn how to offer awareness practice to others.
When both phases have been completed, students will receive a certificate of completion and official permission to take the practice into the world as a facilitator, under the continued guidance of the Monastery. Find out more... |
The Reflective Listening Buddies Practice offers the opportunity to connect with a Sangha member in another part of the country (or another country) weekly for 30 minutes of practice support. During these calls the two participants take turns sharing and listening. The listener uses a facilitation technique that we call reflective listening which is simply repeating back in the speaker’s words what we have just heard them say. The program includes training in reflective listening and support during your participation through regularly scheduled conference calls. Find out more...
Retreats: Zen practice retreats are offered in a variety of locations throughout the country, including Carmel CA, Pittsburgh PA, and several locations in North Carolina. It is possible to work with the Monastery to arrange for Cheri or other Zen students to lead a workshop or practice period anywhere in the country, or the world.
Palo Alto Zen Center: The Palo Alto Zen Center
offers a variety of workshops and regular practice opportunities. Call (650) 966-1057.
Other Local Sitting Groups: Weekly sittings and group discussions take place at these locations. Please call to set up a first visit. Individual meditation instruction can be arranged.
The Monastery is a non-profit organization supported by donations and the sale of our books. There are no rules or "shoulds" about donations, but people will often ask how much is enough, prompting us to offer the following as a guideline: There is a "right" amount for you to give. Follow your intuition. If you give too much, it won't feel right. If you give too little, it won't feel right. Either way, you will have second thoughts. Somewhere between those two points is the middle way and it often changes. One time $100 feels like too much, another time $1,000 doesn't feel like enough. Whatever the amount, donations are never to be thought of as payment for services.
For retreats and workshops, the registration pledge amount varies depending on the location. Your pledge covers your room and board and the travel expenses of the facilitators. The teaching is offered on donation.
Registration pledges will be refunded if cancellation is made three weeks in advance of the event. Participants who cancel after that, do not attend, or leave early may consider their pledge a donation.
Pay attention.
Be silent.
Be punctual.
Do not assume anything.
Be a contribution.
Here are some suggestions on beginning to participate:
Arrange for meditation instruction.
Attend weekly sittings.
Attend a beginner's workshop.
Read the books and listen to the tapes.
Attend a Sunday morning at the Monastery.
Read In Our Practice, the newsletter from the Zen Monastery Peace Center
Subscribe for notification of email classes
Sign-up to be on our mailing list
Sign-up to receive our Daily Peace Quotes
The newsletter from the Zen Monastery Peace Center, In Our Practice,
features current workshop and practice schedules, articles, and other news and
information. In Our Practice is now an online newsletter.
Please visit the Contact page on LivingCompassion.org for contact information and office hours.
