Calendar

Great Vow Zen Monastery Zendo

Online Zendo Schedule: 

Wednesday – Saturday (Connect via Zoom link below)

5:30 am – 6:50 am – Zazen

6:50 am – Morning Service

Monastery Sunday Public Program, Clatskanie, Oregon
10AM-12:15PM – in person and online.

YouTube link for Sunday Program
Zoom link for all events

Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple

Sunday Mornings: 9:30AM to 11:30AM
Led by Zen Teacher Larry Fuho Trussell
Meditation, Dharma talk, and chanting service. During sitting, Fuho offers sanzen, one-on-one meetings about Zen practice.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Sunday Morning (must be logged into Zoom)

Sunday Evenings: 7PM to 9:00PM
Led by Hogen Bays, Roshi
Meditation and teachings on Buddhist sutras and spiritual practice.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Sunday Evening (must be logged in to Zoom)

Monday Evenings:  6PM to 7:30PM.  
Led by Amy Kisei, Sensei
Guided + silent meditation practice that includes the themes of embodiment, compassion and awareness practices. Dharma talk begins at 6:45P, followed by discussion. Drop in anytime! 
Online Only.
Zoom link for Monday Evening

Tuesday Evenings: 7:00PM to 9:00PM
 Led by Zen Teacher Nancy Kodo Conover
Meditation, a short talk and group discussion about how Buddhist teachings apply to our life today.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Tuesday  Evening (must be logged into Zoom)

Wednesday Evenings: 6PM to 7:30PM
Led by Jogen Sensei
Silent and guided meditation including calm-abiding, emptiness practice and/or loving-kindness followed by dharma talk. Talk begins at 6:45 pm. Drop in whenever!
Online only.
Zoom link for Wednesday Evening

Thursday Evenings: 7:00PM to 8:30P

Led by Shonin Ashton and Gensho Welsh
Meditation and Dharma talk with a focus on foundational Buddhist teachings and practices.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Thursday Evening (must be logged in to Zoom)

Friday Mornings: 11:00AM to 12:30PM
Led by Doug Onkatsu Kagel
Begins with chanting service, seated and walking meditation, and meditation instruction in the zendo. Open zendo – drop in.
In Person and Online.
Zoom link for Friday Morning (you must be logged into your Zoom account)

Friday Evenings: 7:00PM to 8:00PM
Led by Zen Teacher Patrick Bansho Green
Guided meditation on metta (loving-kindness).
Online only.
Zoom link for Friday Evening

Other Ongoing Events

Morning Meditation with Trillium House Residents
Monday – Friday, 6:10am – 7am PT 
Online. Zoom link.

LGBTQIA+ Dharma Group
Meets monthly on the 1st Saturday, 7pm-830pm PT.
In Person and Online.
For more information and the Zoom link: Send an email.

EcoSattvas –  Zen practice and action on climate
Meets monthly on the 2nd Monday, 7pm-830pm PT.
Online. Zoom link for meeting.  For more information email.

The Work of Byron Katie – facilitated by Linda Cho-on Frischmeyer
1st & 3rd Monday each Month: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
2nd  and 4th Saturdays each Month: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Whether you are new to The Work of Byron Katie and want to ‘try it on,’ or are familiar, even experienced, and want to do The Work in a small group setting, this opportunity is for you. We explore a belief common to many (all?!) of us each time we meet.
Online only. Zoom link for The Work.

Meditation Retreats, Sesshin, Workshops

Workshops and sesshin are currently offered in-person and online format unless otherwise noted.
Please do not attend in person if you feel sick or you live with someone who feels ill.

Retreat Cabin Application

Open Dates
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The monastery retreat cabin rests on the edge of our 23 acres of forest. Though, just a short walk to the monastery buildings, it has a feeling of a forest hermitage. Equipped with running water, electricity, a small kitchenette with electric stovetop and small refrigerator and a compost toilet it is an ideal location for doing short solo retreat practice. You will have access to our forest trail system, beautiful meadows and gardens, as well as the privacy for solo meditation and dharma study. The intention of the retreat hut is to provide practice support for those looking to deepen…

16 Bodhisattva Precepts Online Classes

With Larry Fuho Trussell

February 25 - March 31, 2024
Online
The beginning and end of our practice is ethical living; acting, speaking and thinking in ways that support the greatest wellbeing and awakening for all beings. Anyone who has taken the 5 Precepts Class can take this class, whether you have already formally taken the precepts, are considering taking the precepts, or you are simply curious about the ethical guidelines that rest at the foundation of Zen practice.

Spring Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

With Larry Fuho Trussell

April 27, 2024
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice in the city. Join us for a silent day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, mindful eating, temple care-taking, and a dharma talk. We close the day with a ceremony to renewing our intention to live an ethical life.

Dissolving the Barriers: a Thousand Year Old Remedy for Modern Suffering

With Lama Lekshe

May 2 - 5, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
Cleverly side-stepping the western tendency to look for ‘cures’ through analysis and problem solving, Tonglen accomplishes healing with a simple, imaginative 5-part contemplative exercise. Through repeated practice, suffering and its causes are gradually diminished, and wisdom and compassion arise in their place. Genuine Tonglen is an advanced practice, but with precise guidance it can be effectively undertaken by a determined beginner, with or without previous meditation experience.

Home Hermitage – A Day Long Retreat Online

With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei

May 5, 2024
Online
We will spend a day meditating in the intimate aloneness that embraces all beings. Doing sustained zazen in our own dwelling place and its wild domesticity invites the desired integration of the everyday and the sacred. […]

Investigating Zen Practice: a one-day workshop

May 11, 2024
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
Experience an Introduction to Zen Practice through the Ten Directions. This one-day in-person workshop at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple is for beginners or those who want to dive deeper into Zen practice. Learn how to practice using ancient methods that are applicable in today’s world: Meditation and sitting with stability Mindfulness practice off the cushion Chanting Mindful eating Work practice Stillness Walking meditation Koans Tradition and ritual Dharma teachings Lunch is included. Your RSVP helps us know how much lunch to prepare.

May Sesshin – The Light of our Ancestors

With Amy Kisei, Sensei and Patrick Bansho Green

May 13 - 19, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
Zen is a direct Mind to Mind transmission--a transmission of light. We study with teachers who help us recognize and embody our awakened wisdom and compassion. During this sesshin, we will connect with our roots and draw strength from the stories of those who have come before us. Our ancestors are real people, walking the path of their lives and opening the Dharma truths - just as we aspire to do. Join us for this intimate week of practice. Sesshin is a rigorous and, at times, challenging silent meditation retreat that is not recommended for beginners. In order to attend…

Chan Practice of Silent Illumination with Rebecca Li

With Rebecca Li

June 11 - 16, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
“Silently and serenely, one forgets all words. Clearly and vividly, it appears before you.” These are the opening lines of the poem Silent Illumination composed by Chan master Hongzhi in the twelfth century China, a poem often used by the late Chan master Sheng Yen in his silent illumination retreats. Silent illumination is a practice where stillness and clarity are cultivated simultaneously through the process of recognizing and releasing layers of ever more subtle habitual reactivities that cause suffering. This practice allows us to live more in accordance with wisdom and compassion, as we suffer less and become more present,…

16 Bodhisattva Precepts Series (in – person)

With Kodo Conover

June 23 - July 28, 2024
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
**A new offering**: precept study outdoors in Heart of Wisdom temple garden. Appreciate the longer days and summer breezes with community. The beginning and end of our practice is ethical living; acting, speaking and thinking in ways that support the greatest well-being and awakening for all beings. Anyone who has taken the 5 Precepts Class can take this class, whether you have already formally taken the precepts, are considering taking the precepts, or you are simply curious about the ethical guidelines that rest at the foundation of Zen practice.

Summer Residency Program 2024

July 5 - August 18, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery
The Summer Program at Great Vow Zen Monastery is an opportunity to plunge into Zen practice with the support of community and teachers, and to taste the benefits of calming the mind and opening the heart. Our Summer Program is a special part of our on-going residential program at the monastery. It is designed to give you a genuine immersion in Zen practice, through the practices of meditation, mindful eating. ritual/liturgy, movement practices (yoga/qi gong), and temple work.

Chant for Peace at Heart of Wisdom

July 13, 2024
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
INTERFAITH CHANT FOR PEACE AT HEART OF WISDOM ZEN TEMPLE, PORTLAND OREGON   TIME: 9:00am - 9:00pm LOCATION: Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple ADDRESS: 6401 NE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97211, USA To join via Zoom, click here Awake with a passion for inner and global transformation, this 12-hour chanting vigil is a celebration of our spiritual aspirations to see the Sacred in every person, and to live Unconditional Love. This is an InterFaith event. Each hour of the Chant for Peace is led by a different spiritual tradition. We form one community and join our voices together. Chanting is spiritually potent medicine.…

July Sesshin – Cultivating the Empty Field

With Jogen Salzberg, Sensei and Myoyu Haley Voekel

July 15 - 21, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery
Summer is bright and alive. The sun hangs high in the sky, illuminating the earth with unflinching clarity. What wisdom does a warm summer day offer? Everything is laid bare before the luminous rays of the sun. In this meditation immersion, we will endeavor to study the self, forget the self and glimpse Buddha Nature, opening in silent communion with this community of human and non- human beings. This is our collective awakening.

Summer Zazenkai: A One Day Meditation Retreat

With Larry Fuho Trussell

July 27, 2024
Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple
A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice in the city. Join us for a silent day of meditation (seated and walking), chanting, mindful eating, temple care-taking, and a dharma talk. We close the day with a ceremony to renewing our intention to live an ethical life.

Grasses, Trees, and the Great Earth Sesshin

With Amy Kisei, Sensei and Kodo Conover

August 12 - 18, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery
Earth body, sky heart. Rooted and flowing. Luminous and open. We are made of earth and sky, of wind breath and rain song, our lives woven from the teachings of the natural world. This retreat is an opportunity to re-connect and relax into the wild, ancient, wisdom of the Grasses, Trees and Great Earth. We will spend time learning from each of the five elements, as they manifest in our experience. Deeply exploring and releasing into our interconnection with the living, breathing body of the Earth, waters, energizing air, bright fiery sun, and vast spacious sky. This retreat is held…

Wilderness Backpacking Sesshin: a weeklong meditation retreat

With Danney Soten Lynch and Sara Shinei Monial

August 25 - September 1, 2024
Mt. Hood Wilderness (Wy'east)
This retreat will be held in the Mt. Hood Wilderness, Oregon. Previous meditation retreat and backpacking experience is highly recommended. Immerse yourself in the silent wisdom of the forest, mountains, and sky. Allow these wild places to awaken within you and inform how you experience and embody this life.

The Work: a weekend Inquiry Retreat

With Eduardo Zambrano

September 5 - 8, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery
During this retreat, we will use Byron Katie’s method of inquiry called The Work to investigate our core beliefs and fixed ideas which cause suffering in our world. What ideas to you have about your life and the world that actually are not in service to the development of compassion? We hold many views simply from habit. In this retreat we will be given tools to expand beyond what we believe to be our limitations, and see our world from a place of insight and deeper wisdom. The monastery environment provides an ideal setting in which to deepen the practice of The…

Jizo Sesshin

With Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi and Laura Jomon Martin

September 10 - 15, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery - In Person Only
This retreat begins on Tuesday!   This retreat will focus on the qualities of Jizo Bodhisattva, guardian of all that comes from the earth, and Jizo’s qualities – benevolence, optimism, fearlessness, determination, and vow. A unique element of this retreat is the inclusion of time devoted to art projects, creative time, and a slide show and talk about Jizo. As part of our practice, we will be making small Jizo-related items. Due to the nature of this retreat schedule, we will be sitting outside and also out of the zendo to make art, there will not be an online option.…

2nd Wilderness Backpacking Sesshin: a weeklong meditation retreat

With Danney Soten Lynch and Sara Shinei Monial

September 22 - 29, 2024
Mt. Hood Wilderness (Wy'east)
This retreat will be held in the Mt. Hood Wilderness, Oregon. Previous meditation retreat and backpacking experience is highly recommended. Immerse yourself in the silent wisdom of the forest, mountains, and sky. Allow these wild places to awaken within you and inform how you experience and embody this life.

October Sesshin – The Ancient Way

With Hogen Bays, Roshi, Patrick Bansho Green and Darah Shonin Ashton

October 10 - 20, 2024
Great Vow Zen Monastery or Online
There is something very special about the magic of autumn and the kicking off of the fall ango practice period that makes this sesshin so powerful. What a great gift it is to be able to sit together in silence. This is our longest sesshin of the year. The extra days enable us drop down into the bare bones essentials of our lives. We have this rare opportunity to turn towards the practice/awakening that is our true nature, and to celebrate quietly together in the container of sesshin. Day after day plunge into the waters of mystery and exploration. Turn…