Winter 2021 Covid 7 Day Online Working Person’s Sesshin
January 23 – January 30, 2021
(Information about this sesshin will come in several waves – If you have interest in participating, notify the registrar Ismo Puhakka at ippuhakk@gmail.com and you will be added to the information email list)
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(All times in the following information are Finnish times)
Year 2020 has been a year of challenges and disappointments. Out of this fertile mix, an experimental sesshin form has arisen. We would like to invite those who have interest in beta testing this form to attend.
The final form of how this sesshin will look is still in the works. However, the following is what we know for sure at this point.
The sesshin will begin the night of Saturday January 23 at 19:00 pm. (There will probably be an organizational meeting at 18:00 or 18:30). All participants are required to attend UNLESS they have work commitments which makes it impossible.
The last block on Friday the 29th and the full following program for the half day on Saturday the 30th are also required (unless, of course the person is working).
Every day of the sesshin, our online zendo will open at 05:00 and will remain open until 22:00. Information on how to enter and leave this space with be provided closer to January 23, 2021.
Participants will be asked to sit as much of the 05:00 to 08:00 block and the 19:00 to 22:00 block that is reasonable for their lives. A written commitment as to the hours each person will sit for those blocks (and throughout the day) will need to be submitted in writing before the sesshin kicks off. Each person will choose these hours for themselves and are free to enter and leave the zendo as needed.
(There will be formal sitting blocks during the day, but there will also be “rest” (individual practice) periods when each participant will need to monitor their own time as there will not be a jikido to ring bells).
For those employed by others or themselves, they will be asked to integrate their working life into sesshin by committing to ONE practice which incorporates their regular working day into sesshin. For example, a person may elect to take a deep breath and body scan before they answer a ringing telephone. Another practice might be to set their watch to buzz every hour to remind them to get up from their desk and walk mindfully to the water cooler and mindfully drink a cup of water, tasting each drop and noticing the coolness. Another practice might be to commit to watching their mind during meetings, watching for habitual reactions, ie. Aversion, pleasure, etc.. There are many possibilities and while folks may choose to integrate more than one practice into their working day, we will only ask them to commit to one in writing.
For those who will not be working in such a fashion as above during the period of sesshin, in addition to a written commitment to the hours they will sit in each block throughout the day, they will be asked to consider what they will choose to do during a daily work period (time(s)chosen by the participant) and commit to that in writing as well.
Magnus and Karen are both going to participate throughout the entire sesshin, however the exact schedule for each is still in the works. Dharma talks will take place each night during the second period of the after dinner zazen block. If anyone is working during that time, we will arrange to record the evening talk and make it available to them the next day.
Dokusan will be offered via a signup sheet. This is not available as of yet, but will be shortly. However, you should know, due to the unique form of this sesshin, it might not be possible to get every person in every day for dokusan. Those who are able to carve out a private 15 minutes in their working day, are encouraged to sign up for then, if they want to make sure they get in for dokusan.
There will be no fee to register, but a recommended donation of 100 euros is suggested. If you can be more generous. please do so. If you cannot give much at this time, feel free to give what you can afford.
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Schedule 2021 Covid online Working Persons Sesshin Tentative
(Virtual Zendo open 05:00 – 22:00)
Saturday
19:00 – 22:00 Zazen with Kinhin (ZK)
Sunday – Friday
05:00 – 08:00 Zazen with Kinhin and Dokusan (ZKD)
8:00 – 10:00 Individual Practice
10:00 – 14:00 ZKD
14:00 – 16:00 Individual Practice
16:00 – 18:00 ZKD
18:00 – 19:00 Rest
19:00- 19:30 ZKD
19:45 – 20:15 Dharma talk
20:30 – 22:00 ZKD
Saturday
07:00 – 09:00 ZK
09:00 – 10:00 Individual Practice
10:00 – Finish .... Closing