Living a Zen Path

A 5-day Immersion in Zen Monastic Life with Mn. Shoan Ankele, Osho & Mn. Gokan Bonebakker

Zen Mountain Monastery - Mount Tremper, NY

Wednesday, January 8th - Sunday, January 12th

Zen is a practice of discovering our natural inner clarity and learning how to bring this into our everyday life. Over the past fifteen hundred years, the Zen tradition has evolved various upaya, or skillful means, to help us wake up to reality right where we are. This retreat will be an opportunity for beginning to intermediate practitioners to experience Zen training within the supportive environment of the monastery. During our time together, we’ll engage in some of the core practices of Zen, including zazen (Zen meditation), Buddhist liturgy, and silent work practice, all of which emerge from direct contact with our inherent wakefulness. We’ll spend one full day in silence, following the structure of a classic one-day Zen meditation retreat.

Appreciating the opportunity to come together with practitioners at a particular stage of life, we’ll take some time for active reflection, too – through discussion, movement, or art practice –  on key topics and challenges that may resonate for younger people.

  • How do we live a meaningful life according to our values in a world in crisis?

  • What is the relationship between meditation, Buddhism, and ethics?

  • What does spiritual training really mean?

  • What is the role of a teacher or a community in our practice?

  • What is the Zen tradition?

  • What does Zen training offer, in the landscape of Dharma practices and traditions?

About the Teachers

  • Danica Shoan Ankele is a Priest and Senior Monastic in the Mountains and Rivers Order. A native of New York City, she first came to the Monastery as a sophomore in college and has been in full time residential training since 2007. She became a senior student in 2009 and took full monastic ordination with Shugen Roshi in 2015. Shoan is the Monastery’s Creative Director and Training Coordinator. She also oversees our Tenkozan line of statues and naturally dyed fabrics, designed and produced on the Monastery grounds. She is married to Mn. Gokan Bonebakker.

  • Bear Gokan Bonebakker first came to the Monastery in 1994, and has been in residence since 2007. He was ordained in 2014. Gokan is the Operations Director, helps coordinate the National Buddhist Prison Sangha, and works in the orchard. He is married to Mn. Shoan Ankele.

Tentative Schedule:

4:55 Wake-Up (Silence Observed until after Morning Service)

5:30 - 6:30 Dawn Zazen (Be seated in Zendo by 5:25)

6:30 - 6:50 Morning Service

7:00 - 7:50 Informal Breakfast

9:00 - 10:00 Caretaking Practice

10:00 - 12:00 Retreat Session with Shoan and Gokan

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

2:00 - 5:30 Retreat Session with Shoan and Gokan

6:00 - 6:30 Light Supper

7:30 - 9:00 Evening Zazen

9:30 Lights out

 FAQs

  • No. All experience levels are welcome, including beginners.

  • Nope. You do not have to be Buddhist to participate in this retreat The teachings at Zen Mountain Monastery are rooted in the Zen Buddhist tradition and include beliefs that may be new or foreign for some. The invitation is to encounter the teachings, to build confidence in the teachings as we verify them through our experience, and to maintain a healthy, open, discerning, and inquisitive mind.

  • The retreat is run on a donation basis in the spirit of dana. There is no required attendance fee.

    https://www.dharma-gates.org/dana-based

    We ask you to donate the amount that feels appropriate and generous for you, given your situation and desire for Zen Mountain Monastery and Dharma Gates to continue to exist in the future.

    You can donate to Zen Mountain Monastery in your registration and Dharma Gates at https://www.dharma-gates.org/onetimedonation

  • The food served at the retreat will be vegetarian with vegan options available If you have specific allergies or requests, you will be able to submit those to the retreat center ahead of time.

  • Dharma Gates welcomes people of all cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. There are gender neutral restrooms and accommodations available. Our aim is to make retreat practice accessible to all young people—if there’s something we can to do help you feel comfortable to attending, please do not hesitate to reach out to us (team@dharma-gates.org.)

  • As with all in-person retreats at the Monastery, participants are required to follow the current protocol for keeping everyone safe. Please review the current protocol requirements before registering, and if you have further questions, please contact ZMM’s registrar.

  • Please plan to arrive between 4:00 and 5:30 pm on January 8th and depart by 1:30 pm on Sunday the 12th.