Louisville Zen Center
The Louisville Zen Center offers Zen retreats and extended sittings, which are available both in-person and online. Those who have completed the Introduction to Zen Meditation or a comparable program are invited to participate. For details on attending in-person retreats at Heart of Perfect Wisdom Zendo, click here. For information on joining Louisville Zen Center online, click here.
Shorter sesshins (intensive Zen meditation retreats) at Rochester Zen Center are broadcast via Zoom to Heart of Perfect Wisdom Zendo. You’re welcome to join us in-person at HPWZ either full-time or part-time for sesshin. Please note there will be no overnight stays at HPWZ.
Registration: Apply through Rochester Zen Center, then contact Louisville Zen Center with your in-person participation times at HPWZ.
Payment. After paying the member rate for sesshin through RZC, Louisville Zen Center members can attend the sesshin at HPWZ for free. Non-members must pay RZC's non-member rate and are asked to contribute an additional $3 per sesshin block to Louisville Zen Center to attend in-person at HPWZ.
Meals: Breakfast will be provided, and tea, water, and fruit will be available throughout the day. Please bring your own lunch and dinner, or return home for dinner, as there will be a long enough break for this.
Schedule: The full sesshin schedule is available here. Note: Those participating at Heart of Perfect Wisdom Zendo may take their dinner break from 4:20 pm to 7:00 pm Eastern.
| Dates | Length | Location | Led by | Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11-18, 2025 | 7 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Sensei John Pulleyn | December 18 |
| February 21-23, 2025 | 2 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry | February 6 |
| March 22-29, 2025 | 7 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Sensei Dhara Kowal | March 6 |
| April 18-20, 2025 | 2 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | To be determined | April 3 |
| June 7-14, 2025 | 7 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Sensei John Pulleyn | May 22 |
| June 26-29, 2025 | 3 days | Chapin Mill Work Retreat | John-s and Dhara-s | Register here |
| July 12-19, 2025 | 7 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede | June 26 |
| September 27 - October 4, 2025 | 7 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Sensei Dhara Kowal | September 11 |
| November 1-8, 2025 | 7 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | Sensei John Pulleyn | October 16 |
| December 12-14, 2025 | 2 days | Chapin Mill/Zoom | To be determined | November 25 |
You may attend this extended sitting in-person at Heart of Perfect Wisdom Zendo or online. During Block 3, Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry will offer private instruction to both in-person and online participants. For Zoom access, questions about private instruction, or to reserve a seat at HPWZ, please contact us. Part-time participation is also welcome. Here is the retreat schedule:
For non-members participating in-person, we suggest a donation of $5 per block you plan to attend, which can be made via cash, check, or PayPal. However, any amount, large or small, is greatly appreciated. To make a lasting contribution while supporting the Center's mission, please consider becoming a member.
You are also welcome to participate in sesshin (intensive Zen meditation retreats) hosted by our mother temple, Rochester Zen Center. Sesshin are held approximately once a month and range from two to seven days, with about 10 hours of zazen scheduled each day. One-to-one instruction is available about three times daily.
You can apply to attend in person at Chapin Mill Retreat Center or join online via RZC Zoom. Part-time online participation is also possible, but to receive one-to-one instruction, you must attend at least two of the four sitting blocks, including one in which individual instruction is offered. You may also join sittings informally (without one-to-one instruction) by simply logging onto RZC Zoom. Here is the daily sesshin schedule.
Below is a list of upcoming Rochester Zen Center sesshins. Louisville Zen Center members receive discounted rates for sesshin and other events hosted by Rochester Zen Center. Click here for more information about RZC sesshin.