Multi-day retreat (sesshin): Realizing Deep Peace and Relaxation

July Hokyoji Retreat
with Sosan Flynn and MyoOn Hagler
Saturday, July 26 - Saturday, August 2. (3-Night or 7-Night Options)
In-person only.
Registration Deadline: July 19.

[Register here]

During this week, Sosan and MyoOn will share teachings from a variety of Soto Zen Buddhist teachers on how to realize deep peace and relaxation during these troubled times. We hope you will take this opportunity to fully enter into Zen practice so that you may respond to your life and the world with compassion, wisdom and resilience.

3-Night Option Retreat Option:
Begins at 3:30 pm on Saturday, July 26 (Check-in 1:30 - 3 pm)
Ends at 3 pm on Tuesday, July, 29

7-Night Retreat + Sesshin Option:
Begins at 3:30 pm on Saturday, July 26 (Check-in 1:30 - 3 pm)
Ends at 2 pm on Saturday, August 2

SPECIAL: 2-Night Training Add-on (July 24 - 26)
Limited to Ordained Teachers and Priests (and those preparing for ordination)
Do not sign up for this option unless you have already received an invitation from your teacher.
Begins at 3:30 pm on Thursday, July 25.
Ends at Noon on Saturday, July 26, and flows into the Retreat + Sesshin Sesshin.

The 3-Night Retreat Option will have a somewhat lighter schedule, with later wake-up time, informal meals, a longer rest period after lunch, talking allowed during dinner, a longer break after dinner, and more time for training in the forms. It will also include seven zazen periods each day (30 minutes each).

The 7-Night Retreat + Sesshin Option will follow the 3-Night Retreat Schedule for the first few days, and then starting on Wednesday will have an earlier wake-up time, 11 zazen periods each day (30 minutes each), formal oryoki meals (training provided), and the practice of noble silence from Tuesday evening through mid-morning on Saturday.

Both options will include a daily dharma talk, chanting services, outdoor activities, work practice, service assignments and dokusan (individual face-to-face meetings with the teachers).

Hokyoji’s tranquil meadows, woodlands, and bluffs offer guests a peaceful setting that invites relaxation, inspiration, and renewal.

Contribution:
Clouds in Water relies on a Gift Economics Model of resource transparency, suggested sliding scale tiers, and no set fees to balance financial sustainability, the Buddhist practice of generosity, justice, and equity. Clouds in Water is a community-supported temple, relying primarily on the donations and class fees that our sangha offers. Teachers are paid a percentage of the net for all classes and retreats. We want you to know that your attendance is valued and important, no matter how much you contribute, and that no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

3-Night Retreat Option
Level 1: $900 (makes it possible for more people to attend who cannot afford the full amount)
Level 2: $540 (full cost)
Level 3: $225 (reduced cost)
Your Level: You choose the amount. No one is turned away due to inability to pay and teachers receive a portion of whatever you give. If you need to attend with a zero contribution, please email info@cloudsinwater.org and we will get you on the list.
Note: Anything over $540 for the 3-Night Option is considered a tax-deductible donation.

7-Night Retreat + Sesshin Option
Level 1: $2,000 (makes it possible for more people to attend who cannot afford the full amount)
Level 2: $1,260 (full cost)
Level 3: $525 (reduced cost)
Your Level: You choose the amount. No one is turned away due to inability to pay and teachers receive a portion of whatever you give. If you need to attend with a zero contribution, please email info@cloudsinwater.org and we will get you on the list.
Note: Anything over $1,260 for the weeklong session is considered a tax-deductible donation.

For Those Attending the 2-Night Training Option Priests, Teachers, and Trainees:
Please consider adding $150 - $ 600 for this option.

Limited seats:
Participation is limited, and spaces may fill up quickly. If you are interested in attending, please register at your earliest convenience.

Requirements for sesshin participation:

• Previous meditation experience.
• For the 7-Night Retreat + Sesshin Option, you must have prior sesshin experience.
• If this is your first sesshin with Clouds in Water, contact MyoOn@cloudsinwater.org before registering.

Sosan Flynn has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. She has officiated at many ceremonies (daily & special liturgies, weddings, baby namings, and memorial services), and offers premarital and couples counseling. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for many years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in both community mental health and staff training. Sosan and her husband of 37 years live a short distance from Clouds in Water.
MyoOn Susan Hagler began her Zen practice in the autumn of 1980 at MZMC. She went there to find a place to meditate and hit the jackpot when encountering Katagiri-roshi and the MZMC sangha. From then to now Myo On has lived a life filled with the joys and sorrows one encounters on life’s journey. She has been married since 1986, has 3 adult children and 3 grandkids, who bring her great delight. She was ordained in 2003 by Tim Burkett and received dharma transmission from Dokai Georgesen in 2018. She has had the opportunity to practice at all the MN Zen centers as well as Green Gulch in CA. Attending the first unit of chaplaincy training at Gunderson hospital in LaCrosse informed her both personally and as a Zen teacher. Myo On joined the teacher-ryo at Clouds in early 2019 as a transmitted teacher. For Myo On, life’s experiences and the people she has crossed paths with have been her greatest teachers. The triple treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha have been her greatest resources for aspiring to live life Well.