The Zen Path 2027: A Pilgrimage to Now

This is a four-day silent meditation retreat in the Zen tradition, held at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, a Rinzai Zen monastery near Livingston Manor in the Catskill Mountains of New York. It is led by Charles Freligh, PhD, and open to all levels, whether you are new to sitting or already have a practice. The group is small, limited to 18 participants.

Although the setting is a traditional monastery, this is not a traditional Zen Buddhist retreat. The focus is the quality of zen: a clear, present mind that experiences reality directly rather than ideas about it. That quality is not exclusive to Zen Buddhism, and the retreat is built around cultivating it.

What to Expect

Zazen, or "sitting zen," is the heart of the retreat, with up to four hours of silent meditation each day (some of it optional). The idea is simple. Like a glass of water full of sand, the mind clears when it is held still long enough to settle on its own. Practical guidance on zazen is given throughout, and the retreat also includes walking, working, eating, talking and silent zen.

The first day is a half-day. You arrive in the afternoon, sign in, receive a welcome bag, settle into your room, and attend an introductory Dharma talk that orients you to the retreat and zazen practice. The two full days follow a steady rhythm. A sample day looks like this:

- 7:00 to 7:45am: zazen
- 8:00am: breakfast
- 9:00 to 10:30am: Dharma talk on Right Effort
- 11:00 to 11:50am: zazen
- 12:00pm: lunch
- 1:00 to 2:15pm: open space
- 2:30 to 3:15pm: zazen
- 3:30 to 5:00pm: Dharma talk on Zen Stories and Koans
- 5:30pm: dinner
- 6:30 to 7:20pm: zazen

Much of the time is spent in silence, which lets the mind keep settling between formal sits. There are also times to talk, including the twice-daily Dharma talks, some meals, and an informal Saturday evening celebration where anyone may share a poem, song or story. Sharing is entirely optional. The retreat closes on the last morning with breakfast, a final integration session and lunch. If you can, consider taking the following day off work to ease back into daily life.

About Charles Freligh

Charles Freligh, PhD, is a meditation teacher, author, personal guide and retreat leader who also describes himself as an artist and consciousness explorer. He works through Second Arrow Well-Being, offering one-on-one virtual guidance, teaching college courses, writing, and creating digital content such as guided meditations and video courses. He does not espouse any one tradition. He draws on whatever makes visceral sense to him and sees the traditions as different languages describing the same thing: something like true abiding happiness and contentment. For anyone who wants to prepare, he has made an audio course on Insight Timer, The Zen Path: 111 Small Steps to Awaken Your Inner Buddha.

The Setting

Dai Bosatsu Zendo has been a functioning monastery since 1976. It sits on Beecher Lake, the highest lake in the Catskills, within 1,400 acres of forest and meadows. Between sessions you can walk the lakeside and forest paths. Formal sitting takes place in the main zendo, and the Dharma hall hosts group discussions.

Participants stay either in the monastery or in Beecher House, just down the hill. Monastery rooms are simple and traditional, with floor-level beds and shared bathrooms by floor, steps from the zendo. Beecher House rooms are more spacious, like a bed-and-breakfast, with a few private bathrooms, most shared between two rooms, plus a solarium, a living room and a lakeside deck. Single and double rooms are offered in both. Three vegetarian meals a day, made by monastery residents with local ingredients, are served buffet-style at Beecher House, along with morning and afternoon coffee and tea.

Before You Go

No prior meditation experience is needed, and instruction is given during the retreat. Since zazen takes up so much of each day, trying some longer silent sits beforehand is a good idea. Cushions are provided, and you may sit in a chair instead. The retreat is in English. Included are all retreat activities, the welcome bag, meals, and your room. Transportation to the monastery is not included, and meals are vegetarian with no further dietary accommodations.