Various Dates
7 pm -9 pm

In this 2-hour workshop, you receive all the tools you need to get started on your personal journey in Zen practice.

Instruction will be given in zazen meditation, basic Buddhist philosophy, developing a home practice, as well as practicing as part of a community.

There will be plenty of time for questions and conversation!

Tuesdays, January 7th -
February 25th
6: 30pm - 8:00pm
Zoom Only
with Flying Fish Barbara Murphy

Shantideva guides our reflections on impermanence to help us disentangle ourselves from distractions–developing our awareness of how foolish our attachments are.  Seeing through them we are left with a calm abiding practice.  We are left with the abundant joy that is our birthright and the genuine wish to serve all beings. 

Friday, January 17th, 5pm -
Sunday, January 19th, 4 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn and Shoken Winecoff

Ryumonji Monastery is designed from a blueprint of a classic Zen monastery in Japan. Built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way, its gorgeous buildings and temple grounds reflect the spirit of "peaceful dwelling." During this retreat you will learn about many of the Zen ritual objects and engage in some of the formal Zen practices. 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

Saturday, January 25th,
2 pm - 6 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn and
The WURK group (White-practioners Unraveling Racial Karma)

The class is open to people who are beginning this journey, as well as those long on the path to exploring the white racial framework that shapes our world. We will explore how whiteness impacts our lives and hinders us from being present to the racialized world we live in and look deeply into how white racial conditioning affects our lives and the lives of people of color in our Sangha and beyond.

Saturday, February 1st,
9 am - 12pm
with Myoshin Diane Benjamin

During this three-hour workshop, you will learn the basics of the Realization Process, a series of guided meditations that help us connect more deeply with the internal space in our bodies while also cultivating deep contact with others and with our environment. This workshop might be of interest if you want to become more present within your body, want to experience a gentle and settled meditation experience, or simply want to try something new.

Thursdays, February 6th-20th
With Sosan Theresa Flynn

In this class, we will explore our complicated relationship with money through the lens of Buddhist practice and teachings. We may, at times, value money for security, control, status, enjoyment or benevolence. We will endeavor to talk candidly with one another as we explore our fears about not having enough and our desires to give freely.

Friday, February 7th, 5 pm -
Saturday, February 8th, 9 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn

Guided meditations on Loving-kindness will be offered periodically throughout this sesshin. We will practice completely loving ourselves and others in a way that is free from attachment. Please join us for this courageous practice in realizing wholeness in the face of suffering.

Saturday, February 15th,
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Marc Anderson

“Sound Bath Meditation is an immersive experience in which the listener is “bathed” in waves of soft tones and gentle rhythms. Combining the sounds of crystal singing bowls, gongs, hand drums and subtle drones, I create a rich and deeply therapeutic experience.”

Opening: Sunday, February 16th, 9 am - 10:30 am
Closing: Saturday, April 26th
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Sosan Theresa Flynn and
Jinzu Minna Jain

A Practice Period, or ango (安居), is a traditional Japanese term for a three-month period of intensified training for students of Zen Buddhism. This spring, our theme is “Living Zen, Living Liberation.” What is Zen Buddhism, actually? How is it the same and different from mindfulness or other forms of Buddhism we might be familiar with? Most importantly, can Zen really be practical and useful in our daily lives, communities, and liberation movements? Can it offer us a well of ease, wonder and awe to dip from so we don’t burn the heck out? (Yes!)

Saturday, February 22nd, 1 - 4 pm
With Heather Renkyo Fehst

In this three-hour exploration, we'll be using prompts and reflections to play with words. From three-minute bursts to longer stream-of-consciousness fragments, writers will have a chance to write from their  own somatic experience , from what's present and wants to be on the page, right here, right now. 

Saturday, March 1st,
9 am - 4:30pm
with Koji Acquaviva

This traditional yet relaxed daylong sitting includes meditation instruction, a full schedule of silent zen meditation with breaks every 25 minutes to keep the body and mind fresh, a silent lunch, a Dharma talk, and a question and answer period.

Tuesdays, March 4th -
April 15th
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Sosan Theresa Flynn and
Jinzu Minna Jain

Whether you are a seasoned Zen Buddhist practitioner or newly curious, this class is an opportunity to clarify and deepen your understanding of Zen (specifically Sōtō* Zen), and to find what lights you up and wakes you up within the teachings. 

We'll dive into historical and cultural context and define core teachings and practices, exploring how–and if–they’re relevant to us today.

Saturday, March 8th
8:30 am - 12 pm

Come and experience a half-day of deep quiet. This half-day sitting will allow you to deeply touch silence and stillness while being supported by others. We'll have four 30 minute sitting periods, with walking meditation and breaks in-between. We will also chant our formal morning service, and end by chanting Dogen's Eternal Peace Inspirational Vow.

Friday, April 11, 4 pm -
Sunday, April 13, 12 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn
Pacem in Terris Hermitage Retreat Center
26399 State Hwy 47, Isanti, MN 55040

Pacem in Terris offers a beautiful, quiet, solitary retreat experience to individuals of all faiths. Guiding Teacher Sosan Flynn has engaged in regular solitary retreats there for the past few years and would like to share this practice with Clouds in Water Sangha members and leaders.

Registration Deadline: March 15.

Saturday, May 10th
8:30 am - 12 pm

Come and experience a half-day of deep quiet. This half-day sitting will allow you to deeply touch silence and stillness while being supported by others. We'll have four 30 minute sitting periods, with walking meditation and breaks in-between. We will also chant our formal morning service, and end by chanting Dogen's Eternal Peace Inspirational Vow.