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Urban Sesshin

This year’s Urban Sesshin will explore the question “Who Am I?” by offering understandings not just from meditation and philosophy, but from what science now teaches us about our bodies, our world, our universe. We will have three afternoons at the Museum of Natural History to explore how it is both Buddhism and Science that now teaches:

Each day will include short didactic teachings in the morning (including guided meditations during selected zazen periods) by our Shuso, Dr. Neil Soten Theise. These exercises will provide background and context for the afternoons’ explorations of the city (day 1) and of the American Museum of Natural History (days 2 and 3). Topics to be explored include how each one of us is:

  • merely a tiny cell of the larger living organism we call New York City…
  • all of life on earth – each of us is, in fact, 3.5 billion years old…
  • the planet itself – walking and talking Earth…
  • the whole universe – nothing left out…
  • These presentations will be accessible to everyone from the most science averse to the most hardcore science nerds, with levels of detail and study for everyone. The goal is not to learn facts, but to use selected facts and concepts to explode our sense of our isolated, separate selves and to actually feel what is meant by the One Body, impermanence, interdependence, emptiness, karma.

    These presentations will be accessible to everyone from the most science averse to the most hardcore science nerds, with levels of detail and study for everyone. The goal is not to learn facts, but to use selected facts and concepts to explode our sense of our isolated, separate selves and to actually feel what is meant by impermanence, interdependence, emptiness, karma.

    PDF IconUrban Sesshin Schedule and Fees PDF

    Daily Morning Schedule:

    7:30 Zazen
    8:00 Verse of the Kesa, stand and stretch
    8:05 Zazen
    8:30 Kinhin
    8:40 Zazen
    9:10 Kinhin
    9:20 Silent break

    9:35 Presentation by Shuso
    10:15 Kinhin
    10:25 Zazen
    10:55 Kinhin
    11:05 Zazen
    11:35 Kinhin
    11:45 Bag Lunch
    12:30 Clean Up

    Afternoon Schedule Day 1:

    12:45 Receive walking maps and instructions for kinhin through the city, ultimate destination: the High Line. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes. (For people unable to participate in extending walking, there will be selected meeting points at set times, accessible by taxi or public transportation).
    4:30 Open Sozan on the Highline.
    (Note: If weather is not suitable for an outdoor activity, appropriate and comfortable substitution wiol be made).

    Afternoon Schedule Days 2,3:

    12:45 Travel to museum (silent walk to subway)
    1:30 Arrive at museum, brief orientation on steps
    1:45 Explore the day”s theme (including movie, on day 3, in the planetarium)
    5:00 Zazen and council (silent walk to location dependent on weather: Summit rock, in central park http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=virtualpark_thegreatlawn_summitrock; if weather not permitting somewhere inside – looking into possibilities inside the museum – or we return to zendo)

    Daily Evening Schedule:

    6:30 Zazen
    7:05 Kinhin
    7:15 Zazen
    7:45 Kinhin
    7:55 Zazen
    8:20 Chanting, 3 Bows
    8:45 Open sitting…
    (Note: Thursday evening will have a dharma talk by a teacher or senior student)

    Bag Lunches:

    Lunches will be vegetarian (gluten free and vegan options available, if pre-ordered), prepared from locally sourced, seasonally appropriate ingredients by Mark Owen, the Urban Food Guy (urbanfoodguy.blogspot.com); cost of these lunches included in cost of the program.

    Daily Fee:

    Members: $40
    Non-Members: $50

    Group rate for all 3 days:

    Members: $110
    Non-members: $130

    Group rate for all 3 days plus Zazenkai on 3/27 and Shuso Hossen on 3/28:

    Members: $125
    Non-Members: $175

    NOTES REGARDING ADMISSION TO THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY:

  • Admission to the museum on days 2 and 3 is not included in the above Urban Sesshin fees.
  • Admission of $16 for the museum is “suggested”, but participants who cannot afford this can pay any amount when we arrive at the museum (e.g. $1, if necessary).
  • Admission to the movie “Journey to the Stars” at the Rose Planetarium is an irreducible additional $20 per adult ($16.50 per senior citizen). If this is prohibitory for a participant, Shuso will provide suggested alternate activities within the Planetarium.
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