In short: a sesshin is an intensive Zen retreat of usually 3 to 7 days, held in silence. Days are built around periods of zazen (seated meditation) alternating with kinhin (walking meditation), with chanting, formal meals, work practice and a talk by the teacher. Most centers ask beginners to learn zazen at a weekly sitting first.
What does a sesshin day look like?
Schedules differ by center, but a typical day runs like this:
- Before dawn: wake-up bell, zazen and morning chanting.
- Breakfast: a formal meal in the meditation hall, often with oryoki bowls.
- Morning: samu (work practice), then several periods of zazen and kinhin.
- Midday: lunch and rest.
- Afternoon: more zazen, and a talk by the teacher (teisho or Dharma talk).
- Evening: zazen and chanting, then sleep.
Zazen periods usually last 25 to 40 minutes, with kinhin in between. Through the day you may meet the teacher one-to-one (dokusan).
Read the full guide
The forms you will meet
- Zazen: upright sitting, hands in the cosmic mudra, eyes lowered. See zazen for beginners.
- Kinhin: slow walking meditation between sittings. See walking meditation.
- Oryoki: a formal way of eating from nested bowls, with set movements and chants.
- Samu: work done in silence, as practice.
- Bows and bells: the bells mark each activity; follow the person in front of you.
How do I prepare?
- Sit zazen daily for a few weeks, building up to 25 minutes.
- Go to a weekly sitting at a Zen center and learn the hall forms.
- Try a one-day sitting before a full week.
- Tell the center about any injury: chairs and benches are fine.
- Pack dark, loose, quiet clothes: what to bring.
Comparing traditions? Read vipassana vs Zen and how to choose your first retreat.
Questions people ask
How long is a sesshin?
Usually 3 to 7 days. Many Zen centers also hold one-day sittings (zazenkai), which are a good first step.
Can a beginner do a sesshin?
Often yes, but many centers ask you to attend an introduction to zazen and a few weekly sittings first, so you know the forms.
What does sesshin mean?
Sesshin is Japanese and is usually translated as "gathering the mind" or "touching the heart-mind": a period of intensive, silent zazen.