Summer Residency Program 2026

This summer offering at Great Vow Zen Monastery invites you to immerse yourself in Zen practice with the support of community and teachers, while experiencing the benefits of a quieter mind and an open heart.

As part of the monastery’s ongoing residential program, this special season is designed for a genuine deep dive into Zen. Daily life includes meditation, mindful eating, ritual and liturgy, and temple work. You will also receive guidance from the teachers through sanzen, classes on Zen practice and states of mind, study, and retreats and workshops, all of which are an important part of the residential experience.

The monastery’s beauty and serenity offer additional support as you rediscover and rest in your true self. This can be a life-changing experience, helping you deepen your meditation practice, cultivate peace of mind, and connect with the confidence and clarity that arise when life is rooted in presence and acceptance.

Along with zazen, meals, community work, classes, and daily teachings, the program also includes:

• Weekend Meditation Retreat
• Grasses and Trees Sesshin, a week-long meditation retreat held mostly outdoors
• July Sesshin, a week-long silent meditation intensive
• Weekly one-on-one meetings with a Zen teacher

The residency fee is reduced to $300 for the Summer Program, and donations during the summer months, or at any other time, are warmly appreciated.

Please plan to arrive on July 7th.

An application can be requested from the Residency Coordinator.