Retreats, satsangs, and gatherings with non-dual teachers around the world in 2026. Time spent in the presence of those who have recognized their true nature can be profoundly clarifying.
The fall anniversary sesshin at the Zen Center of Syracuse (Hoen-ji) — an intensive period of Zen meditation marking the center's founding. Sesshin gathers practitioners for days of silent zazen in a strong communal container, with the traditional forms of Zen retreat: seated and walking meditation, work practice, and teacher interviews. Offered hybrid, in person and online.
Zen Center of Syracuse, Syracuse, New York, United States
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The annual Rohatsu sesshin at Mountain Cloud Zen Center, co-led by Sanbo Zen master Henry Shukman and associate master Valerie Forstman. "Rohatsu" means the eighth day of the twelfth month — Bodhi Day — traditionally the day the Buddha looked up at the morning star and awakened. The retreat honors that moment and takes it into practice, gathering as the year darkens toward the solstice, "bolstered by the silence of the coming winter," to deepen realization through zazen.
Sesshin is the intensive heart of Zen training: long days of silent seated meditation held in a strong communal container, with dokusan — one-to-one interviews with a teacher — and daily talks. Henry Shukman, originally from the UK, is an award-winning poet and author (One Blade of Grass, Original Love), spiritual director emeritus of Mountain Cloud, and co-founder of the meditation app The Way; his co-teacher Valerie Forstman leads from the center's zendo.
Mountain Cloud sits on two dozen acres in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains off the Old Santa Fe Trail — a small, handcrafted zendo in high desert country. The sesshin is offered hybrid: on-site residential, commuting, or online participation, with online retreatants supported by their own orientation, handbook, and break-out sessions.
Mountain Cloud Zen Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
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30
Dec
Retreat
Hybrid
Prerequisites December 30 – January 3, 2026
Part of the Dorje Drolö Dzogchen transmission — a restricted set of teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche's personal lineage, offered publicly for the first time in 2026–27. Dzogchen, the "Great Perfection," points directly to the already-present nature of mind; this retreat centers on teachings that unite calm-abiding (shamatha) and insight (vipashyana) within the Dzogchen view, including Trekchö — "cutting through" to the natural state. Prerequisites apply, consistent with the transmission's requirements. Offered hybrid from the Tergar center in Madison.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is one of the most widely known meditation masters of his generation — a Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, known for uniting rigorous contemplative training with warmth, humor, and an unusual fluency in modern science. He guides the worldwide Tergar Meditation Community.