The Berkeley Zen Center 20s and 30s Dharma Group is happy to announce it will be hosting its second annual “Hills and Streams” backpacking sesshin, from Friday, April 22nd through Sunday, April 24th. There is also a mandatory meeting on Thursday, April 21st. The retreat will be held in the steep oak woodlands of Sunol Regional Wilderness, east of Fremont (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol). Sign-up and cancellation deadline is Monday, April 11th. While readings for this sesshin will be announced at the April 19th meeting, last year we studied the Xin Xin Ming and contemplated some verses of Thich Nhat Hanh’s on walking meditation while we were hiking.
This is an intensive meditation retreat which will involve significant hiking and will maintain (to the extent possible) a sesshin atmosphere and practice. This includes long periods of silence, sitting zazen, and shared responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, etc.). If you are new to backpacking or sesshin, please speak with the director, Kelsey. This sesshin is a wonderful way to connect with other young sangha members and experience practice in wilderness. If you or someone you know is interested in attending, please fill out an application at the following link: http://bit.ly/1PBorgw or email Kelsey at kelseybrynne@gmail.com. We hope to see many old and new faces there!