Sesshin · Lake Tahoe
Facing the Mountain’s annual fall retreat is held at Zephyr Point , on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. The retreat is open to practitioners of differing experience levels who are ready to enter a sustained period of silent practice.
The retreat begins Thursday evening and closes late Sunday morning. Our days are structured around 25-minute periods of zazen, 10-minute periods of kinhin, liturgy, dharma talks, formal meals, work practice, and rest. Zafus, zabutons, and chairs are available.
2026 application
Complete the online application, then follow the instructions in the form to send your $100 deposit. We will follow up by email to confirm your registration.
The remaining balance is due by September 15, 2026. Space and single-occupancy rooms are limited.
The per-person cost is $350, including lodging, meals, and the facility fee. A $100 deposit is required at signup, with the balance due by September 15, 2026.
Checks may be made payable to Facing the Mountain Zen Group. An online payment option is being prepared and will be announced to registered participants.
Participants may request permission to stay offsite and commute. The retreat fee is the same for onsite and offsite participants and is not prorated.
No one excluded for cost
Cost should never be the reason someone cannot practice with us. Partial scholarships are available. Indicate your interest on the application and we will follow up confidentially.
Single occupancy is limited. Full-retreat participation is the norm; rare single-day arrangements may be considered only by prior agreement with the registrar.
Before you register
Beginners are warmly welcome, and several people may be attending their first retreat. But this is a sesshin: three days of sustained silent practice. The days begin early and are structured around zazen, walking meditation, formal meals, work practice, and rest.
Once the retreat begins, participants ordinarily remain through the Sunday closing. The retreat is intimate, and each registration holds a place that another practitioner may want. Please apply when you are ready to commit to the full retreat.
No experience with our particular forms is required. We will teach what you need, including oryoki. We do ask that this not be your very first encounter with Zen practice.
Breakfast and lunch will be served oryoki style and prepared by our own kitchen crew. Dinner will be a buffet provided by the conference center. All meals are vegetarian; dinner includes additional options selected during registration.
Guest oryoki sets are available. The application asks whether you need one. We will hold an oryoki practice session in the weeks before retreat, with additional instruction for meal servers. Details will be sent to registered participants.
Kitchen and serving crews
The retreat runs on volunteer kitchen and serving crews working under our tenzo, or head cook. No experience is necessary; training will be provided. The application includes a place to volunteer.
Plan to arrive between 3:00 and 5:00 pm on Thursday, October 22. Buffet dinner and a social hour begin at 6:00 pm in the main dining hall. Orientation begins at 7:00 pm. Bring your personal seating to orientation.
If you need to arrive after dinner, tell us in advance. Zephyr Point is approximately 45 minutes from Reno–Tahoe International Airport.
660 Highway 50, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448After Thursday orientation, we remain in silence until the Sunday Shosan ceremony. Leave electronic devices and reading material in your car, and avoid eye contact and whispered conversation. Necessary questions may be addressed quietly to the Sesshin Director or Ino outside the zendo or break room.
In the late afternoon and early evening, weather permitting, we move outside for Twilight Porch Sitting. Bring a lawn chair or yoga mat that will let you sit comfortably outdoors beside a mountain lake.
Work periods may include light zendo cleaning, grounds maintenance, kitchen work, or meal service. A few participants may also continue sewing Buddha’s Robe and should bring their sewing materials.
Tentative schedule
This schedule is subject to refinement. Registered participants will receive the final schedule before the retreat.
3:00–5:00 pm
Arrival, registration, and setup
6:00 pm
Buffet dinner and social hour
7:00 pm
Orientation in the zendo
7:30 pm
Zazen · noble silence begins
8:00 pm
Dharma talk
8:45 pm
Refuges
9:00 pm
Sleep or optional continued sitting
The zendo remains open after lights out for those who wish to continue sitting.
6:00 am
Open the zendo; zazen, kinhin, zazen
7:30 am
Service
8:00 am
Oryoki breakfast
9:00 am
Zazen, kinhin, zazen
10:00 am
Dharma talk
10:30 am
Zazen, kinhin, zazen
11:30 am
Rest and lunch preparation
12:00 pm
Oryoki lunch
1:00 pm
Work practice and rest
3:00 pm
Zazen, kinhin, zazen
4:00 pm
Movement practice or activity
4:45 pm
Zazen
5:10 pm
Twilight Porch Sitting
6:00 pm
Buffet dinner in the dining hall
7:00 pm
Zazen, kinhin, zazen
8:00 pm
Dharma talk
8:45 pm
Refuges
9:00 pm
Sleep or optional continued sitting
6:00 am
Open the zendo; zazen, kinhin, zazen
7:30 am
Service
8:00 am
Oryoki breakfast
9:00 am
Break
9:30 am
Shosan ceremony
10:00 am
Clean the zendo and cabins
11:00 am
Closing circle and departure
October 22–25, 2026
Sesshin is demanding, intimate, and deeply supportive. Apply when you are ready to participate fully, or contact us first if you need help discerning whether this is the right year to attend.