Sesshin Talks

Zen Meditation Retreat

A sesshin (接心, or also 摂心/攝心 literally "touching the heart-mind") is a period of intensive meditation (zazen) retreat in a Japanese Zen monastery, or in a Zen monastery or Zen center that belongs to one of the Japanese Zen traditions outside of Japan.

While the daily routine in the monastery requires the monks to meditate several hours a day, during a sesshin they devote themselves almost exclusively to zazen practice. The numerous 30- to 50-minute-long meditation periods are interleaved with short rest breaks, meals, and sometimes short periods of work (Japanese: 作務 samu) all performed with the same mindfulness; nightly sleep is kept to a minimum, at six hours or fewer. During the sesshin period, the meditation practice is occasionally interrupted by the master giving public talks (teisho) and individual direction in private meetings (which may be called dokusan, daisan, or sanzen) with a Zen Master.

In modern Buddhist practice in Japan and the West, sesshins are often attended by lay students and are typically one, three, five, or seven days in length. Seven-day sesshins are held several times a year at many Zen centers, especially in commemoration of the Buddha's awakening to full enlightenment (anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi). At this Rohatsu sesshin, practitioners seek to relax and quiet the mind to the point of cessation of mental chatter and emotional impulse, samadhi, kensho, or satori.

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Title	Speaker	Date
Way-Seeking Mind Serial: SF-05361 Saturday Lecture Of March Sesshin Saturday, March 28, 1970 San Francisco Way-Seeking Mind, Sesshin, Monastic Practice, Peace	Suzuki Roshi	Mar 28 1970 City Center
Non-Dualistic Practice Serial: SR-00260 Sesshin Lecture No. 3: Wednesday, February 25, 1970 San Francisco Sesshin, Big Mind, difficulty, zen, Duality, Karma, Anger, Mahayana, training,...	Suzuki Roshi	Feb 25 1970 City Center
Selflessness, Being and Non-Being: The Background of Shikantaza Serial: SR-00261 Sesshin Lecture No. 1: Monday, February 23, 1970 San Francisco Sesshin, Buddha Nature, Emptiness, Evil, Mahayana, Posture, Freedom, Continuous...	Suzuki Roshi	Feb 23 1970 City Center
Brown Rice is Just Right Serial: SR-00247 Morning Sesshin Lecture Sunday, February 1, 1970 City Center Sesshin, Emptiness, Discrimination, Buddha Nature, training, Hate, Suffering, Pain,...	Suzuki Roshi	Feb 01 1970 City Center
Each One Of Us Is A Cook Serial: SR-00258 Afternoon Sesshin Tea Lecture Sunday, February 1, 1970 Sesshin, Emptiness, Forms, Compassion, Pain	Suzuki Roshi	Feb 01 1970 B
Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 6 Sesshin, Ceremony, Freedom, Observe, Wisdom, Oneness, Beginners, training, Precepts,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 04 1969 Tassajara
Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 5 Serial: SR-00202 Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 5 Wednesday, December 3, 1969 Tassajara Sesshin, Bodhisattva, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Oneness, Ceremony, Precepts, Wisdom...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 03 1969 Tassajara
Practice Should Not Be Perfect, So Descendants Have Something To Do Serial: SR-00203 Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 4 Tuesday, December 2, 1969 Sesshin, Dogen, Building, difficulty, Monastic Practice, Transmission, Zazen, Breath...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 02 1969 Tassajara
Way-Seeking Mind, Part III Serial: SR-00194 Winter Sesshin, Day 3, Lecture No. 3 Monday, December 1, 1969 Tassajara Way-Seeking Mind, Sesshin, Bodhisattva Vow, Big Mind, difficulty, Vow, heart, Monks,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 01 1969 Tassajara
Way-Seeking Mind, Part II Serial: SR-00266 Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 2 Sunday, November 30, 1969 Tassajara Way-Seeking Mind, Sesshin, Buddha Mind, Don't Know Mind, Big Mind, Intention,...	Suzuki Roshi	Nov 30 1969 Tassajara
Way-Seeking Mind, Part I Serial: SR-00267 Winter Sesshin, Lecture No. 1 Saturday, November 29, 1969 Tassajara Way-Seeking Mind, Sesshin, reality, Faith	Suzuki Roshi	Nov 29 1969 Tassajara
Sesshin, Sixth Night Lecture Serial: SR-00129 Tassajara September, 1969 Sesshin, Don't Know Mind, Posture, Ceremony, Addiction, Duality, Beginners,...	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 1969 Tassajara
Sesshin, Third Night Lecture Serial: SR-00130 Tassajara September, 1969 Sesshin, Emptiness, reality, Passions, Intuition, Bell, Forms, American, difficulty...	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 1969 Tassajara
Shosan Ceremony Serial: SR-00213 Tassajara September, 1969 [Beginning of ceremony not recorded.] Sesshin, Shosan, Perfect Wisdom, Dragons, Breath, Death, Intuition, Lay, Bell,...	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 1969 Tassajara
Stand Up By The Ground Serial: SF-05209 Protection Master "Suzuki Roshi summer sesshin 1969 2nd night lecture Sesshin, Second Night Lecture September, 1969 Tassajara Sesshin, Dogen, Time, Continuous Practice, Freedom, Doubt	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 1969 Tassajara
Not Always So Serial: SR-00124 August Sesshin Lecture Thursday, August 7, 1969 San Francisco Sesshin, Dogen, Interdependence, Freedom, Gratitude, Composure, Posture, Emptiness,...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 07 1969 Sokoji
To Actually Practice Selflessness Serial: SR-00125 August Sesshin Lecture Wednesday, August 6, 1969 San Francisco Sesshin, Pain, Fox, Precepts, Freedom, Funeral, Monks, Liberation, difficulty,...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 06 1969 Sokoji
Zen Is Not Something To Talk About, And Also It Is Something To Talk About Serial: SR-00015 Shunryu Suzuki (with Ryogen Yoshimura) Afternoon Sesshin Lecture Sunday, April 19, 1969 Audio includes Yoshimura at beginning. Sesshin, Suffering, lecture, Monks, Don't Know Mind, Priest, Community, Posture...	Suzuki Roshi	Apr 19 1969
Find Out for Yourself Serial: SR-00011 Find out what "buddha-nature" and "enlightenment" mean. Study without purpose. How his teacher in Japan treated him; trying to discover the right thing to do. Sesshin, Zazen, Eiheiji, Suffering, Buddha Nature, Freedom, Beginners, Posture, zen,...	Suzuki Roshi	Mar 15 1969 Sokoji
Shikantaza, Tenryu's One Finger Serial: SR-00236 Sesshin Lecture Saturday, October 12, 1968 Sokoji, San Francisco Sesshin, Gutei, Yaoshan, Community, Pain, sitting, Monks, Obstacles, Instruction,...	Suzuki Roshi	Oct 12 1968 A Sokoji
Shuso Ceremony Serial: SF-05779 SR-68-04-23-C (complete) Philip Wilson's shuso ceremony, followed by SR near end of side A - duplicate Sesshin, Shuso Ceremony, Big Mind, Gratitude, Commitment, Precepts, Faith	Katsuzen Philip Wilson	Apr 23 1968 C Tassajara
Because I Was Not Well Serial: SF-05143A SR023 Track 1 Suzuki Roshi's afternoon sesshin 4-23-68 copied [there are also photographs of hand-written notes on missing portions of Q&A - per tape operator's... Sesshin, Koan, Ordinary Mind, everyday mind, Faith, Composure, Doubt, Religion...	Suzuki Roshi	Apr 23 1968 A Tassajara
Shosan Ceremony Serial: SF-05143B SR023 Track 1 to 1/3 of other side Suzuki Roshi Question and Answer ceremony - copied 2 tapes [there are also photographs of hand-written notes on missing portions of Q&A... Sesshin, Shosan, Emptiness, Attachment, Hate, Faith, Interview, Enemies, Evil, Doubt...	Suzuki Roshi	Apr 23 1968 B Tassajara
Shuso Ceremony Serial: SF-05143C SR023 Last 2/3 side 2 Philip's discussion ceremony - copied 2 tapes [there are also photographs of hand-written notes on missing portions of Q&A - per tape operator... Sesshin, Shuso Ceremony, Big Mind, Bell, Bodhidharma, Gratitude, Buddha Nature,...	Suzuki Roshi, Philip Wilson	Apr 23 1968 C Tassajara
Shosan Ceremony Serial: SF-05985A Shosan Ceremony, Sesshin, Feb 1968 Tassajara This ceremony is re-edited from the original cassette, with non-SR (Bishop Sumi) sections removed, and the speed... Shosan, Sesshin, First Principle, Beginner’s Mind, First Principle, Lotus Sutra,...	Suzuki Roshi	Feb 1968 Tassajara
Everything Itself Is Buddha Serial: SF-05140A SR20 - Reel #5 Suzuki track 1 - Roshi's lecture sesshin #7 12/6/67 Afternoon - copied (This audio is only the first part of the talk) Sesshin, Buddha Nature, Buddha Nature, Observe, Hate, Faith	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 06 1967 B Tassajara
Good and Bad Feeling Serial: SF-05141A Tuesday, December 5, 1967 Afternoon Sesshin Lecture, Lecture A Tassajara Sesshin, Attachment, Discrimination, Separation, Liberation, Freedom, Doubt, Faith...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 05 1967 A Tassajara
Nature of Our Practice Serial: SF-05141B Tuesday, December 5, 1967, Lecture B Evening Sesshin Lecture Tassajara Sesshin, Dogen, Fukanzazengi, Dragons, Daily Life, Observe, Freedom, training,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 05 1967 B Tassajara
The More We Study Our Way, The More Difficult It Is To Explain It Serial: SF-05142 SR018 - Track 1 - Roshi's Lecture sesshin #4 12/4/67 Evening - copied Sesshin, Dogen, Observe, Ceremony	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 04 1967 Evening Tassajara
Think the Unthinkable Serial: SF-05137B ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #20, by Shundo David Haye ===== This talk comes from the middle of the second sesshin at Tassajara, in December... Sesshin, Fukanzazengi, Buddha Mind, training, Sanctuary, Beginners, Duality,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 04 1967 Afternoon Tassajara
Inner Power of Practice Serial: SF-05137A SR017 - Track 1 - slow - Roshi Lecture - 12/2/67 - afternoon - copied Sesshin, Blue Cliff Record, Concentration, Precepts, Monastic Practice, New Year,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 02 1967 Tassajara
True Practice Serial: SF-05133B Evening Sesshin Lecture Friday Evening, December 1, 1967, Lecture B Zen Mountain Center Sesshin, Zuigan, Fox, Gratitude, Fox, Buddha Nature, Addiction, Discrimination,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 01 1967 B Tassajara
Putting Power In Your Hara Serial: SF-05133A Afternoon Sesshin Lecture Friday, December 1, 1967, Lecture A Zen Mountain Center Sesshin, Dogen, Fukanzazengi, Buddha Mind, Big Mind, Separation, New Year,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 01 1967 A Tassajara
Genjo Koan no 4 Serial: SF-05136 Track 1 17/8 - Suzuki lectures - beginning missed, one or two sentences; beginning: This is the last lecture of sesshin. We have talked of emptiness and form, but have not... Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Time, Faith, Emptiness, Continuous Practice, Dragons...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 24 1967 A Tassajara
Reflections on the Prajna Paramita Sutra Serial: SF-05135A ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #19, by Shundo David Haye ===== This is the talk that was chosen by the... Sesshin, Sengai, Time, Emptiness, Ego, Continuous Practice, Evil, Nirvana,...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 24 1967 Tassajara
Shosan Ceremony August Sesshin, 1967 August 24, 1967 Tassajara [Opening sentences of Introduction missed.] Sesshin, Shosan,	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 24 1967 B Tassajara
Buddhism Is Not a Special Teaching; Enlightenment Is Not a Particular Stage Serial: SF-05134D ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #17, by Shundo David Haye ===== About half way through this sesshin talk, you can start to hear crickets in the background, getting... Sesshin, Dogen, Genjokoan, Enemies, Continuous Practice, Doubt, Religion, Peace...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 23 1967 Tassajara
To Polish A Tile Is Our Practice Actually Serial: SF-05135B ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #18, by Shundo David Haye ===== Further to the date confusion and missing talks discussed last time, it seems that even Suzuki Roshi... Sesshin, Prajna Paramita, Shobogenzo, Discrimination, Silence	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 23 1967 Tassajara
Genjo Koan no 2 Serial: SF-05134C ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #16, by Shundo David Haye ===== This third talk from the historic inaugural sesshin at Tassajara in 1967, given the day after the... Sesshin, Dogen, Priest, Emptiness, Dragons, confusion, Hate	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 21 1967 Tassajara
Genjo Koan Serial: SF-05134A ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #14, by Shundo David Haye ===== The acquisition of Tassajara in 1967 was a huge leap for Zen Center. Suzuki Roshi had long been... Genjokoan, Dogen, Sesshin, Emptiness, New Year, Interview, Freedom	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 20 1967 Morning Tassajara
When You Have A New Experience Serial: SF-05134B ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #15, by Shundo David Haye ===== This talk was given later on the same day of the first Tassajara sesshin as the last one discussed (... Sesshin, Faith, Doubt	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 20 1967 Evening Tassajara
Sesshin Lecture: Three Treasures Serial: 67-06-11 Sunday, June 11, 1967 [Suzuki seems to be commenting on Shi Sho Ku* (?) of Dogen. When this is evident, Dogen's words are in quotation marks.] SHUSHOGI [jrb... Sesshin, Shushogi, Precepts,*	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 11 1967
This Sesshin Was Wonderfully Done Serial: SF-05100C Saturday, April 22, 1967 Sesshin Lecture B San Francisco Sesshin, Priest, Evil, Doubt, training	Suzuki Roshi	Apr 22 1967 B Sokoji
You Must Give Up Worldly Desires Serial: SF-05100B Saturday, April 22, 1967 Sesshin Lecture A San Francisco Sesshin, Family Practice, Doubt, Dragons, resistance, Priest, Hate, Freedom	Suzuki Roshi	Apr 22 1967 A Sokoji
The Need for Training in Buddhism without Self-Seeking Mind Serial: SF-05121B Original recording Sesshin, Dogen, training, Buddha Nature, Hate, Observe, Instruction, Doubt	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 17 1966 B Sokoji
In the first instruction of ten instructions in Gakudō-yōjin-shū Sesshin, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Sixth Patriarch, Platform Sutra, training, Instruction,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 17 1966 A Sokoji
Blue Cliff Records Case 45 Serial: SF-05097E Friday, August 19, 1966 Sesshin Lecture: Friday Evening, Lecture D Sokoji, San Francisco Blue Cliff Record, Sesshin, Joshu, Eiheiji, Observe, Diversity, Duality	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 19 1966 D Sokoji
This Fascicle of Shobogenzo Serial: SF-05097F Sesshin Lecture 1966 Tape #2 Track 2: Suzuki 1pm lecture Friday Sesshin, Dogen, Shobogenzo, Blue Cliff Record, Attachment, Instruction, Freedom,...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 19 1966 C Sokoji
Don't Be Attached To Your Attainment Serial: SF-05097H Sesshin Lecture 1966 Tape #2 Track 4 Friday lecture by Suzuki during morning zazen Friday Sesshin, Instruction, Attachment	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 19 1966 B Sokoji
This is the Fourth Day of our Sesshin Serial: SF-05097C Reconstruction of Lecture from Second Zazen Period (Before Morning Service) Thursday Morning, August 18, 1966, Lecture A Sokoji, San Francisco [This tape is... Sesshin, Suzuki Roshi	Zentatsu Richard Baker	Aug 18 1966 A Sokoji

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