Register for the June Sesshin!

Sesshin: To Touch the Heart-Mind

Registration is now open for 
Greater Boston Zen Center June Sesshin
June 23 – 30, 2023

Providence Zen Center
99 Pound Rd, Cumberland, RI

With Teachers:
Jeff Kōgen Seul, Sensei
Julie Seido Nelson, Dharma Holder
Fran Ludwig, Senior Assistant Teacher

Dear Sangha Friends, 

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for our week-long residential retreat, to be held June 23 – 30 at Providence Zen Center, in Cumberland, RI.  The retreat begins with dinner at 5:30 pm on Friday evening, June 23, and ends at 11:00 am on Friday, June 30. 

Providence Zen Center sits on a beautiful, 50-acre campus in Cumberland, RI.  We will be holding our sesshin in the Diamond Hill Monastery, a separate smaller temple tucked into the woods overlooking a pond, that is a short distance from the main building.  Rooms are double occupancy with shared baths.  Single rooms are available for an additional fee, subject to availability.  Eight rooms are available in the Monastery, with additional rooms in the main building.  Linens, towels, zafus and zabutons are provided.  There will be three vegetarian meals each day that we will eat oryoki style at our cushions.

Part-time attendance may be possible, space permitting. If you are interested in attending only part of the retreat, please contact [email protected]. Because full-time attendees will receive priority in registration, we will not be able to confirm part-time registration until after regular registration has closed. 

Attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated.  Wearing a mask will be optional.

Cost

The total fee for the retreat is:

$700 double occupancy for members 
$800 double occupancy for non-members  
$250 increment for a single room, subject to availability  

We want to emphasize that financial aid is available if you are unable to pay the full fee.  We do not want the cost to prevent anyone from attending.  We simply ask that you pay what you can reasonably afford, and that everyone make some contribution no matter how small.  Since not everyone will be able to afford the full amount, if you are in a position to contribute to the scholarship fund, we encourage you to do so.

Registration Process (Full-Time Attendance)

  1. Please fill out this on-line form. It asks you for contact information, and about your retreat background, your preferences regarding a roommate, your interest in carpooling, and your need for special accommodations or financial aid. 
  2. After you fill out the form, please pay your member or non-member fees (or what you can afford of them) and/or donate to the scholarship fund:  
  • Pay online via a transfer from your bank, PayPal, or credit card. Fill out the “tickets” area for registration, and then add any scholarship amount using the “Make a Donation” area. Note that about 3% of your payment goes to transaction fees if you choose to pay by credit card, 2% if you pay using a PayPal account, and less than 1% if you pay by ACH (bank transfer). Please consider ACH or covering the fees, if you are able. 
  • If you prefer, you may mail a check made out to GBZC to:  GBZC Treasurer, 552 Massachusetts Ave, #208, Cambridge, MA 02139 (Please indicate on the memo line of the check: ”April Sesshin.”  If you are able, to make an additional donation to the scholarship fund, please note this amount as “Scholarship fund.”)

Payment in full is required to complete your registration. 

  1.   You will be notified by email of successful registration.  Allow 5 business days for the check to arrive, if you pay by check. You will be notified later in the process about the availability of single rooms.

Note: 

Because the basic fee just covers room, board, and snacks, $700  of your payment is not tax deductible. The additional $100 for non-members, the additional $250 for a single room, and any donations to the scholarship fund are, like membership pledges, considered tax-deductible donations. 

Payment, Cancellation, Wait List, and Part-Time Attendance Policies

  •  Registrations must be received by June 9. 
  •  We request that you notify us as soon as possible if you need to cancel.  Cancellations made by May 26 will receive a full refund. Cancellations by June 9 will receive a half refund. There will be no refunds after June 9.
  • Maximum registration for this retreat is 18 participants.  If you register after the sesshin is full, your name will be placed on a wait list, and you will be notified if an opening occurs.
  • If space is available, registration for part-time attendance will begin on June 10.

Supporting You at This Sesshin

Tanto: (sesshin coordinator):  Fran Ludwig
Tenzo: (head cook)  Cheryl Morrow
Registrar:  Julie Nelson

Teachers:

Jeff Kōgen Seul, Sensei.  Jeff Kōgen Seul is a Zen teacher and preceptor in the White Plum Asanga (the lineage of Taizan Maezumi, Roshi).  He received Denbo transmission from Kevin Jiun Hunt, Roshi, in 2018.   Jeff became part of GBZC’s predecessor sangha after moving to Cambridge many years ago to attend Harvard Divinity School.  A practicing lawyer, Jeff is engaged in conflict resolution and peacebuilding work through the Peace Appeal, an international NGO, and he teaches at HDS as Lecturer on the Practice of Peace.  Jeff lives in Boston with Boston with his wife, Esther Whitfield, and their two children.

Julie Seido Nelson, Dharma Holder.  Julie Nelson is the Teaching Coordinator of the Greater Boston Zen Center. She has practiced Zen for twenty years, and received Denkai transmission in May 2021. She teaches at the GBZC-Cambridge Tuesday evening sits and sometimes at the Saturday morning sits. Her writings on Zen can be found on her blog, and in Tricycle magazine. 

Fran Kainyo Ludwig, Senior Assistant Teacher. Fran Ludwig began her Zen practice in 2007. She’s been practicing with this community since 2019.  Fran leads the Sunrise Sit, and along with Jeff Seul she leads the Thursday Evening Practice Group.  She is one of the teachers for the Saturday morning practice group. 

If you have questions about registration and fees, please contact [email protected]. Questions about schedules and other on-site arrangements should be directed to [email protected]. For questions to the teachers, [email protected].

Those who register will receive more details about retreat observances, the schedule, and what to bring as our June sesshin approaches. 

We hope to see you there! 

With many bows, 

Fran Ludwig