Morning Star Virtual Zendo
Quarterly Virtual Retreat
Registration is now open, click here to register.
* Fr Robert Kennedy, Roshi, will be present in MSZ Zendo on Saturday 9:30-4:00. Door will open at 9:00. Please plan to bring your own lunch. Join meeting with retreat meeting code and password will be sent three days prior to retreat.
Friday Evening,
7:00 - 7:25 pm Welcome, Sesshin Structure and Zazen
7:25 - 7:35 pm Kinhin
7:35 - 8:00 pm Zazen (Meditation instruction)
8:00 pm Closing for the Day
*2:00 – 3:00 pm EST ( Zendo will open for people of different time zone who wish to sit)
Saturday,
7:00 - 7:25 am Incense Offering, Gatha of Repentance, Zazen
7:25 - 7:35 am Kinhin
7:35 - 8:00 am Zazen
8:00 - 9:30 am Meal Break
9:30 - 9:55 am Zazen (all join meeting with regular Saturday meeting code and password)
9:55 - 10:00 am Kinhin
10:00-10:30 am Teisho and Q&A
10:30-11:00 am Tea Break
Join meeting with retreat meeting code and password
11:00-11:25 am Zazen
11:25-11:30 am Kinhin
11:30-11:50 am Zazen
11:50-12:00 pm Kinhin
12:00-12:25 pm Zazen
12:25-12:30 pm chanting
12:30- 2:00 pm Meal Break
2:00-2:25 pm Words of Encouragement and Zazen
2:25-2:35 pm Kinhin
2:35-3:00 pm Zazen
3:00 pm End of day chanting
3:15-4:15 Optional Daisan (Private meeting with Teacher)
Sunday
7:00 - 7:25 am Gatha of Repentance, Zazen
7:25 - 7:35 am Kinhin
7:35 - 8:00 am Zazen
8:00 - 9:00 am Meal Break
9:00 - 9:25 am Teisho
9:25 - 9:30 am Kinhin
9:30- 10:00 am Zazen
10:00-10:15 am Tea Break
10:15-11:00 am Final Chanting / Council Circle
11:00 Closing words
*******************************************
Silent retreats (sesshins) offer an opportunity to develop a deeper contemplative prayer life, strengthened by the presence of others. Zazen or sitting meditation is the practice of stilling the mind through attentiveness to the breath. Together with stillness of the body, this frees the mind from its ordinary activities of thinking, and speculating.
Zen silent retreats are open to persons of all religious and non-religious affiliations; they includes zazen (seated meditation in 25 minute periods), kinhin (walking meditation), chanting, dharma talks and daisan (one on one interviews with the teachers), and beginners instruction.
ANGOS - During the Lenten and Advent seasons, Roshi Kennedy often presents a reading each weekday at 5 pm when he is not travelling in order to support the deepening of our practice. We call these periods of intensified practice Angos. You can view an archive of our 2009-2016 Ango readings here
**************************************
Quarterly weekend retreats: March 7-9, 2025, June 6-8, 2025, September 5-7, 2025, December 5-7, 2025.
December 5-7, 2025
Maryknoll Sisters,Ossining, NY 10562, $285, 25 rooms,WHITEPLAINSZEN@GMAIL.COM
2026:
tba Grey Heron Zendo,Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland. Contact Anita at dominicanretreat@gmail.com. website.https://greyheronzen.ie/
August 14-20
Mercy by the Sea, Madison, CT
An Interfaith Retreat with Roshi Robert E. Kennedy, SJ
Registration Opens in January.
December 11-18 to be confirmed
tba 2026
Holmes Retreat Center
Holmes NY 12531
Russ Michal, Sensei
42 rooms, $275
April 17-24, 2026— Guest House at Dai Bosatsu Zendo
Livingston Manor, New York.
Contact Sensei Carl Viggiani, carlviggiani@gmail.com
