Zen Practice

Our Summer Volunteer Program runs from mid-May until the end of September. Throughout the Summer we will open our facilities to welcome external retreat leaders and their groups. The volunteer program offers room and board in exchange for helping with our Summer Guest Season.

Residents join the daily life of the monks and teachers at CMZC. Our daily schedule includes meditation, time for self-guided study, communal meals and work periods. There are also Dharma talks and Question and Answer sessions.

To be a student at CMZC means to join the resident monks and lay practitioners in following the schedule completely. This includes meditation and work periods, talks and discussions, and community meals.

A Zazenkai is a silent weekend retreat. We follow a sesshin-like schedule; most of the day is dedicated to zazen but includes chanting, a work period, walks, and a dharma talk given by a senior practitioner.

During the Work Week, the Sangha comes together to prepare the campus for our Summer Guest Season.

A Zazenkai is a silent weekend retreat. We follow a sesshin-like schedule; most of the day is dedicated to zazen but includes chanting, a work period, walks, and a dharma talk given by a senior practitioner.

The July Practice week focuses on a topic that is developed through daily dharma talks and discussions.

A Zazenkai is a silent weekend retreat. We follow a sesshin-like schedule; most of the day is dedicated to zazen but includes chanting, a work period, walks, and a dharma talk given by a senior practitioner.

Aiki is recognizing circumstance and skillfully adapting.  In aikido, recognizing and adapting are bodily activities.  It is the same in zen practice.  We attend to circumstances and conditions as they arise.  When we do not separate from them, appropriate response becomes something we feel physically.

At Crestone Mountain Zen Center, we continue the monastic tradition of the 90-day Practice Period. During the Practice Period residents and students are engaged in rigorous daily schedule of Zazen, oryoki meals, dharma talks, study, and ceremony.