Partial Attend Fees
Partial attendance means that you will attend the sesshin full time for the first four,
five or six days. For this type of attendance you need to:
- Fill out and submit a partial attendance form with your application and
the appropriate fee.
- When you leave the sesshin, leave in the afternoon while others are doing exercise.
Part-day attendance means that you will attend the sesshin every day for at least two of the
four main blocks of sitting (4:30 to 7:00 am; 8:30 am to 12:00 pm; 1:30 to 4:30 pm; and 6:30
to 9:30 pm). This kind of attendance is a privilege and takes extra care and attention if it is
to be non-disruptive to others who are attending full-time, and meaningful to the part-day
attendees. To do this kind of sesshin attendance you need to:
- Submit a partial day attendance form (PDF format) with detailed information regarding
which meals you will be taking, the times you will be attending, and, as close as possible, the
exact times you will be entering and leaving. This must accompany your sesshin application along with the appropriate sesshin fee.
- Arrive for the blocks of sitting no less than 17 minutes before the sitting begins. If you should be late due to circumstances beyond your control you must sit in the foyer and enter the zendo at the end of the next kinhin.
Sensei wants to provide sesshin experience for certain
persons who can only attend sesshin on a
partial basis due to the present circumstances of their lives.
However, he will not alter the taut, disciplined style of sesshin to accommodate such persons.
Since it is not possible for people who are carefully entering and leaving sesshin to become
as silent and "deep" as those who are participating full time, it is essential that people
attending sesshin on a part-time basis be aware of this and make a special effort to conduct
themselves carefully, and that they avoid disrupting the silent, disciplined atmosphere of
the sesshin.
