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Programme

Living a basic lifestyle and being in direct contact with nature in a remote mountain area, naturally the following programme arose. This programme consists of two different but interconnected activities: Personal retreats and Residential training.

Personal retreats

Personal retreat

Because Keiryuji can and will only handle a small number of people, every retreat will become a personal retreat. Not only in how they are composed, but also in the daily contact with the teacher.

These retreats are not fixed and they can differ per practitioner. They are composed by teacher and student together, depending on former experience and practice. The final word lies with the teacher.

A few examples of a personal retreat:

Mountain retreat: the mountains that surround us have a big impact on the retreats. Within the Mountain retreat you follow the daily schedule and you have time to do extra zazen or take (silent) hikes in the mornings and afternoons. This can be in the group or by yourself. As soon as the weather allows it we will practice zazen outside as much as possible.

Solo retreat: these retreats are a mix of the solitary retreat and the daily programme. For example starting the day with group meditation and breakfast and ending with a group meditation and dinner. In between there will be a broad variety of possibilities to fill in the personal solo retreat.

Solitary retreat: in this retreat it is important to be by yourself as much as possible. This can be realized in various ways, from staying in a little cabin up to a tent. Food will be provided in a discrete way. There will be regular contact with the teacher; how often will be decided in consultation with the teacher.

Residential training

For taking part in the residential training you need to be familiar with Keiryuji. Part of the training is being partly responsible for taking care of the temple and the members who are in retreat. This means that all residents share responsibility for the daily affairs of the temple. For residents, it is mandatory to follow the daily programme and schedule.

Samu
Toilet

Daily Schedule

06.30 zazen (meditation)
07.10 kinhin (walking meditation)
07.20 zazen + daisan (private interview with the teacher)
07.50 kinhin
08.00 zazen + doksan
08.30 service (reciting of sutras)
09.15 breakfast
10.00 samu (work)
11.30 coffee & tea break
13.30 lunch + break
15.45 samu / sport / study
17.30 break
18.00 dinner
19.30 zazen
20.00 kinhin
20.10 zazen
20.40 kinhin
20.50 zazen
21.15 the four vows


Once a week a teisho (dharma talk) will be given.

Weekend Schedule

08.00 zazen
08.40 service
09.00 breakfast
13.30 free lunch
18.00 dinner