January 4, 2025 – January 26, 2025
Join us for BZC’s first-ever Residential Practice Intensive, a turning point for our sangha and an auspicious way to begin BZC’s 20th Anniversary year.
This is a rare opportunity to study with Guiding Teacher, Soshin Teah Strozer (BZC’s Root Teacher) who will lead this three-week intensive at Ancestral Heart Temple and neighboring Watershed Retreat Center.
Participants will:
FAQ
What can I expect of a typical day?
Participants will follow a communal schedule. Each day will begin before dawn and include multiple periods of zazen, work practice, and shared meals. Sesshin days will feature more periods of sitting. Participants will be asked to abide by the shingi (monastic guidelines) and ethical precepts while in residence. There will also be days off for rest, conversation, and connecting to the land.
Can I participate for part of the Practice Intensive?
We ask all participants to participate in the entire Practice Intensive to help maintain a settled and intimate container.
How were the fees calculated?
The “Base Rate” represents the actual costs of running this Practice Intensive, including renting the retreat center, travel for teachers, food, and the staff time to organize this offering. We have funds to support BIPOC practitioners and are open to scholarship requests as needed. We ask those who can offer above the base rate to do so, which offsets scholarships. Please find more information about BZC’s Equitable Pricing Model below.
Does this Practice Intensive meet Soto Zen Buddhist Association standards?
Yes, this meets SZBA’s criteria for formal practice intensive training.
How do I get to Ancestral Heart Temple?
Ancestral Heart Temple is in Millerton, NY, 100 miles north of New York City and near the Massachusetts and Connecticut borders. Participants can take the Metro North Train from Grand Central to Wassaic; Ancestral Heart residents will provide a shuttle from there. Participants are also welcome to drive.
How many participants will there be?
We are capping registration at 32 participants—the maximum number that will fit in the zendo for zazen and services. Please register early to save a spot! Registration closes December 20 or when full.
At BZC, we are committed to making our classes, workshops, and retreats accessible to all. To support this, we offer an equitable pricing model based on a sliding scale, reflecting our intention to move towards equity within our sangha and acknowledge historical contexts of wealth.
Determining Your Rate: Please refer to our Equitable Pricing Model to find the registration rate that best fits your circumstances.
Financial Assistance: No one will be turned away due to financial constraints. If you are unable to pay the lowest rate, please use this form to request a pricing exemption. Please note: Pricing exemption requests are due at least one week before the registration deadline, unless otherwise specified.
Questions? If you have any questions or concerns about registration, please contact us at info@brooklynzen.org.
GUIDING TEACHER
Essence Heart/Mind (Soshin) Teah Strozer, BZC’s beloved Founding Teacher, began her relationship with our sangha by leading retreats beginning in 2006. We were then blessed with her presence as our resident teacher in New York for six months each year, a generous commitment that helped establish our community. She continued offering teaching through Dokusan and personal interviews the last eighteen years. We are grateful to have Teah deeply involved with our sangha offering her wisdom and guidance.
A lineage-holder in the Soto Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Teah’s practice has been enriched by extensive study in other Buddhist traditions, including Vipassana and Tibetan Buddhism. Her remarkable journey began in 1968, studying under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Dainin Katagiri Roshi. For the past fifteen years, she has also studied with Adyashanti, further deepening her understanding.
Teah’s rich life experience includes eleven years of residential practice at Tassajara monastery, serving as a high school chaplain, teaching music in Africa, and raising two children, all while maintaining her role as a respected teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center. Now, at eighty years old, she views this upcoming intensive as a precious opportunity to be in residence with our community once again. We share her joy and anticipation for this special time of practice together.
BZC relies on donations to sustain its spaces, teachers, and staff. Make a gift on our website, via PayPal through paypal@brooklynzen.org or Venmo. You can also support a dharma teacher or practice leader here. Or, consider becoming a Member to support us year-round!
We ask that all participants be fully vaccinated and boosted. Masks are optional. Please see the BZC Covid Protocol for more information.
We cannot offer refunds once registration closes on December 15. You may request a full refund by emailing info@brooklynzen.org. This policy supports the organizing effort involved in managing registrations and cancellations and the largely volunteer-based structure of the Brooklyn Zen Center.