Rohatsu Sesshin

What a world we are living in! The ancient sages knew this too, including the Buddha. The beautiful line from the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi reads, “The ancient sages grieved for them (us), and offered them the Dharma.”  This line will be our overarching theme for Rohatsu sesshin this December. We will explore stories of the Buddha’s spontaneous teaching as he wandered the countryside, meeting living beings just as they were, and offering them illumination, not separate from the very world they found themselves living in.  Together may we be inspired to receive the Dharma that melts away the root of suffering.

Retreat Leaders

Rev. Myo-O Habermas-Scher practiced with Katagiri Roshi from 1975 until his death in 1990; she also trained for twelve years in the Vipassana tradition. She received Dharma transmission in 2012 from Dokai at Hokyoji. Myo-O is a master movement teacher and teaches somatically based vocal training. In 2021 she retired after fourteen years as an interfaith staff chaplain at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, MHealth Fairview. She is also a mom and a grandmother to two little grandsons.

Rev. Kyoku Tracey Walen was ordained in 2008 and given Dharma transmission by Byakuren Judith Ragir in 2015. Her training included three years at Great Vow Zen Monastery and study with Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village. She lives at Hokyoji where she is a staff member and is also a teacher at Clouds in Water Zen Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.