Winter Practice Period 2026
February 2 @ 3:00 pm – February 15 @ 4:00 pm CST
Hokyoji’s Winter Practice Period (Week 1: February 2-8. Week 2 sesshin, February 9-15). Come for Week 1, Week 2 or both. Week 1 is also available online.
We will explore Dogen Zenji’s fascicle, Hachi Dainin Gaku: Eight Qualities of a Great Person. Dogen Zenji invites ordinary people (like us) to engage our bodhisattva vow through our lived experience. We are living in times that offer us continuous opportunities to live by vow in innumerable ways. We are not separate from our ancestors and are continually supported in known and unknown forms.
Please join us in this wondrous inquiry into the qualities of a great person. Dogen Zenji fascicle welcomes all into this timely investigation.
The recommended text is The Roots of Goodness: Zen Master Dogen’s Teaching on the Eight Qualities of a Great Person, commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, translated with an introduction by Daitsu Tom Wright.
The first week will be led by Hokyoji’s Associate Teacher Rev. Onryu “GD” Kennedy. The second week will be a sesshin led by Associate Teacher Rev. Jushin Stephyn Butcher.
Week 1 – Hybrid Option. For those who would like to participate to some degree but whose circumstances prevent them from taking a week or two off, we will be offering the opportunity for hybrid participation. See the schedules below with Hybrid participation for Week 1 highlighted in gold. Suggested Ticket Price: $150 (or as your circumstances permit). Click registration below and select a Online Ticket.
Schedules for each week are above. Click to enlarge or right click and select “Save image as…” to your local computer.
Retreat Leaders:
Onryu “GD” Kennedy (Week 1) has received transmission in both the Katagiri and Uchiyama Roshi lineages. In 2019 and 2020, she attended three-month practice periods at Toshoji International Zen Center (Japan) and in 2017 at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (California). In the Spring 2020 practice period at Toshoji she was Shuso, head monk, for the practice period. She completed zuise in January 2023, and in February 2024 her application for Kokusaifukuyoshi was approved by the Japanese Sotoshu. Throughout her life she has valued social justice work as an expression of her vow. She is currently an Associate Teacher at Hokyoji Zen Practice Community. She experiences great joy in the opportunity to learn and teach Buddhist practices.
Jushin Stephyn Butcher (Week 2) started his Buddhist journey nearly 35 years ago in the Tibetan tradition. He found his way to Hokyoji, where he became a student of Rev. Dokai Georgesen. Jushin received jukai in 2013, ordination in 2017, and dharma transmission in 2025. He is an Associate Teacher at Hokyoji. He lives in Cambridge, Maryland, along with his husband, dog, chickens, and garden.
Registration fees cover lodging and food. Hokyoji compensates teachers through the dana system. If you would like to contribute, you may do so before, at, or after the retreat. If you would like to donate online, please click here.
