BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Hokyoji - ECPv6.17.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Hokyoji
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://hokyoji.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Hokyoji
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20250309T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20251102T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20260308T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20261101T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20270314T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20271107T070000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260725T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260801T160000
DTSTAMP:20260617T222841Z
CREATED:20260106T194428Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260617T222841Z
UID:8877-1784991600-1785600000@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Clouds in Water Retreat
DESCRIPTION:For information and registration\, please visit Clouds’ website or the retreat registration page.
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/private-retreat-6/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260808T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260815T100000
DTSTAMP:20260428T185912Z
CREATED:20260106T194517Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T185912Z
UID:8879-1786201200-1786788000@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Jewel Mirror Sesshin
DESCRIPTION:According to tradition\, when Dogen Zenji returned from China\, he wrote the Fukanzazengi\, “Universal Recommendations for Zazen”. A few years thereafter he composed his first work in Japanese\, Bendōwa\, “Discourse on the Practice of the Way”. Framed as a series of 19 questions and answers\, Bendōwa lays bare the themes he would spend a lifetime exploring in his magnum opus\, Shobogenzo. \n\n\n\nCome explore Dogen Zenji’s Bendōwa this Summer with three inspiring teachers of the Soto lineage: Rev. Dokai Georgesen (Hokyoji)\, Rev. Daigaku Rummé (Confluence ZC\, St. Louis)\, and Rev. Reirin Gumbel (Milwaukee ZC) \n\n\n\nAbout sesshin… \n\n\n\nHokyoji supports a variety of retreats\, each with its own distinctive practice vision\, perspective\, and teaching style\, formal and informal. Jewel Mirror Sesshin is on the more formal side. Zazen is practiced throughout the day\, interspersed with services\, oryoki-style meals\, and a work practice each afternoon.  \n\n\n\nThis is a cherished opportunity to cultivate an atmosphere of deep silence and introspection. We look forward to practicing with you. \n\n\n\nAbout the teachers… \n\n\n\nReirin Alheidis Gumbel has been the Resident Priest at Milwaukee Zen Center since 2015. After many years of being a lay practitioner\, she was trained at the San Francisco Zen Center\, where she lived as a monastic for almost 12 years. She was ordained as a Soto Zen Priest by Furyu Nancy Schroeder in 2007 and received Dharma Transmission in May of 2019. Reirin attempts to be an example for her sangha by maintaining a strong sitting practice and bringing it into the world that so urgently needs the dharma. \n\n\n\nDokai Georgesen started practicing Zen with Dainin Katagiri Roshi in 1974 and was ordained in 1984. He received transmission from Katagiri Roshi in 1989. He is the Guiding Teacher at Hokyoji and has resided there since 2003. He is a past President of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA). \n\n\n\nDaigaku Rummé was ordained a Soto monk by Harada Sekkei Roshi in 1978 and trained with him for over 27 years at Hosshinji Monastery in Japan. In 2003 he began working at the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center in San Francisco. He then moved to L.A. in 2010\, where he was Director of the Soto Zen Buddhism North America Office and Head Priest of Zenshuji Soto Temple. In 2015\, he moved to St. Louis and founded Confluence Zen Center where he is the guiding teacher. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nWe are committed to the access to our retreats regardless of economic circumstances. If you need a scholarship to attend\, please contact us. If you would like to make the retreat accessible to others\, please consider a donation at checkout with the comment “Scholarship”.\n\n\n\nAt Hokyoji we compensate our teachers and retreat leaders through the dana system. “Dana” is Sanskrit for “pass the hat” (more precisely\, generosity). If you would like to donate online\, you can do so here before\, during\, or after the retreat. You can also donate at the retreat via cash\, check\, or Paypal.
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/jewel-mirror-sesshin-3/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260815T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260815T150000
DTSTAMP:20260706T192843Z
CREATED:20260630T203902Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T192843Z
UID:9201-1786798800-1786806000@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Shukke Tokudo for Junden Gage Myers
DESCRIPTION:Priest Ordination Ceremony \n\n\n\n\n\nYou are cordially invited to attend the Shukke Tokudo Ceremony of Junden Gage Myers on August 15\, 2026 at 1p CT \n\n\n\nCommonly called the Priest Ordination Ceremony\, shukke tokudo means “Leaving Home and Attaining the Way”. In the Old Days\, this meant becoming a monk. These days\, the “home leaving” represents an inner renunciation. The ideal is captured in the novice priest’s title\, unsui\, which means “cloud\, water” following the Chinese poem\, “drifting like the clouds\, flowing like water”. \n\n\n\nThe ceremony marks the formal entry into priest training where the candidate shaves their head\, receives the robes and bowls of a Buddhist monk\, and renews the precepts. Junden will be ordained by Rev. Jūshin Stephyn Butcher\, Associate Teacher at Hokyoji.  \n\n\n\nPlease plan to share in this most auspicious ceremony for Junden and the sangha and show your support! \n\n\n\nThe ceremony will take place immediately following the Jewel Mirror Sesshin. Please RSVP if you plan to attend in person (tickets below). There may be only limited accommodations at Hokyoji if you plan to stay Saturday night\, as the Jewel Mirror Sesshin will have only just concluded. Accommodations are not available for Friday night. \n\n\n\n1-2p CT: Shukke Tokudo Ceremony. In-person & Zoom.2-3p CT: Tea & Treats in Mauss Hall. In-person only. \n\n\n\nIf you plan to attend by zoom\, you need do nothing. Please arrive 10-15 minutes before the ceremony starts at 1p CT. \n\n\n\nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83944772739?pwd=ss1tirHHmKcoVOdL44eDiJmsR5QsIA.1
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/shukke-tokudo-for-junden-gage-myers/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260830T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260830T170000
DTSTAMP:20260702T183544Z
CREATED:20260702T183542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T183544Z
UID:9225-1788076800-1788109200@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Mountain Seat Ceremony: Stepping Up and Stepping Down
DESCRIPTION:After some 23 years as Guiding Teacher\, Rev. Dokai Georgesen will be officially retiring on September 8\, 2026. In honor of his retirement\, we planned to have a Mountain Seat Stepping Down Ceremony. However\, it turns out that one needs to have had a Stepping Up Ceremony to have a Stepping Down Ceremony. Please join us for both on August 30. \n\n\n\nThe exact details have not yet been set. Please save the date and check back soon or watch for emails from Hokyoji.
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/mountain-seat-ceremony-stepping-up-and-stepping-down/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260831T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260906T110000
DTSTAMP:20260323T143934Z
CREATED:20260323T143932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T143934Z
UID:9039-1788188400-1788692400@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Compassionate Ocean Sesshin
DESCRIPTION:For more information\, see https://www.oceanzen.org/hokyoji
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/compassionate-ocean-sesshin/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260915T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260920T100000
DTSTAMP:20260106T194714Z
CREATED:20260106T194712Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T194714Z
UID:8881-1789484400-1789898400@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:MZMC Retreat
DESCRIPTION:For more information\, visit https://www.mnzencenter.org/
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/mzmc-retreat/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260924T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260927T100000
DTSTAMP:20260225T215810Z
CREATED:20260106T194808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T215810Z
UID:8883-1790262000-1790503200@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Private Taichi/Yoga Retreat
DESCRIPTION:Reserved for a private retreat.
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/private-retreat-7/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261001T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261004T100000
DTSTAMP:20260706T191552Z
CREATED:20260106T194910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T191552Z
UID:8885-1790866800-1791108000@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Art & Zen 2026 - Where Stillness Takes Root - A Zen & Ikebana Retreat
DESCRIPTION:Both zazen and Ikebana ask us to practice in the same essential spirit by abandoning our ideas about the world to meet the world where it is. The Zen practitioner sits\, releasing the urge to grasp or fix\, simply present with what arises. The Ikebana practitioner empties their mind before the flower\, listening for what the branch already knows about itself. These are not two practices—they are one practice with different hands. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOver two full days\, this retreat will sow the seeds of both Zen meditation and Ikebana\, the Japanese art of flower arranging\, in their shared soil: the cultivation of presence\, the dissolving of the gap between self and nature. Under the guidance of Revs. Keidō Jeromy Thotland & Jūshin Stephyn Butcher and certified Sogetsu instructor Trân Huỳnh\, we will sit in stillness each morning before turning that same quality of attention to stems\, leaves\, and blooms.  \n\n\n\nAs ikebana master Suido Yamane taught\, the essence of Ikebana lies not in what we do to nature\, but in what we find there–sensing what he called “eternal life” within the materials and learning to harmonize with it [1]. This is the same “eternal life” that Katagiri roshi taught streamed forth wherever we might find ourselves and that we could taste in zazen [2]. \n\n\n\nTrân brings over fifteen years of ikebana practice to this work\, exhibiting throughout the Twin Cities and serving on the board of Ikebana International’s Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter. Together\, we will explore how the meditation cushion and the vase ask the same question of us: Can you get out of the way? \n\n\n\nNo prior experience with meditation or ikebana is required—only the willingness to meet flowers\, silence\, and yourself with fresh eyes. \n\n\n\n[1] Art of meditation: Attitudes to nature in Japanese gardens & Ikebana\, Shoso Shimbo\, 1 June 2024.[2] Blue Cliff Record Case 3: Master Ma Is Unwell\, Talk 1\, April 19\, 1980 Dharma Talk by Dainin Katagiri Roshi. \n\n\n\nRetreat Leaders \n\n\n\n\nTrân Huỳnh is a certified Sogetsu ikebana teacher with over 15 years of experience. She regularly exhibits throughout the Twin Cities including at the Como Ikebana Mum Show and Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. She serves on the board of the Ikebana International Chapter #121 of Minneapolis-St. Paul and is a member of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Sogetsu Study Group and the Sogetsu Teachers’ Association. \n\n\n\n\n\nRev. Keidō Jeromy Thotland was born and raised in Minneapolis. His life includes experiences in the US Navy\, retail\, labor union work\, and research. He depends on these\, including family and sangha life\, to remind him of the many ways of being. His focus is on the intersection of the everydayness of life and the everydayness of Zen\, and the wonder that each moment can bring. \n\n\n\nKeidō serves as a Senior Priest at MZMC in Minneapolis\, MN and an Associate Teacher and Board member at Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in Eitzen\, MN. He was Ordained and Transmitted by Ted O’Toole. \n\n\n\n\n\nRev. Dr. Jushin Stephyn Butcher was ordained in 2017 and received dharma transmission in the Katagiri lineage in 2025 from Hokyoji’s Guiding Teacher\, Rev. Dokai Georgesen. \n\n\n\nHis first exposure to Eastern thought was through the TV Series Kung Fu starring David Carradine. In his 20s and 30s\, he followed a winding path through Taoism and Tibetan Buddhism that eventually lead him to Hokyoji in 2008\, courtesy of a blog post by Brad Warner. \n\n\n\nA double rainbow member of Gen X\, Jushin brings a latch-key kid aesthetic to his practice of Zen\, including shikantaza\, movement\, and art. His understanding of the Way fuses traditional sources with neuroscience\, evolutionary psychology\, and Stoicism. \n\n\n\n\nAbout Art & Zen \n\n\n\nArt & Zen is a retreat series that seeks to explore the interrelationship between Zen practice and the Arts\, both Traditional and Modern. “Zen & Ikebana” is the first in the series with two more planned for 2027 and more beyond. \n\n\n\nRegistration 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.
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/zen-the-arts-retreat-ikebana/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261007T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261011T110000
DTSTAMP:20260323T135441Z
CREATED:20260323T135438Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T135441Z
UID:9037-1791385200-1791716400@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Private Zen/Mindfulness Retreat
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/private-zen-mindfulness-retreat/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261016T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261018T100000
DTSTAMP:20260106T195000Z
CREATED:20260106T194958Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T195000Z
UID:8887-1792152000-1792317600@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Caring for the Land - Fall
DESCRIPTION:TBD
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/caring-for-the-land-fall/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261020T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261025T100000
DTSTAMP:20260106T195058Z
CREATED:20260106T195056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T195058Z
UID:8889-1792508400-1792922400@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Just Sitting Retreat - Fall
DESCRIPTION:TBD
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/just-sitting-retreat-fall-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261112T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261115T100000
DTSTAMP:20260706T191536Z
CREATED:20260106T195136Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T191536Z
UID:8891-1794495600-1794736800@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Practicing the Ways Retreat
DESCRIPTION:This retreat co-led by Patrice Koelsch and Onryu Kennedy will continue to integrate and connect the ways of Buddhist practice in Vipassana and Zen. \n\n\n\nIn this retreat\, we will explore ancient and contemporary Buddhist teachings on how practitioners can skillfully relate to the polycrises of today’s world. \n\n\n\nSuggested readings will be posted later. \n\n\n\nAll levels are welcome! \n\n\n\nRetreat Leaders \n\n\n\n\nFormally trained with a Ph.D. in Philosophy\, Patrice Koelsch began sitting at Common Ground Meditation Center in 1995. Patrice is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders Program\, and completed a year-long Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program at the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies. She has practiced meditation at monasteries in Thailand and Myanmar. Patrice has provided hands-on care for persons in the last stages of HIV/AIDS\, and worked for many years in HIV education and client support services. For more than 2 decades she has been facilitating meditation groups in correctional facilities. She is on the Board of the Minnesota Multifaith Network\, and volunteers with ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota to bring about a multicultural democracy\, a caring economy\, and a just climate future. \n\n\n\n\n\nRev. Onryu Kennedy 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 Sotochu. \n\n\n\nThroughout 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. \n\n\n\n\nRegistration 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.
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/practicing-the-ways-retreat/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261130T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261206T100000
DTSTAMP:20260106T195245Z
CREATED:20260106T195244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T195245Z
UID:8893-1796050800-1796551200@hokyoji.org
SUMMARY:Rohatsu Sesshin 2026
DESCRIPTION:TBD
URL:https://hokyoji.org/event/rohatsu-sesshin-2026/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR