Retreats, Classes & Events
Throughout the year, Korinji offers retreats, classes, ceremonies, and training events at the monastery and elsewhere. These opportunities range from introductory instruction to intensive practice. Please see the Calendar for upcoming in-person events, and the Meditation Groups page for local groups where beginners may receive instruction and meet community members.
Learn To Meditate
Korinji offers beginner instruction three times each week through groups in nearby Madison and Baraboo, Wisconsin. These meetings are appropriate places to learn meditation, receive basic guidance, meet our teacher and community, and begin establishing daily practice at home. Not near Korinji? We have affiliated groups in other locations. Please see the Meditation Groups page.
Zen Life Retreat: For Beginners
The Zen Life Retreat is Korinji’s annual weekend retreat for those new to Zen practice or new to Korinji. Participants receive meditation instruction, an introduction to monastery life, and direct guidance from our teacher. This retreat is appropriate for adults and mature teens. Please see the Calendar for dates and details.
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Sesshin: Intensive Zen Retreat
For more experienced Zen practitioners, Korinji offers six Rinzai Zen Dai-Sesshin, seven-day intensive meditation retreats, each year at the monastery, as well as additional sesshin in Europe. These retreats are conducted in a rigorous traditional manner uncommon in the West, and require preparation, stability, and sincere commitment. Please see the Calendar for upcoming sesshin and other Zen events.
Becoming a Zen Student
After beginning Zen practice with Korinji and attending several retreats with our community, one may apply to become a formal student of Meido Roshi. A short face-to-face ceremony called shoken formalizes this relationship and opens the door to more intensive instruction. Shoken is conducted during Dai-Sesshin in North America and Europe. Please inquire.
Budo (Martial Art) Events
Korinji offers opportunities to explore the embodied intersection of Zen and bujutsu, martial arts, at the monastery and elsewhere. Budo training at Korinji is not sport or recreation, but a discipline of body, breath, attention, energy, fearlessness, and self-refinement. Beginners and experienced martial artists are welcome. Please see the Calendar.
Sado (Tea Ceremony) Classes
Korinji hosts monthly instruction in Kogetsu Enshu-ryu Zen Sado. Training is led by our abbot with the permission and guidance of Nakamura Nyosen Soke, Headmaster of Kogetsu Enshu-ryu. Periodic intensive tea training events are also held, including visits by Nakamura Sensei to the United States. Please see the Calendar for upcoming classes and events.
Shittan and Shabutsu Classes
Shittan is the practice of writing Sanskrit bonji, mantric seed syllables associated with buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities. Shabutsu is the meditative brushing of Buddhist iconographic images. These sacred arts train posture, breath, concentration, reverence, and the unity of body and mind. Please see the Calendar for upcoming classes.
Shugendo Training
Nyubu Shugyo, traditional Shugendo mountain training, is conducted annually in natural areas near Korinji. These three-day retreats are centered on Jukkai Shugyo, Ten Realms Training: a bodily entry into levels of awakening within the natural environment. Among rocks, trees, and waterfalls, participants undertake disciplined practice in the mountain mandala. Please see the Calendar for this and other Shugendo events.
Goma: Fire Ritual
At least once each month, Korinji conducts public goma, the mikkyo fire ritual in which prayers are offered for many people and purposes. Attendees may submit prayers in person or by email to be written on wooden prayer boards and offered into the fire. Full details are listed in the Calendar. Suggested donation to support the monastery:
Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Blessing: for Health and Good Fortune
Following goma, a special ritual called Nyoi Hoju Ichi-in Kaji-Ho is conducted. This “wish-fulfilling jewel single-seal blessing” is an esoteric ritual handed down in the Shingon tradition. Prayers are offered for health, good fortune, good relationships, and the removal of obstacles. During the ritual, participants are touched with a specially empowered crystal.
Other Buddhist Rituals
A number of Buddhist rituals at Korinji are open to the public throughout the year, including observances for the birth, awakening, and passing of the Buddha; Urabon, when we remember and pray for ancestors and departed family members; New Year events; and other ceremonies. Please see the Calendar listing for full details.
Ceremonies for Your Lfe
Korinji can conduct Buddhist ceremonies for various occasions, including weddings, funerals or burials, memorial services, blessings of a new home or business, and ritual assistance for places where disturbing phenomena are experienced. Ceremonies for beloved pets are also possible. Please inquire.