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Salt Spring Zen Circle Spring Retreat

31 March – 3 April 2016

OVERVIEW

Thank you for your interest in our 2016 Spring Retreat, to be held from Thursday evening, March 31, 2016, at 7:00 PM, until Sunday afternoon, April 3, 2016, at 3:00 PM. The retreat is held at Stowel Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. We look forward to practising with you.

Space is limited, so we encourage you to register early. Please read the retreat information carefully before filling out the Registration Form below.

SESSHIN PRACTICE

The practise during this retreat (sesshin in Japanese) is based on the traditional Zen approach, and can be quite rigourous for newcomers. There are approximately ten periods of silent meditation per day (25 to 30 minutes in duration) plus several other kinds of practise opportunities. Participants should have some previous experience with such a retreat schedule. If you do not, please discuss this with our registrar, Ann Colburn, acolburn@verizon.net.

RETREAT FEE

Our retreat fee is based on a sliding scale from $150-$180, and includes all eight meals. Those who are able to pay at the higher end of this scale will thereby be aiding those with lower incomes to attend and will be contributing to our financial assistance fund for our sesshin.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Financial assistance is available for up to half of the lowest retreat fee. Please contact our registrar for information: acolburn@verizon.net

RETREAT PAYMENT OPTIONS: Retreat fee payment may be completed through PayPal, using your PayPal account or credit card, or by cheque.

PAYMENT THROUGH PAYPAL ACCOUNT: please click on the PayPal link at the bottom of the registration form, sign into your account, select “Send Money” and direct your payment to our email address: SSZCreg@gmail.com

CREDIT CARD PAYMENT: If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can still use PayPal to pay the registration fee securely with your credit card. Just indicate PayPal payment option at the bottom of the registration form, click “Submit” and you will be directed to the PayPal site. Then follow the instructions for using credit cards.

PAYMENT BY CHEQUE: To pay by cheque, please see instructions at bottom of registration form.

WE WILL NOTIFY YOU BY E-MAIL WHEN PAYMENT IS RECEIVED TO CONFIRM YOUR REGISTRATION.

DANA: In addition to the retreat fee, which we deliberately keep low, participants are asked to offer a donation (dana) to our teacher, Eihei Peter Levitt, who, in keeping with Zen tradition, serves without remuneration. This donation is part of the traditional practise of a mutual exchange of generosity, since it nourishes all who are involved. In that spirit, donations are offered anonymously during the retreat in an amount each participant finds appropriate. Dana is usually offered in cash, so please note that no ATM or bank is in the vicinity of the retreat site.

ACCOMMODATIONS

STOWEL LAKE FARM ACCOMMODATIONS:

For those who wish to enjoy the benefit of a residential retreat, you have the option to stay on site.

PLEASE NOTE: Stowel Lake Farm accommodation fees are separate from the retreat fee. See information on the Registration Form below.

BILLETING:

Free billeting is offered to off-island participants by our sangha members on a first-come, first-served basis. Billets are limited, so please register early.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If your plans change and you are not able to attend the retreat, your payment will be returned in full, provided we hear from you by March 15, 2016. After that date, if we are unable to fill your spot, we will retain a cancellation fee of $30.

INFORMATION: If you have further questions or need more information, please contact the registrar at acolburn@verizon.net

Registration Form

Full Name *

First Name Last Name

E-mail *

Address *

Street Address
Street Address Line 2
City	State / Province
Postal / Zip Code	Country

Phone Number *

–Area Code Phone Number

Our retreats are rigourous and are not recommended for those new to meditation practise. Please let us know if you have participated in one or more meditation retreats and/or if you have an established practise. *

Yes No

If you answered “yes” to the previous question, please tell us in which tradition you practice, how long you have been practising and how many days you have spent in retreat at one time.

I wish to receive information about staying at the retreat site at Stowel Lake Farm.

Yes No

I wish to receive information about billeting with a sangha member.

Yes No

Please tell us if you have special needs regarding your billet (I.e., allergies to pets, physical limitations, etc.).

Because participants staying at Stowel Lake Farm or at a billet sometimes need to share a room, please indicate your gender. *

Female Male

We offer ample, but simple, vegetarian fare. If you have significant food allergies or restrictions, please list them here:

Please tell us if you have physical or mental health concerns that we should be aware of. We provide mats and firm cushions (zafus) for meditation. Chairs and some kneeling benches are available.

Following Zen tradition, we schedule a daily work practise of about 90 minutes. Please tell us if you have concerns about or limitations to participation in work practise.

Please provide us with the name of a person we can contact should an emergency arise during your stay with us. *

Relationship to you of your emergency contact. *

Phone number(s) of your emergency contact. *

We encourage you to secure your place in the retreat by sending in your fee payment now. Please remember that your registration is not confirmed until we receive your fee. Please indicate below whether you will use PayPal or will send a cheque.

*

I plan to use PayPal. Please enter payment below and click on “Submit”. I plan to send a cheque. Please make cheque payable to “Salt Spring Zen Circle,” and mail to Wendy Webb, 124 Meyer Rd., Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 1X4 Canada. Now click “Submit” below to complete the application process. Thank you.

Payment is on a sliding scale from $150-$180 CAD. Please enter your PayPal fee payment here and click “Submit” to access PayPal. Thank You.

CADPayment for 2016 Spring Retreat