Beginners Mind Sesshin 2026: A Winter Silent Retreat of Wholehearted Practice -

with Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei, Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, Dai En Friedman, and Jose Shinzan Palma

Wednesday, January 14th - Sunday, January 18th, 2026 at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY

Sesshin, the Japanese term for a Zen meditation retreat, holds the profound meaning of "touching the heart-mind" and stands as a fundamental pillar of Zen practice. This exceptional occasion offers a precious opportunity for us to delve deeper into our practice alongside a supportive community of fellow practitioners. During our time together, we will explore the teachings of the Wholehearted Way, emphasizing the ever-present possibility of intimacy and the sheer delight of experiencing life's fresh reality.

Through the practice of sitting and walking meditation, engaging dharma talks, and intimate dokusan sessions with a teacher, we will immerse ourselves in the transformative power of Noble Silence. Let us come together, here and now, embracing this five-day, four-night journey of discovery and growth.

SCHOLARSHIPS: A limited number of partial scholarships are available for this retreat. Scholarship accommodations are for shared (double or triple) rooms only. Please apply for support by completing a Scholarship Application Form. Due to limited funds, preference will be given to sangha members who regularly participate at the Center. Priority deadline: November 21, 2025.

GETTING THERE: The Garrison Institute is reachable by car or Metro North Railroad. There is also a Shortline Bus to Poughkeepsie, which is 30 minutes from the Garrison Institute. For further information, please see this Travel and Transportation pdf on the Garrison website.

Please anticipate an arrival time between 3:00pm and 5:00pm, with dinner at 6:00pm. Please check your registration confirmation email for more information on what to bring.

RETREAT ACCOMMODATIONS: Rooms are located on the second, third, and fourth floors. There are two spacious communal bathrooms on each residential floor. There is no elevator.

REFUND POLICY: More than 2 weeks ahead of the retreat - 50% refund. Within the two weeks prior to the start of the retreat - non-refundable. Registration will close at midnight Eastern Time on January 7th, 2026.

WHAT'S INCLUDED: All prices include tuition, lodging, and three vegetarian meals a day. Supporter Level and Benefactor Level pricing are available for those who wish to increase their support of NYZC and our work to make the dharma accessible to all.

Donations (dana) to teachers are not included in registration cost. Dana is a foundational practice that emphasizes the importance of cultivating generosity without attachment or expectation of reward. In the Soto Zen teachings, we practice the act of giving not for benefit but to transform the mind of the giver and receiver equally. The teachers offer themselves freely as an expression of dana. We encourage you to contribute an amount meaningful to you at the end of the retreat.

HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY: Please review and complete the required questionnaire and waiver found here. Registrations are not considered finalized until this form has been completed.

COVID-19 POLICY: It is the Garrison Institute's policy that every guest and participant must self-test (at home antigen test is acceptable) within the 48-hour window prior to arriving for a retreat on site, and to bring a second self-test kit when coming on site. They do not require proof of a negative test result. If you have a positive test result, please notify us immediately at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please see their Safety Protocols for Covid-19 page for more information. The Garrison Institute will continue to follow any COVID-19 guidelines set forth by local officials, NYS, and the CDC.

Sesshin Teachers

Chodo Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei, is a co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care - a non-profit organization that focuses on the teaching of Zen and Buddhist practice with the goal to make them more accessible to people all around the world. The center delivers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and meditation practice. Chodo is a dynamic, grounded, and visionary leader and teacher; he has traveled extensively throughout the U.S instructing in various institutions. Sixty-thousand people listen to his podcasts each year. His passion lies in bereavement counseling and advocating for change in the way our healthcare institutions work with the dying.

He is also on the faculty of the University of Arizona Medical School's Center for Integrative Medicine's Integrative Medicine Fellowship and the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine in San Diego.

Koshin Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After many years as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which offers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and Zen practice. Today, New York Zen Center's methodologies are internationally recognized—and have touched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals. Koshin is a world renowned thought leader in contemplative care. He is the author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion (Balance/Hachette, 2022); Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up (Wisdom Publications, 2019) and the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care (Wisdom Publications, 2016). His work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning, Tricycle among other publications.

He is currently on the faculty of the University of Arizona Medical School's Center for Integrative Medicine's Integrative Medicine Fellowship, on Faculty of the Integrative Medicine Fellowship of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, and he is a visiting professor at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, of the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston Medical School.

Dorothy Dai En Friedman Dorothy Dai-en Friedman Sensei's spiritual journey began in the 60s when she was forced to seek help for a back injury. This event proved to be a wonderful preparation for her eventual immersion 20 years later in Buddhist Vipassana practice at Insight Meditation Center.

After she established her Vipassana practice, she then began her journey into Zen practice. Her teachers include Peter Mathiessen, Joseph Goldstein, Matt Flickstein, and Maureen Stuart Roshi.

Dai-en is now a Sensei at Ocean Zendo, located on Eastern Long Island. She is honored to be invited to teach with Koshin and Chodo in the wonderful work at NYZC, for the benefit of all beings, as we live and die.

Jose Shinzan Palma was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He is a Zen priest and Dharma Successor of Roshi Joan Halifax. He has been practicing Zen since 1996. He is the founder of the Open Gate Zen Collective in San Diego, CA. co-teaches teen retreats in the US for IBME, and is a guest teacher at Upaya Zen Center in New Mexico, New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, Zen Groups in México City, and Bogotá, Colombia.

Event Registration

Ticket Type	Price
Single Room - Benefactor Level	$1,436.00
Single Room - Supporter Level	$1,336.00
Single Room - Standard Pricing (Actual Cost)	$1,236.00
Double Room - Benefactor Level	$1,258.00
Double Room - Supporter Level	$1,108.00
Double Room - Standard Pricing (Actual Cost)	$1,008.00
Triple Room - Benefactor Level Note: Triple Rooms are located on the 4th Floor. There is no elevator.	$1,170.00
Triple Room - Standard Pricing (Actual Cost) Note: Triple Rooms are located on the 4th Floor. There is no elevator.	$920.00

Registration is now closed for this retreat. For questions about the Winter Silent Retreat 2026 or to be added to the waitlist, please email the NYZC office at info@zencare.org.