Mt. Baldy Zen Center is happy to announce it will host a sesshin this February which will be led by Sh?ky? Minakawa Roshi, the abbot of Zuiryu-ji temple in Sapporo, Japan. Minakawa Roshi will give teisho on the Mumonkan as well as sanzen, which will be focused on case one of the Mumonkan. Participants will have to prepare for this sesshin by studying the Mumonkan in advance of the sesshin. We’ll have more information about what to study as the sesshin approaches. Students who have not done sesshin before at Mt. Baldy Zen Center should contact the center to see if they have the necessary prerequisite training to do the sesshin. Please join us. This is a wonderful opportunity to study koans and to engage them with direct experience.
Located in the San Gabriel Mountains 40 miles east of Los Angeles, the Mount Baldy Zen Center is a monastic style retreat center for Joshu Sasaki Roshi’s Rinzai-Ji community. Most of his priests, monks and nuns have undergone extensive formal training here, and still attend summer and winter retreats.
Part of the Rinzai Zen lineage, MBZC enables ordained priests and lay students to train together in a formal, but rustic setting – designed to help us realize fundamental insights into our nature, and to manifest these insights in everyday life.
The Center was acquired in 1971 and has been refurbished over the years to accommodate students dedicated to rigorous Zen Buddhist training. The environment has been designed to challenge us to adapt to changing surroundings while maintaining the established schedule, protocol, and rituals.
-3 cabins (4 bunk beds) -1 cabin (3 bunk beds) -1 cabin (Owls nest) (One double bed or three single beds) -1 cabin (library) (Max three single beds) -7 cabins (jiki, shoji, tenzo, tanto, Shika, densu, couples) (Max.two beds) -1 kitchenette (Bedroom w/queen sized bed, living room, kitchen and private bathroom w/toilet) -Gatekeeper’s Cabin (One bed, small bath with sink and tub)
Arrival by car The Center is 30 minutes up the mountain from Upland or Claremont, CA. Access during the winter may be restricted by the Forest Service – cars may need chains and/or all wheel drive. Our address: Mount Baldy Zen Center P.O. Box 429 7901 Mount Baldy Road Mount Baldy, CA 91759 Map Arrival by air, bus or train The nearest airport in Ontario Airport (ONT). We do not provide transportation to and from LAX. If you are arriving into LAX, take Super shuttle (1-800-700-1983) to the Double Tree Inn on 555 Foothill Blvd, Claremont, CA 91711. If you need to be shuttled up the mountain, please arrive at Ontario airport or the Greyhound or train station in Claremont by 1 PM at the latest on the day before sesshin. Please give us ample notice of any pick-up requirements. Mt. Baldy staff also arranges transportation back to the airport on the day after sesshin for a small fee. When there is a ceremony the morning after sesshin, the preferred departure time for the staff shuttle to Ontario airport is 11 am. Please book your flights accordingly.