Category Archives: Zen

Weekend Retreat: Kathie Fischer

Kathie Fischer returns to Bozeman with this weekend retreat on the Therigatha– Teachings of the First Buddhist Women. Hosted by the Bozeman Zen Group, the retreat will take place May 3-5. This retreat will take place in person and via Zoom.

During the weekend, Kathie Fischer will help us discover the lives and teachings of early Elder Buddhist nuns through their stories, poems, and histories. These poignant tales of courage, tragedy and commitment can inspire us in our lives even 2500 years later.

With a mixture of zazen, stories, poems and dialogue we will enjoy the weekend with Kathie, our good friend and teacher.

Kathie will also be the guest speaker at the Bozeman Insight Group on Thursday, May 2. Everyone is invited to this evening to get to know Kathie better in an informal discussion and Q&A.

About Kathie Fischer

Sokaku Ryotan Kathie Fischer began practicing Zen in 1971 with Sojun Mel Weitsman at the Berkeley Zen Center. She was ordained a Zen priest at San Francisco Zen Center in 1980 by Zentatsu Richard Baker, and continued residential practice at Zen Center for 15 more years. Kathie also studied and practiced with Maurine Stuart MyoOn Roshi.

She received Dharma transmission from Sojun Weitsman in 2011 while in the midst of her 28-year career as a school teacher in Mill Valley. Since retiring from teaching science to adolescents she has turned her attention to studying and teaching Dharma.

Half-day Koan Salon

Half-Day Retreat, ZenMichael Palmer

This half-day Koan Salon on Saturday, April 20 with Michael Smith and Karen DeCotis is a restful, inclusive way to practice with koans. Koan is a Japanese term that refers to a legal public case. In Zen, koans are designed to give us pause, to enter deeply our own case. We will spend the morning sitting several short periods of zazen, each with a phrase, a story, a poem. There will be walking meditation, and time after each “koan” to consider together. All are welcome. No previous experience with koans is necessary. Sliding scale of $25-$50; scholarships available. Space is limited. Please register in advance for the half-da Koan Salon by clicking here.

About the Bozeman Zen Group

The Bozeman Zen Group provides half-day practice retreats regularly on Zoom and in-person to offer a time to stabilize and deepen our zazen practice, hear the teaching and engage with Zen forms. If you are new to retreat practice, and wish to learn more about how to participate, contact us at bznzen@gmail.com.

We are open to all who are interested in Zen and those curious about basic Buddhist practice.

We are currently affiliated with Branching Streams, an organization of sanghas in the Soto Zen lineage of Suzuki Roshi and the San Francisco Zen Center. Several of our members work with Zen teachers of other lineages. We are one of the resident sanghas at the Bozeman Dharma Center. All are welcome!

Event: Zen half-day Sit

Half-Day Retreat, ZenMichael Palmer

Sit with the Bozeman Zen Group on Saturday, January 20 from 9am-1pm. Bozeman Zen Group offers these half-day sittings monthly which are appropriate for beginners who wish to try a retreat practice opportunity as well as for experienced practitioners to deepen their practice. Regular retreat practice is a cornerstone of Zen practice. Join us for periods of sitting and walking meditation as well as a dharma talk with Zen priest, Karen DeCotis. Register here.

There will be 5 periods of meditation and breaks for stretching and tea.

Retreat: Brad Warner

Weekend Retreat, ZenMichael Palmer

Join the Bozeman Zen Group in welcoming Brad Warner, Zen teacher, Punk Rock musician, blogger, and all-around Not A Jerk! Brad will help us learn more about our ancestor, Eihei Dōgen through the writings of Dōgen in a weekend retreat November 10-12.

A “Friday night only” option is available at registration. No one turned away for lack of funds.

You can learn more about Brad on his website: Hardcore Zen.

Event: Working with Koans

ZenMichael Palmer

Join Michael Smith and Karen DeCotis on Saturday, October 7, for an easeful morning of sitting, walking and reflection as we take a dive into Working with Koans. Hosted by the Bozeman Zen Group, but all are welcome to this half-day retreat. No need to have prior Zen or koan experience.

Image of Zen sand garden for our half-day of Working with Koans

Retreat: Entering the Dharma Gate

Daylong Retreat, ZenMichael Palmer

Entering the Dharma Gate Retreat with Kathie Fischer

Zen Priest, Kathie Fischer, returns to Bozeman next week to offer a retreat on Entering the Dharma Gate! Kathie will first visit with the Bozeman Insight Group on Thursday, September 14 at 7 PM. She will give an evening talk on Friday, September 15 followed by a daylong retreat on Saturday, September 16. With fifty years of dharma practice, Kathie is the perfect guide to help us enter the numberless Dharma Gates! Registration for Friday only is available.

Event: Entering the Dharma Gate-Retreat with Kathie Fischer

ZenMichael Palmer

Visiting Zen priest, Sokaku Kathie Fischer offers a meditation retreat open to all on September 15-16. According to Buddhist lore, there are numberless Dharma gates– ways in which to experience the truth of our circumstances with ease and joy. With fifty years of Zen practice, Rev. Fischer will be our knowledgeable, welcoming guide through.

The retreat begins with a Dharma talk, Friday, September 15 and continues all day Saturday, September 16. Registration for Friday only is available. Kathie will also speak at the Bozeman Insight Community on Thursday, September 14. Early bird pricing is available through August 24!

Event: Not Always So: Zen Half-Day Retreat

ZenMichael Palmer

Join us for this half-day retreat on the topic of “Not Always So.” Bozeman Zen Group offers half-day sittings appropriate for beginners who wish to try a retreat practice opportunity as well as for experienced practitioners to deepen their practice. Regular retreat practice is a cornerstone of Zen practice. Join us for periods of sitting and walking meditation as well as a dharma talk with Zen priest, Karen DeCotis.

There will be 5 periods of meditation and breaks for stretching and tea.

Event: Practicing with Koans

Daylong Retreat, ZenMichael Palmer

Join the Bozeman Zen Group on Saturday, July 8 for a half-day retreat and koan practice.

Practiced by Zen students since the 600s, the study of koans encourages us to leave our beliefs and biases at the gate when we enter its space. While there are many fine collections of traditional koans, we will keep company with examples presented in a contemporary collection referred to as “the miscellaneous koans.” All welcome; no prior experience necessary! $20 donation to the Bozeman Zen Group is requested. Register here.

Dharma Thought: On Activity

Dharma Thoughts, ZenMichael Palmer

On Activity, from Suzuki Roshi: “When we practice zazen, we limit our activity to the smallest extent. Just keeping the right posture and concentrating on sitting is how we express the universal nature. Then we become Buddha and express Buddha nature…we just concentrate on the activity we do in each moment. When you bow, you should just bow; when you eat, you should just eat. If you do this, the universal nature is there. In Japanese, we call it ichigyo zammai or ‘one-act samadhi.‘ “

Despite our society’s love of “multi-tasking,” science is discovering that we really can only do one thing at a time. Our attempts at multi-tasking are actually our brains serially monotasking. This fragmented attention is the opposite of what the Buddha taught and of what Suzuki Roshi tried to remind us. Do you notice a difference in your mental state when you focus on one thing at a time and when you try to multi-task? Which one feels better?

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by the Bozeman Zen Group.