Zen Center FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

There are a number of ways to get involved. Our encouragement is that you attend a retreat or workshop so that you can begin experiencing the work for yourself. If you cannot attend a retreat for some reason, then we recommend you sign up for an email class with Cheri. Email classes are offered regularly, and they are a great way to develop a practice with Cheri's guidance and the support of others who do the practice. Email classes are an excellent  way to bring the practice of conscious compassionate awareness into daily life.

Other ways that you can be involved are to read Cheri's books and listen to her tapes; read our online newsletter, In Our Practice; or to begin attending a regular sitting group. We may have a sitting group affiliated with our practice established in your region. If you live in the Bay Area, our Palo Alto Zen Center has a weekly schedule of events including meditation, group discussion, and one- or two-day workshops. Also, senior monks from the Monastery travel regularly to facilitate monk weekends in different cities. These are listed on our schedule. If you live within driving distance of the Monastery, you could attend a Sunday orientation, which is an introduction to sitting meditation and to the guidelines we follow to support our practice.  After attending a Sunday orientation, you could then participate in our weekly Sunday program.

With all of our retreats, we ask that you wait until you have received a letter confirming your attendance in the retreat before you begin to set up transportation plans.

The Monastery is about 150 miles east of San Francisco area airports. Transportation from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Oakland International Airport (OAK) to the Monastery involves taking Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to the Pleasanton station where a Monastery van will pick you up the day the retreat begins. The van will return you to the BART station on the last day of the retreat. The round-trip cost is approximately $85 ($15 for BART and $70 for Monastery van transport).

If you need transportation getting to a retreat that is not held at the Monastery, we are usually available to assist, provided that you do not make plans without consulting us.

Will there be sitting meditation instruction on retreat?

We always offer sitting meditation instruction during our There Is Nothing Wrong With You Retreat, and meditation instruction and assistance is generally offered on other retreats. Additionally, we offer meditation instruction during our Sunday morning orientations.  You can call the Monastery office to sign up for a Sunday orientation.

When will my deposit be processed?

Retreat deposits are processed when you register. Your registration pledge payment holds a space in the retreat for you. If you cancel your retreat registration more three weeks prior to the retreat, you receive a full refund. If you cancel your retreat registration after the three-week mark, do not show up, or leave the retreat early, you will not receive a refund.

What is an appropriate donation?

We ask people to consider deeply what they are able to contribute. If you give more than your finances allow, that would not be a kindness to yourself. If you give less than you feel mirrors what you receive from this work, that would not be a kindness to yourself either.

When you donate money to the Zen Center, you are not paying for an event you attend, you are supporting spiritual practice. You are helping to provide a Monastery Retreat Center where monks train full-time, and where a full schedule of workshops and retreats is offered to people from around the country. You are supporting an urban Zen Center where all who wish to can meditate, attend workshops and practice days, and participate in a silent environment. Cheri is invited to many locations to speak and work with people. Donations pay her travel and living expenses. Book printing, tape production and distribution, the quarterly newsletter, and countless other projects aimed at making the practice available to any who seek it are all made possible by your generosity.

If we all support that which supports us, we all benefit and spiritual practice grows stronger. Your donations are received with appreciation and gratitude.

What are the accommodations like? Where will I be staying?

Retreats are held in both rural and urban settings, so accommodations vary. At the Monastery we have different styles of places to stay. These include single-occupant hermitages that are scattered throughout the property, a climate-controlled dorm with nine visually private but not sound proof cubicles, and camping as an option during the warm seasons. We usually offer shared-room housing at retreats away from the Monastery. On some away retreats single housing is available.

What is the daily schedule?

The daily schedule varies depending on the retreat. The schedule always includes sitting meditation and three meals a day. The schedule may include working meditation, walking meditation, group discussion, group workshop time, yoga or somatics, individual guidance sessions, and free time. The schedule is the base of the privileged environment that supports us in paying attention and learning to live from compassion.

Who leads the retreats?

Cheri Huber leads many of our retreats. This is always specified on our retreat and workshop schedule. Many of our retreats are led by senior monk facilitators who train under the guidance of Cheri at the Zen Monastery Practice Center. We also have lay practitioner facilitators who lead retreats and workshops in various parts of the country. All of our facilitators are highly trained, skilled guides in the practice of compassionate awareness.

Are phone calls permitted? What if my family needs to reach me?

Phone calls are not permitted while on retreat. We are happy to provide you with an emergency phone number in case an emergency should arise and your family would need to relay a message to you during the retreat. We ask you to attend to all personal business before arriving at a retreat so that your responsibilities and distractions can truly be set aside for the duration of the retreat and the focus can be purely on the practice of compassionate awareness.

What is the appropriate attire?

At the Monastery and on retreat, we wear modest comfortable clothing. We request that tight-fitting clothing, tank tops or sleeveless tops, leggings, midriff tops, etc. are not worn while on retreat. The atmosphere we are creating on retreat is one of little distraction. Only ankle length pants or skirts are worn in the meditation hall. On some retreats it will be specified to bring work clothes that you don't mind getting dirty, or yoga clothes for somatics and yoga. Otherwise, casual loose-fitting clothing is appropriate retreat attire.  

What is the food at the Monastery and on retreat like?

The Monastery is renowned for our delicious food! At the Monastery and at all of our retreats, we follow a low-fat vegetarian diet that is comprised of whole grains, proteins, and seasonal organic fruits and vegetables, a lot of which we grow in our organic gardens. We make our own granola and soymilk, and bake fresh bread daily. We also serve delightful desserts. As a general guideline we cannot accommodate special diets. We do offer non-dairy options at every meal. Our favorite recipes are available for sale in The Monastery Cookbook, available from Keep It Simple.

How to get on our mailing list

If you would like to be in our email database, you can sign up on the Living Compassion website . We also have an online quarterly newsletter called In Our Practice which features Zen Center schedule updates, a letter from the Guide, and articles by monks and sangha members.

Email class information

Cheri offers regular email classes. Among past classes have been Relationships, Developing and Deepening Awareness Practice, Acceptance, Celebrating Your Life, and Karma. Participating in an email class is a wonderful way to integrate practice into your daily life.

If you are interested in taking an email class, please click here to sign up. When a new email class is being offered we will send information about how the class works and how to sign up.