Heart Sutra Day Retreat

A retreat to chant the sutra 108 times and dedicate the merit for the benefit of all.

For a thousand years and more in East Asia, the Heart Sutra, the Hanyashingyo, has been the most chanted of the Buddha’s discourses. Containing in condensed form the Buddha’s teachings on emptiness and the wisdom that engenders our direct connection with this emptiness, the Heart Sutra is chanted in temples, on mountain tops, in meditation caves and even out in the street. Amonst the many ways of forming a connection with the sutra, allowing the voice to shape the sacred sounds is seen as the most direct. Many Zen practitioners from the past have chanted the sutras as a powerful and transformative mode of meditation. In writing of his solitary retreat on Mount Iwataki, Master Hakuin (1686-1769) writes, “My nights were zazen. My days were sutra-recitation. I never let up.”

This day-retreat will be hosted by our teacher, Daizan together with speech therapist and Zen practitioner, Jo Barclay. After an introduction and orientation with Daizan, Jo will help us prepare, open and empower our voices, before plunging into an immersive practice of chanting the sutra 108 times and dedicating the merit for the benefit of all. We will finish the day with a warm-down session, again led by Jo.

Expect to leave the dojo energised and strengthened with a new vocal openness and power. You may find the meaning of the Sutra ripening in your mind-stream to the point of realisation.

This practice day will be suitable for newcomers to practice as well as those with more experience.

Joining in-person

If you want to join in-person at the dojo, please bring a cold, vegetarian lunch to share and wear comfortable clothes. You can book using the form below.

Joining online

You can join this retreat online. We’ll do our best to make sure the sound quality of the live broadcast from the dojo is good. Please book using the form below.