Larry Fuho Trussell has been practicing Zen since 1976, and received Lay Transmission from Chozen and Hogen Roshi in 2015. Fuho is the lead teacher on Sunday mornings at Heart of Wisdom. He is one of the sesshin leaders in ZCO. He works as a research scientist and is married with one grown son.
Details of this retreat
Please join us at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple for an in-city meditation retreat, a chance to experience the flavors of a multi-day Zen sesshin.
This three-day non-residential retreat will include many of the elements you’ll find in sesshin at Great Vow. The schedule will be similar to our one-day zazenkai, but also include oryoki meals. (If you have an oryoki set, please bring it. Otherwise, we have sets you can borrow.)
This retreat will be held in silence. Part time participation is allowed, but you must commit to attending at least either morning or afternoon sessions on Thursday and Friday and all day on Saturday. Please discuss concerns about the schedule by reaching out to Fuho at lotrussell@gmail.com.
Cost: $120. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Due to the increased rigor of this retreat, we require that you first participate in a Zazenkai at Heart of Wisdom or a comparable daylong intensive at another Dharma center before registering for this retreat. If you have any questions, contact Fuho.
Thursday
7:30 a.m. Zazen
9:00 a.m. Service
9:30 a.m. Break
9:50 a.m. Work Circle (Work practice includes cleaning, cooking, or gardening.)
11:20 a.m. Zazen
12:30 p.m. Oryoki Lunch
2:00 p.m. Zazen
3:00 p.m. Dharma Talk
3:40 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. Zazen
4:30 p.m. Formal Tea
5:00 p.m. End
Optional: Stay for our regular Thursday evening program 7 - 8:30 pm.
Friday
Same as above with additional:
5:30 pm Oryoki Dinner
6:50 - 8:30 pm Zazen
Saturday
Same as Thursday, ending at 5 pm.
Ride sharing can be arranged from the airport with some advanced notice with our registrar. The monastery is located 80 miles northwest of Portland, Oregon on twenty forested acres overlooking the Columbia River flood plain. The drive takes 80-90 minutes.
Directions from the airport:
1. Take I-205 North to I-5 North. I-5 North to exit 36 Longview (south of Seattle, north of Portland).
2. At the exit travel west on to 432 towards Longview City Center.
3. At the sign to “Highway 30 to Oregon”, turn left (south) onto “Oregon Way” .
4. Cross the Lewis and Clark Bridge into Oregon.
5. Turn right (west) onto Highway 30 towards Astoria. Clatskanie is 12 miles from this point.
6. In Clatskanie turn right at the stoplight onto Nehalem Street
7. Go straight to the end, and then follow the road left onto 5th street.
8. Stay on this road (do NOT take the first left fork to the Poplar Farm).
9. You will reach a fork after 2.9 miles; stay left, on Quincy-Mayger Road. Following the street signs saying “Zen Monastery”.
10. The Monastery is 1.8 miles past the fork, at 79640 Quincy-Mayger Road on the right.
Accommodation
Overnight guests stay in the guest hall (semi-private dormitory), follow the daily monastery schedule, and share meals with the community. A donation is suggested.
Private retreat accommodations are sometimes available for those with significant prior meditation or contemplative experience. Private retreatants can follow their own schedule in solitude.
Price
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
The monastery includes a spacious meditation hall, guest and resident dormitories, dining hall, and a large organic vegetable garden.
Within the forest is Great Vow's famous Jizo Garden, a memorial garden for people who have died, and the newly dedicated Shrine of Vows, a place where people leave tokens of their deep aspirations.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Meals are simple. Breakfast is usually hot grain cereal, nuts or nut butter, dairy and non-dairy milk, fruit, yogurt, and tea. Lunch is the most substantial with a main entree, salad, vegetable side, and condiments. Dinner is soup and bread. Many retreats are served as buffet. Zen-style retreats feature meals that are oriyoki, a Zen form of mindful eating in monasteries that goes back 1,000 years. Imagine Zen tea ceremony, but eating. Newcomers are guided on how to do it and people get the hang of it after a couple days. Meals are vegetarian with vegan options. Gluten-free alternatives can be accommodated. Coffee, caffeinated, and herbal tea are provided.
What's Included
Meals and lodging are included in the retreat cost for all our overnight retreats at the monastery.
Customer Reviews
4.93 out of 5.0 average rating
5.0
Verified
Freedom is not in stopping thoughts, but in no longer being captive to them
My heartfelt gratitude to Teacher Edward for his patient guidances, and to Hogen Roshi for openly sharing his realization of freedom.
In this “The Work” retreat, I experienced a simple yet profound truth: the past is gone, the future not yet here—and in the present moment, when awareness turns back upon itself, there can be a glimpse of freedom beyond sorrow and anxiety.
I saw how “The Work” and Zen share the same essence: everyday situations and wandering thoughts are not obstacles, but the very ground of practice. This insight left my heart quiet and grateful, knowing that while constant freedom is not yet mine, the door is already open.
5.0
Verified
Engaging the world with mountain mind
I always appreciate Sesshin immensely for how it challenges my preferences and assumptions about myself - I always come away learning more about how to engage the world and deepen my practice.
The teachers and residents at Great Vow are next level in their compassion and dedication to helping others awaken, not one second went by that I didn’t feel completely safe and at ease and supported. And with the lovely spaces they’ve created and the stunning great earth and trees and grasses of the monastery, it is truly a wondrous vortex of the dharma in every way. Many bows in Gassho to Kisei, Bansho, Myoyu, Onshin, and all the monastics, permanent residents and summer residents who made it so special and alive.
5.0
Verified
Grasses, Trees, and the Great Earth Sesshin
I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone at Great Vow and those who made the trek for this wonderful week together. The combination of practicing deep in the forest, watching the evening colors fade, or bonding with a snail crossing a pathway was moving. Being able to camp at this sesshin deepened my connection with the earth, and it was lovely to be lulled asleep to the sound of rain. I highly recommend Great Vow and this particular sesshin.
5.0
Verified
Grasses and Trees
I recently attended the Grasses and Trees sesshin at Great Vow Zen Monastery. It is a six day event, intended to be done outside as much as possible. This was my first sesshin and it was challenging. Everyone at Great Vow was kind, compassionate, and helped me find ways to experience the sesshin that worked best for me. Everything was so well organized, even when it rained and we had to move some things inside. Kisei and Myoyu found ways to make sure we could still have meditation outdoors if we chose. The forest, meadow, and gardens are so beautiful. It was a calming, rejuvenating stay. You participate in chanting, meditation, work practice, and the most delicious vegetarian/vegan food, much of which is grown right at the monastery. If you are looking for a community to practice with and compassionate teachers to support you, I highly recommend Great Vow Zen Monastery in Clatskanie, OR.
5.0
Verified
Vancouver WA Zen retreat 08-02-25
This half day retreat was led by Laura Jomon Martin. She is an excellent teacher, and the participants (including me) enjoyed the practice and discussion during the retreat. It was held in the city of Vancouver, WA, where we didn’t have opportunities to do a Zen retreat before this. There will be another one in November, as they hope to do these quarterly from now on.