Castlemaine Zen Great Ocean Sesshin 2025
A Traditional Zen Retreat near Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria
THE GREAT OCEAN SESSHIN IS NOW FULL.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR WAITING LIST, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW AND WE WILL BE IN CONTACT AS SOON AS A PLACE BECOMES AVAILABLE.
The waters of the great ocean are deep and deeper still.
—Changsha Jingcen (788-868)
Sesshin is the rare chance to settle, touch and convey your own heart-mind in the company of dear sangha friends.
Surrounded by beautiful mountains, rivers and the great wild ocean, this retreat offers zazen, sutras, dharma talks, silent walks, delicious vegetarian meals, and personal interviews with the teacher, Kynan Sutherland Roshi.
Don’t miss this priceless opportunity to deepen your practice—and grow deeper still—with wholehearted inquiry, practice and immersion in the buddha-dharma.
Places are strictly limited so be sure to register early.
NB. You must be a member of Castlemaine Zen to attend this retreat. If you are not already a member, please visit the Membership Page.
View From The Beach (Alex Prado)
Seacroft Estate (Alex Prado)
Old Charm (Chris Green)
Rockpool Stars (Chris Green)
First Light (Chris Green)
Local Waterfall (Chris Green)
Seacroft Estate (Alex Prado)
Zendo With A View (Chris Green)
Emergent Globe (Chris Green)
Wake Up (Chris Green)
Dates
Sunday May 4 — Saturday May 10
(Arrive by 4pm on Sunday, leave by 11am on Saturday)
Accommodation
There are two types of accommodation available at Seacroft Estate: shared rooms and private rooms. All rooms are heated, with bedding and towels provided.
Shared Rooms ($750/person) are limited to two people per room. You can indicate on the registration form if you would prefer to share the room with a particular person.
Private Rooms ($900/person) are also limited. They will be allocated according to the order of registrations received. (THERE ARE NO MORE PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE)
Please indicate whether you would prefer a shared room or private room on your registration form. For more information about Seacroft Estate, visit their website.
Cost
The sesshin fee includes all accommodation, meals and participation in the retreat.
Shared Room — $750/person
Private Room — $900/person (THERE ARE NO MORE PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE)
To secure your place, a Deposit of $100 is required. Once we have your deposit (by January 1) we will contact you to confirm your place and accomodation.
Note that concession rates are available via request. If you are facing financial difficulties, please don’t hesitate to contact our sesshin coodinator. This information is kept confidential and we will do whatever we can to support your participation.
Seacroft Beach Rocks (Chris Green)
Kynan Sutherland Roshi is a Zen Buddhist teacher based in Castlemaine, Victoria. He was authorised to teach by Susan Murphy Roshi in 2019 and received Dharma Transmission in 2023. Since then he has taught at multiple events with Castlemaine Zen, Zen Open Circle, Mountains and Rivers Zen Group in Hobart, The Melbourne Zen Group and The Buddhist Library in Sydney. You can read more about Kynan’s appointment here.
Dana
Dana is the ancient Buddhist practice of mutual support. It recognises that the dharma is freely offered by the teacher and sustained by those who value it. Kynan Sutherland Roshi offers himself wholeheartedly and you are invited to respond in kind. Kynan receives a small honorarium for his teaching at sesshin but relies on dana to support his work. There will be a dana bowl at sesshin for you to express your appreciation in cash, or you can contribute directly via EFT (bank details will be provided on confirmation of your place).
Schedule
SUNDAY AFTERNOON (MAY 4)
4.00pm Arrive and set up
5.00pm Supper
5.30pm Work Meeting
6.00pm Oryoki Instruction
7.00pm Zazen and Opening Words
7.30pm Guidelines
8.30pm Finish
MONDAY TO FRIDAY
4.30am Rise
5.00am Zazen / Kinhin / Dokusan
7.00am Breakfast
7.30am Break
9.00am Sutras
9.30am Zazen
10.00am Encouragement Talk
10.30am Outside Kinhin
11.00am Zazen
11.30am Lunch
12.00pm Break
1.30pm Zazen
2.00pm Zazen
3.00pm Zazen / Kinhin / Dokusan
4.30pm Reading / Dokusan
5.00pm Supper
6.30pm Zazen
7.00pm Teisho
8.00pm Evening Ceremony
8.30pm Finish
SATURDAY MORNING (MAY 10)
4.30am Rise
5.00am Zazen / Kinhin / Dokusan
6.30am Closing Ceremony
7.00am Sharing Circle and Photo
8.00am Shared Breakfast
9.00am Shared pack-up
11.00am Leave Seacroft
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I attend if I’m an absolute beginner?
Sesshin is ideally suited to those with a few years of meditation experience. If you are new to Zen we suggest that you contact us first to arrange an orientation. The form may be different to what you’re used to, but if you join in wholeheartedly you will find it very rewarding.
What sort of orientation is offered?
There are a number of ways to access orientation for this sesshin. You can request an orientation at one of our regular Sunday sits. You can also visit our Orientation and Ritual and Form pages.
Are my dietary requirements accommodated?
All meals are vegetarian. We accomodate other dietary requirements as best we can, including gluten-free and lactose-free. If you have any dietary requirements that are important to observe, please include them in your sesshin registration form. They will be factored into our shopping and meal preparation.
Is this a silent retreat?
Yes. The retreat is silent, but there will be periods of shared chanting, sutra reading, dharma talks and interviews with the teacher.
What do I wear?
Loose, dark (preferably black) clothing is recommended, free from distracting patterns or logos. There is heating in the dojo, but we recommend bringing several layers of clothing in case the weather gets cold.
What if I can’t make it for the whole sesshin?
This sesshin is for full time participants only.
How many people can attend?
We are limited to 30 participants at the Seacroft Estate, so please register early to secure your place.
What about Covid?
We will do our best to provide a full refund up to one week before the event. However, we cannot guarantee a full refund after that because your money will most likely have been spent. Great care is taken to shop and cater to everyone’s particular needs, so we will refund you as best we can.
