Meditationweek – Day 3 of the monthly one-week retreat

Getting ready for winter!

During our monthly one-week meditation retreat, we dedicate significant time to working meditation (samu) – essential tasks that maintain the temple and prepare us for the changing seasons.

Day 3 of this September retreat focused on winter preparations around the temple grounds. Through mindful work, we transform necessary chores into opportunities for awakening, finding the same clarity in stacking firewood as in sitting zazen.

Working meditation teaches us that enlightenment isn’t found only on the meditation cushion, but in every moment of attentive presence – whether sweeping floors, chopping vegetables, or preparing for winter’s arrival.

The monthly one-week retreats at Lambda Zen Temple provide deeper immersion into the rhythm of monastic life, balancing periods of formal sitting meditation with walking meditation in the mountains and working meditation around the temple.