Becoming Everything: A Zen Sesshin

The water, fire, air, and earth that make up our own bodies are not separate from those that make up the larger Earth body. During this sesshin, we will begin with awareness of our own elemental bodies and practice expanding that awareness to feel ourselves as the larger Earth — and the larger Earth as ourselves. Feeling the wind as our own breath, the sky as our own spacious mind, and the growing trees as our own grounded yet yearning hearts…

How, then, are we moved to love? How, then, are we moved to live?

This is an intensive, beginner-friendly silent meditation retreat. We will practice six or more hours of daily meditation, with short periods of community work, chanting and singing, dharma talks, student–teacher check-ins, and silent trail walking or running.

Bells Mountain Dharma Center emphasizes earth intimacy. We use minimal heat and electric light and prioritize being outdoors whenever reasonably possible. We are situated on 700 acres of largely undeveloped land spanning the side of a small mountain near Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA. Come experience yourself as the forest, meadows, ponds, rushing waters, plants, animals, and vast vistas that make up this mountain refuge.

Approximate Daily Schedule

• 5:20am Wake-up Bell
• 5:50am Zazen (Meditation)
• 7:20am Service (Chanting & Singing)
• 8:00am Daikinhin (Walking or Running)
• 9:00am Breakfast
• 10:30am Zazen
• 11:50am Service
• 12:00pm Samu (Work Practice)
• 1:30pm Lunch
• 3:30pm Zazen, Dharma Talk
• 5:00pm Daikinhin, Dinner
• 5:30pm Dinner, Zazen, Practice check-in’s 
• 9:20pm Closing chant

About the Teachers

Soten Lynch started practicing meditation on his own in 2006. He attended his first Zen sesshin in 2008 and entered residential, monastic Zen training shortly thereafter. He ordained with Chozen and Hogen Bays in 2013, and remained in training and residency at Great Vow Zen Monastery until 2020. He is a preceptor and dharma holder in the White Plum lineage.

Shinei Monial started practicing Zen meditation intensively when she met her first teacher, Satya Vayu, in 2007. She lived as a renunciant with him for five years, devoting herself to zazen and taking up a lifestyle of radical simplicity. In 2012 she entered residential training at Great Vow Zen Monastery, where she lived until 2020. She was ordained at the monastery by Chozen and Hogen Bays in 2015 and is a preceptor and dharma holder in the White Plum lineage.

Soten and Shinei met at Great Vow and discovered their shared love for the outdoors and simple living. The two began leading Zen meditation retreats together in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest in 2016. In 2020, they married and embarked on a 3,000 mile pilgrimage, walking from northern Mexico to Panama before spending a year as assistant teachers at Sangha Jewel Zen Center in Corvallis, OR. 

Their teaching focus has been on facilitating Zen meditation in nature settings. They have lead many week-long Zen retreats in the Cascades Wilderness, as well as extended immersions along the Pacific Crest Trail, in rural Oregon and Mexico, and in the Peruvian Amazon.

In 2025 Soten ran 1300 miles on foot from Mexico to Washington state as a fundraiser for the new Bells Mountain Dharma Center where they both now live as resident teachers with their small community, young daughter, and dog.

Noble Silence

During this retreat we will be practicing in Noble Silence. When the whole group enters into Noble Silence we offer each other and ourselves the gift of being with our experience as it is.  This practice supports the mind in settling. Noble Silence includes no unnecessary talking, including social courtesy like saying “good morning” or “excuse me”, no reading or writing unless a teacher specifically encourages you to do so, and no tech use.

Technology & Safety

You will be strongly encouraged to give up your phone for the week, you may choose to either hand it in to the retreat managers or keep your phone in your room turned off. Upon being accepted to this retreat, you will receive emergency phone numbers that we ask you to share with your loved ones so that you will not need to be monitoring your own messages. A retreat manager will be present throughout the entirety of the retreat to support the group. If at any point during the retreat you are feeling ill, are injured, or are in distress please speak with a retreat manager.

Who This Retreat Is For

This retreat is open to both newer and experienced meditators who feel called to deepen their practice in silence and in close relationship with the natural world. Because the schedule includes six or more hours of meditation per day and extended periods of silence, participants should feel reasonably comfortable with meditation and with spending time quietly with themselves.

Lodging & Camping Details

This retreat will be a mix of indoor lodging and outdoor camping. We have approximately 10 indoor beds available and 12 bell tents (see picture below). The bell tents are spacious and have wooden platforms. You may also bring your own camping gear and camp in your own tent!

Camping is an intentional and supported part of the retreat experience, and we’ll do our best to ensure everyone is comfortable and well-resourced.

To help us plan thoughtfully and make good use of our collective resources, please indicate the following in the registration form:

1. Whether you are open and willing to camp in a bell tent or your own tent

2. Whether you are able to bring your own camping gear (tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, etc.)

3. Whether you are able to bring extra gear that could be shared with someone who may not have their own

Getting There

Bell’s Mountain Dharma Center is located near Battle Ground, Washington, about 40 minutes north of Portland, Oregon, and roughly 2.5–3 hours south of Seattle. The center sits on a beautiful forested mountainside, so the final stretch involves smaller rural roads.

Driving

It will be easiest to arrive by car. After registration, we will send detailed driving directions for the final approach to the center.

Flights & Public Transit

If you are flying, the closest major airport is Portland International Airport (PDX). From Portland, Bell’s Mountain is about a 45–50 minute drive. Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is another option, though it is about a 3-hour drive from the center.

Rideshares & Carpools

To make travel easier (and reduce our collective carbon footprint), we will help coordinate rideshares and carpools from Portland. A few weeks before the retreat, we’ll send a simple form and shared document where participants can offer or request rides. It’s possible that participants will be driving down from Seattle too.

Dana & Financial Information

This retreat is freely offered in the spirit of generosity. To support participant commitment and attendance, there is a $50 registration deposit, which can be refunded upon completion of the full program. Participants are encouraged to practice dāna (generosity) to support the teachers and Dharma Gates.

Food & Dietary Information

All meals will be nourishing vegan food prepared by the retreat kitchen team. If you have dietary restrictions, please indicate them in your registration form and we will do our best to accommodate them.

Accessibility

Bell’s Mountain Dharma Center is a rustic mountain property with uneven trails and outdoor practice spaces. Participants should feel comfortable walking on dirt paths and spending extended time outdoors.

What to Bring

A detailed packing list will be sent 1-2 weeks before the retreat, but participants should expect to bring:

• Warm layers (evenings can be cool)
• Rain protection
• Headlamp or flashlight

What’s the deal with the age range?

Do I have to be a Buddhist?