Christian / Zen Retreats

These retreats are led by David Parks-Ramage, minister at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Santa Rosa and a Zen student with Pacific Zen Institute. They are a joint offering of the First Congregational UCC and PZI.

Participants join together for a day of meditation and exploration of some of the sayings of Jesus read as koans. By keeping company with a koan you meet with a liveliness that leads you beyond ideas and conceptions about the world "out there." You find that before and beyond anything else you are this liveliness. Jesus pointed the way when he said, "Before Abraham, I am," and the Chinese masters asked their students on the Way "what is your original face before your parents were born?"

The sayings of Jesus as koans can lead you into this mind, which Paul called the "mind of Christ" wherein he found, "It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me."

These retreats are part of the Christian koan project that is lead by David Parks-Ramage.

When there are upcoming retreats in this style they will be listed in the sidebar on the right. Please click on them for additional information and to find out how to register.