Chan Dharma Community

“Seeing other people practicing usually sparks your own desire to practice.”

—Master Sheng Yen, Zen Wisdom

The Chan Dharma Community offers several one-day online retreats every year, including the one coming up on Saturday, April 18. An online retreat is a great opportunity to set aside a day to practice with a group and to learn how to set up a space in your home that’s conducive to practice. We asked a number of practitioners who have attended Rebecca Li’s one-day online retreats: What are the benefits of an in-home retreat practice? What are the challenges?

[All photos in this newsletter by Beth]

The biggest benefit, in my opinion, is to bring mindfulness to my own environment. It is hard, as I often fall into old bad habits, and since I am home it’s a great start to deepen consciousness while doing chores in the house. I believe one challenge is that it is easy to cheat when your electronic devices are available and no one is around, but on the other hand you might want to work on setting structure and discipline in your life after all. I thought in-home retreat practice was a great experience.

—Roberta Collins

Online at-home retreats have been helpful in serving as a bridge between more formal practice settings (like at DDRC) and my home practice. The process of preparing my home to be used for this context and then spending a day in practice there has helped me learn that one can practice deeply anywhere—not just at retreat centers. It has also helped me become aware of thought patterns and behaviors that are more visible when I’m cued in my home. It’s also nice to connect with other practitioners and maintain a sense of community in a supportive shared container.

—Brian Pilecki

Sometimes we go away on retreat to get away from our home problems. However, in-home retreats are a great way to help you deal with issues that arise only at home, such as neighbors, noises, and animals. They can help you learn to actually relax at home and restore calmness in a crazy home world. Whether the retreat is one day or multiple days, they can also save money and time in traveling. Due to allergies, I do best with my own cooking, and I can do that at home.

One benefit with away retreats is that they never seem to have disasters you need to handle right away. This is not true for home retreats. With home retreats, though, you take care of any disaster and then return to your practice thinking, “Okay, I can return as if nothing has happened. That did not just ruin my retreat!” Basically, you learn to take things in stride.

Home retreats can be done in many ways: DDRC or Rebecca’s one-day online retreats, Guo Gu’s online multiple day retreats, or a self-directed retreat. I have found that directed online retreats can help me stay on schedule, offer Dharma talks, and provide community support.

—Susan Lincke

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to join Rebecca's online retreat in January. It's difficult for me to set aside a full weekend for an in-person retreat, let alone a whole week, so an eight-hour at-home silent retreat helped me reconnect with my practice with a more feasible time commitment.

Practicing sitting, walking, and working meditation allowed me to have greater awareness of my subtle thought patterns, particularly my habit of constantly evaluating my experience of the present moment with preconceived, often unrealistic expectations. This practice time, along with the interview with Rebecca, helped me see this behavior clearly and recognize the suffering it creates. This practice and recognition helps me gradually chip away at this habit and choose a different response.
—Max Tabachnik

My home has become more of a sanctuary since incorporating online retreats into my practice. I remember during an online orientation session for an upcoming retreat, Rebecca asked us, “When does a retreat begin? Does it begin during orientation or does it begin when we sign up or even think about signing up?” Retreat practice for me is like a barometer to check how my practice is going. An opportunity to fine tune and be more present and okay with whatever is happening. And if I need to check with Rebecca and ask a question about my practice, this is a wonderful time to get feedback to help me see any obstacles that I’m unable to see, and make a course correction or stay the course! The Dharma talks are also extremely helpful, guiding us toward Right View! Now my home is a makeshift retreat space whenever I want or need it!

—Ruth Marie Subramanian

Chan Dharma Community

Practice Opportunities

Monthly Online Dharma Study Course with Rebecca Li

2nd Wednesday of the month from December 10, 2025 - May 13, 2026

Practitioners meet on Zoom on the second Wednesday of the month to share their reflections on the month’s theme, based on a Dharma talk given by Rebecca Li. The topic of this year’s course is “Realizing the Four Noble Truths.”

Weekly Sitting Meditation

Monday Mornings, 7:00 to 7:25 AM ET

Wednesday Mornings, 7:00 to 7:25 AM ET

Thursday Evenings, 9:00 to 9:25 PM ET

All sessions include light neck stretches, recitation of the Four Great Vows, and a 20-minute sitting period.

*The weekly meditation sessions are intended for Chan Dharma Community members who have practiced with Rebecca Li. All levels of experience are welcome.

Online Sangha Friends Gathering

4th Wednesday of every month

Join us for an unstructured gathering where we can check in with one another, talk about whatever has come up in the past month, support one another, and stay in touch as a sangha. Each gathering will begin with 10 minutes of meditation, and then everyone will check in and share, and discuss what comes up.

One-Day Online Retreat

April 18 (and other dates to be set throughout the year)

This is an at-home online retreat led by Rebecca Li. It is typically a full-day silent retreat from 9:45 am to 6 pm ET (6:45 am to 3 pm PT). The retreat is conducted over Zoom, and participants join by video during sitting meditation periods and Dharma talks.

Sangha Sharing

April 29 (and other dates to be set throughout the year)

Sangha Sharing is a way for practitioners to share and learn about personal projects, hobbies, passions, family, pets, or anything else that is very meaningful. It’s a chance to connect with others in the sangha on a deeper level, while practicing gratitude and generosity by reflecting on what is important to us, and listening to what is important to others.

Please contact us if you would like more information about the programs or to be added to the contact list for the Sangha Friends Gathering.

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