METTA DHARMA FOUNDATION
RETREAT INFORMATION SHEET
JIKOJI RETREAT
With Richard Shankman
Friday, April 16 to Sunday, April 25, 2010
Registration and retreat schedule. Registration will be from 3:30 to 5:30 pm on Friday, April 16,
and a light meal will be served at 6 pm. On Sunday, April 25, after lunch, the retreat will end by
3:00 p.m.
Location: Jikoji Zen Retreat Center, 12100 Skyline Blvd, Los Gatos, CA 95030, 408-741-9562
Directions: If you are coming from the North Bay area, take Hwy 92 (from Hwy 101 or 280) to
Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35). Go south on Skyline (toward Santa Cruz), continuing approximately
4.6 miles past the junction of Skyline and Page Mill Road. When you pass a very large boulder on
your left, start looking for the Ward Road sign a few hundred feet further on your right. Near the
sign you will also see a mailbox and an entrance gate. Turn right onto Ward Road and continue
bearing right down to the bottom of the hill. You may park in the 5 space parking area in front of
the kitchen/community building if a space is open. Otherwise, please continue down the road to
your left and park on the far right side of the road so as not to impede road traffic.
If you are traveling from the South Bay or Santa Cruz Mountains area, take Hwy 9 out of Saratoga to
Skyline Blvd. Travel north on Skyline (toward San Francisco) about 2.8 miles to Ward Road on the
left side of Skyline. Along with the sign for Ward Road, you should see a mailbox, and an entrance
gate. (If you pass a huge boulder on your right, you have gone just past Ward Road.) Turn onto
Ward Road, go through the gate, and continue to bear right down to the bottom of the hill. You may
park in the 5 space parking area in front of the kitchen/community building if a space is open.
Otherwise, please continue down the road to your left and park on the far right side of the road so as
not to impede road traffic.
Arriving From Out of Town: Fly into the San Francisco or San Jose airport. We will help you make
arrival and departing transportation arrangements between the airport and the retreat center. Travel
time from the San Jose and San Francisco airports to the retreat center is approximately 45 minutes
(could be longer, depending on traffic).
Carpooling is ESSENTIAL AND REQUIRED: There is limited parking at Jikoji, so please try to
arrange at least two retreatants per vehicle. Please be sure to obey the parking instructions given at
the retreat site. We will try to arrange carpools.
Retreat Format and Schedule: The retreat will be held in silence. Each day will be spent in
alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, except for meals, daily meditation instructions
and dharma talk, and some periods of personal time. A daily schedule will be posted throughout
the retreat center.
Retreat Renunciation and Simplicity: The retreat environment is designed to create a safe,
protected space, removed from the normal activities and concerns of our daily lives in the world,
to help our minds quiet and our hearts open. In this supportive setting compassion, loving-kindness,
patience, generosity and wisdom can all deepen and grow.
In the spirit of simplicity and renunciation, if you are able to take care of your personal business
before the retreat begins it will greatly support your retreat experience. We realize that
occasionally there will be a need for someone to make phone calls, but please be conscious to
do so only if really necessary.
There will be talking during Dharma talks, interviews, question periods, and with the teachers and
staff, but otherwise try to commit yourself to Noble Silence. You can always talk to a teacher or
staff person any time you have questions or concerns.
Precepts: Participants will be asked to observe five precepts of ethical behavior during the retreat:
1) refraining from harming living beings, 2) accepting that which is offered to you and refraining from
stealing, 3) refraining from sexual activity, 4) maintaining noble silence, and 5) refraining from the use
of drugs and alcohol (prescription and other needed medications should be taken as required).
Personal Items to Bring: Bring sleeping bag or sheets and blankets, pillow, unscented toiletries,
towels, soap, insect repellent, sunscreen, hat, flashlight, watch or clock, raingear, layered clothing
for all weather conditions, etc. The emphasis for clothing should be comfort. We may have a
limited quantity of a few back-up supplies, but please do not count on it. There may be no one
to make a run into town. Please pack accordingly. You may bring a tent and camp, please bring
all necessary camping equipment necessary. Please let us know if you plan to camp.
Sitting Gear: Bring a zafu, bench, or chair (no sharp legs, please). Some heavy mats are available to
protect meditators from the hard floor, but bring your own if you have one.
Accommodations: There are two dormitories (one for the women and one for the men). The women’s
dormitory has 5 beds with foam futons (no box springs or mattresses) and has a bathroom attached.
The men’s dormitory has 6 wooden platform beds with foam futons. There are a few new smaller
rooms available this year, sleeping 1 to 3 or 4 people. One or two have bathrooms attached. In
addition, there is plenty of beautiful space to camp, and it is generally a great time of year to do so.
For those who want to be under a roof but not in a dormitory, there is space available for sleeping
bags and sleeping mats on some building decks and in the zendo. Sleeping mats taken from a
dormitory may not be used on the decks unless you provide a tarp to put under them. Also, sleeping
gear used on a deck or in the zendo must be removed during daytime hours.
Sleeping Gear: Bring a sleeping bag or sheets and blankets, as well as a pillow. There are some
sleeping mats available in the dormitories, but if you have one of your own, please bring it to insure
we have enough. If you plan to camp, please bring whatever camping equipment you will need.
Bathrooms: There are two group bathrooms (one for the women and one for the men), each of which
includes a shower and a double sink. There are a few bathrooms located in the new rooms.
Meals: Meals will be vegetarian, prepared with loving-kindness by Beth Baker.
About Dana: The retreat fee you paid covers the cost of the retreat facility rental and food. The
teacher and cook do not receive any money from the retreat fee. Continuing in the ancient Buddhist
tradition, the teachings are offered freely. In turn, students receiving the teachings are afforded an
opportunity to voluntarily support those transmitting the dharma by offering donations, or dana, to
the Teacher and Cook. If dana is offered in the form of a check, no more than one check should
be used, using the "memo" space on the check to indicate what portion of the total amount should
be given to the Teacher, the Cook.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please email: info@richardshankman.org