February 7 – April 14, 2026
Crestone Mountain Zen Center
Monastic Training Weeks
Entering the Craft of Transformative Practice (3 Parts)
Opening Sesshin | Monastic Training Weeks | Closing Sesshin
Guided by Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
and Zentatsu Baker Roshi.
All applicants will be contacted by our Practice Leader Laurie Nusbaum personally
to discuss details of their participation
This period is a training field for practitioners whose practice has already taken root. It is intended for those who no longer seek experiences, but embodiment.
Together, we will be immersing ourselves for nine weeks into temple life: The training and aspiration is to fold each moment, each task, and each breath into practice — lived together, refined together, enacted together.
What This Is
Immersion into the Living Teachings of Zen
The Monastic Training Weeks at Crestone Mountain Zen Center are an intensive immersion into the living teachings and practices of Zen. It is a time of gathering and expanding the mind.
Embodied Practice
Each breath becomes training
Temple Life
Living in the rhythm of the monastery
Mountain Silence
Held by the vastness of Crestone
Guidance
Close connection to two Roshis and more practice leaders
Living Tradition
Dharma Sangha curriculum
You will be part of a sincerely practicing community, supported by the dramatically wild and beautiful landscape of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
We wake up before dawn, sit in silence, listen to the Dharma, and work and provide for the temple together. We will be cultivating the mind of meditation for it to percolate the different activities of the day. Much of the day is in silence.
You will be trained within the Dharma Sangha curriculum, which integrates insights from modern psychology and science with the timeless wisdom of an evolving Zen tradition.
During this time, topics will be evolved together in a way that attends to each person’s process. The teaching includes the Five Foundational Qualities — Openness, Acceptance, Resonance, Stillness, and Integrity — and the more subtle dynamics of meditation and mindfulness practice.
Zen practice is not separated from the questions of our lives — sitting, working, speaking, resting — all become one field of shared practice.
“Everything depends on what we notice and how we notice.”
— Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
What This Period Makes Possible
What practitioners often long for — and what this period makes possible — is:
Embodiment:
a clear path that supports us not just settle into ideas, but into lived presence.
Community:
discovering practice as relationship, with others and with the more‒than‒human world.
Support in a protected field:
working closely with a teacher, with peers, and with the temple forms that carry the tradition.
Who This Is For
A Field for Mature Practitioners
This training is designed for experienced practitioners —
people with a mature daily practice,
who wish to enter the discipline, simplicity, and shared rhythm of monastic life.
You may be a lay practitioner, a priest-in-training, or a long-term student —
what matters is that your practice has grown beyond curiosity.
You will live full-time in a shared rhythm.
You will be asked to participate in the responsibility of caring for the temple.
And we need you to be able to commit to the full nine weeks.
If you meet these criteria, please ask for a personal meeting with our Practice Leader, Laurie Nusbaum.
Applications are accepted until December 15, 2025. Spaces are limited; we encourage early contact. cmzc@dharmasangha.org
“Buddhas arise from our human life. From where else could they arise!”
— Zentatsu Baker Roshi
The Structure
1
Feb 7–13, 2026
Opening Sesshin
A five-day intensive retreat to enter the silence and the shared field.
2
February 14 – March 29, 2026
Monastic Training Period
Nine consecutive five-day training weeks.
Daily rhythm includes:
• Wake-up at 4:00 a.m.
• Zazen, service, and meals in silence
• Morning work practice
• Afternoon Dharma lecture or seminar, with periods of meditation
• Temple care, body work, and evening meditation
Participants share all aspects of community life: cooking, cleaning, office work, grounds, and maintenance.
3
Apr 1–8, 2026
Closing Sesshin
A seven-day Sesshin: A form to allow the process of your practice to settle.
4
April 9–14, 2026
Integration and Departure
Five days dedicated to integration, closure, and transitioning into your daily life.
What You Can Expect to Receive
A lived immersion to the Dharma Sangha curriculum -
grounding in the Five Foundational Qualities while also developing your meditation and mindfulness practice
Close contact with Baden Roshi and Baker Roshi
through lectures, seminars, and practice meetings
Embodied stability -
a rhythm where body, mind, and breath are trained together
A field of resonance -
finding steadiness in the midst of others’ practice, and supporting each other in return
Shared life in the temple -
training alongside priests-in-training and lay practice leaders.
Guided by Two Roshis
Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
Abbot of Dharma Sangha & Founder of the Dharma Academy
Nicole Baden Roshi is a Dharma heir of Zentatsu Baker Roshi and has practiced with the Dharma Sangha since 2001. She holds a background in psychology and somatic work, and trained for several years at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. In 2024, she formally stepped into the role of Abbot and now guides the spiritual direction of the Dharma Sangha and the Dharma Academy.
Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi
Founder of Dharma Sangha & Teacher at the Dharma Academy
Zentatsu Baker Roshi is a Dharma heir of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. He founded the Zen centers in Crestone (USA) and the Black Forest (Germany), and has been teaching for over five decades. Today, he continues to guide students both in person and online — most recently through his weekly online format Musing With Baker Roshi.
Contribution & Participation Options
All applicants will be contacted by our Practice Leader Laurie Nusbaum personally
to discuss details of their participation.
February 7 – April 14, 2026
Monastic
Training Weeks
$2,319 – $4,639
We ask for an all-inclusive contribution covering lodging, meals, sesshins, and teaching during the full training period.
Sliding scale: €2,000 – €4,200
The scale reflects actual costs and allows those with more resources to support others. Please note that it will also be possible to ask for work exchange options by committing to returning during the Summer Guest Season or for payment in installments.
About Crestone Mountain Zen Center
Crestone Mountain Zen Center lies in the high desert of Colorado, surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Known for its silence and unbroken horizon, it is home to an international Sangha dedicated to living Zen practice.
Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado
2.500 m altitude
360° silence
4 hours from Denver
FAQ
Can I join only one Sesshin?
Yes. You may apply for the Opening or Closing Sesshin individually.
Is there any online participation?
Yes, I offer [X weeks/months] of post-launch support to ensure smooth sailing
Can I pay in installments or apply for work exchange?
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