February 7 – April 14, 2026
Crestone Mountain Zen Center
Entering the Craft of Transformative Practice
Winter Practice Period (3 Parts)
Opening Sesshin | Monastic Training Weeks | Closing Sesshin
Guided by Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
and Zentatsu Baker Roshi.
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. Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi and Zentatsu Baker Roshi will both be present to guide you through a time of entering the Craft of Transformative Practice.
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. Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi and Zentatsu Baker Roshi will both be present to guide you through a time of entering the Craft of Transformative Practice.
All applications require a conversation
with the practice leader, Laurie Nusbaum.
What This Is
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.
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.
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.
“Everything depends on what we notice and how we notice.”
— Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
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
Dieses Raster nutzt den "Masonry"-Modus, bei dem längere Inhalte die darunterliegenden Karten nach unten verschieben, anders als im "Grid"-Modus, wo alle Karten die gleiche Höhe haben.
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.
Shared life in the temple
Training alongside priests-in-training and lay practice leaders.
Shared life in the temple
Training alongside priests-in-training and lay practice leaders.
Guided by Two Roshis
The Craft of Transformative Practice is guided by two teachers whose shared lineage and friendship span over two decades.
Their presence in Crestone during this winter period is both rare and precious — an opportunity to study closely with the founding teacher of the Dharma Sangha and its current head teacher.
Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi
CEO & Gründer
Kurze Texte sind perfekt für Onepage. Etwa 30 Wörter reichen, um einen Absatz gut zu füllen. So bleibt alles sauber und lesbar, genau wie du es magst.
Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi
Finance & Buchhaltung
Kurze Texte sind perfekt für Onepage. Etwa 30 Wörter reichen aus, um einen Absatz sauber zu füllen und für dich eine klare Lesbarkeit zu gewährleisten. So sieht deine Seite immer top aus!
Contribution & Participation Options
Egal, ob du Produkte oder Dienstleistungen anbietest, es ist sehr empfehlenswert, mehrere Preispläne zu haben. Das kann dir helfen, deinen durchschnittlichen Bestellwert zu steigern und deine Konversionsrate zu verbessern.
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
6 hours from Denver
FAQ
Can I join only one Sesshin?
Yes. You may apply for the Opening or Closing Sesshin individually.
What kind of visa or travel preparation is needed (for international participants)?
Depending on the complexity and type of product, it varies. Typically, a course might take [X weeks], while an e-book can be done in [X weeks]
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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