Zen Retreat in Georgia (Sakartvelo)

May 7–10, 2026 | Tsikhisdziri

A Zen Buddhist retreat, or Sesshin
in Japanese, is a few days of practicing Zazen together. It is a time when we give up idle activities and devote ourselves to meditation.

Freedom from yourself

During sesshin, we leave our gadgets, problems, worries and attachments behind to release perception
Presence

We avoid idle activities and conversations on the retreat so as not to distract from being consciously present
Consciousness

In between meditations, we eat, walk, clean the house, cook to reinforce the habit of staying calm and mindful in our daily activities
Inspiring place

The retreat takes place in a large house with a magnificent view in the outskirts of Batumi

This approach, which sometimes surprises proponents of the “rigid” style, reflects the general line of practice of the Soto Zen school—blurring the boundary between “ordinary” life and practice, and transforming a person not through asceticism, but through attentive engagement with the depth of all phenomena of life.

Sesshin (a Japanese term; we also use the familiar Western word “retreat”) allows us to go deeper into our true nature and, perhaps most importantly, to see our daily life as a realization of that nature.

In our school, retreats, in addition to the practice of sitting meditation and sutra recitation, include almost all activities of ordinary life: physical (and sometimes intellectual) work, mindful eating and food preparation, walking, and socializing.

Drawing and ikebana workshops, and even concerts, may also take place during sesshins.

The main value of our school's sesshins is their unique atmosphere, which allows participants to experience how strict discipline and inner freedom, inner concentration and relaxed social interaction, and non-attachment to personal interests alongside enjoyment of every moment of life can coexist.

Retreats are not associated with strict asceticism

We alternate Zazen meditation with various activities including eating, labor, body practices such as Tibetan yoga, Zen massage, and learning the Dharma through questions and anwers (Mondo).

We have time to relax, socialize, and even host parties. At the same time, the main goal of the retreat is to sincerely seek the Path and return to our true nature.

There are no organizers providing the retreat service and no clients receiving it. All participants, whether novices or senior monks, interact as a cohesive team, where everyone has a role to play in the whole cloth, and everyone has a responsibility.

The more attentively we invest ourselves in creating harmony through simple tasks, the more deeply we immerse ourselves in the spirit of the Teachings.

Our master, Sando Kaysen, teaches that it is not so much the number of hours spent in meditation that matters, but the alert presence in each action.

We can develop this quality by being with experienced practitioners in a unifying atmosphere, following a common rhythm.

The sesshin will be led by the disciple of Master Kaisen, monk An Zen (Timofey Martynov).

Georgian Sangha, Adjara 2022

Organizing fee

The money covers rent, food, supplies, and support for the Zen centers. No practitioner profits anything from Sangha events.

250 GEL

*The offering can be divided into 2 parts. Price includes accommodation and meals for 3 days

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Contacts

Alexandra
Telegram: @sashashadrina / +33783786427
Whatsapp: +33783786427
Tel.: +995 568713711

Bagrationi Street 61, Batumi

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