About this Event
Join us at Sky Creek Dharma Center for a daylong Zen meditation retreat with Rachel Mansfield-Howlett on April 25th 2026, 9am-3pm. Open to the Public, welcoming beginners, no previous meditation experience is needed! Suggested Donation $50, sliding scale entry, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Rachel is multifaceted, being both a skilled horticulturalist as well as a koan master in the Pacific Zen School lineage. For decades she has provided vital nourishment for flowers – especially human ones – which have flourished under her care. She is the founder and senior teacher at CityZen in Santa Rosa CA. Rachel’s deep insight into Zen koans enables her to help others build sturdy connections between silent meditation and everyday life.
There will be both sitting and walking meditation and we will all be keeping company with a koan – a long-time friend who you might be meeting for the first time. The only experience you need is the one you are currently having. Bringing a curious mind and an open heart helps encourage fresh growth and surprise blooms.
Rachel Mansfield-Howlett Roshi will also be offering one-on-one meetings (Dokusan) during the day. A marvelous opportunity that seldom comes our way.
Schedule
8:45 Arrive and find a seat (cushions and chairs available)
9:00 Welcome and info
9:15 Meditation Begins (25 min sitting periods followed by 5 minute walking meditation)
One-on-one meetings (Dokusan) available
10:30 Dharma Talk followed by some time for questions and answers followed by meditation
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Meditation begins
One-on-One meetings (Dokusan) available
Period of outdoor walking meditation (weather permitting)
3:00 Closing
About Rachel –
A 40-year practitioner of Zen, she was authorized to teach Zen and koans in 2003 and received full transmission, Inka Shomei, in 2009 in the Pacific Zen School lineage from John Tarrant Roshi.
In 2011, she founded City Zen In Santa Rosa, CA. She is a contributor to The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen’s Most Important Koan and The Hidden Lamp, Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women.
Rachel Mansfield-Howlett has degrees in botany and law. She is a public benefit environmental attorney, law professor, cook, gardener, and grandmother. Complimentary to her environmental law practice, she teaches a western style of Zen that emphasizes social justice, environmental, and community values.
Born into a family of ranchers, farmers, and schoolteachers in rural Oklahoma she moved with her family to southern California in the 1960s, attended college in Chico and settled in Sonoma County in the early 70s. Rachel traces her Chickasaw heritage through her maternal grandfather, a descendant of former Chickasaw leader Daugherty (Winchester) Colbert.
Rachel’s style of Zen practice helps us to awaken to the joyful spring of our life and to recognize the interconnectedness of all beings. Bringing this awakening and recognition into our daily lives is central to the practice.
You can find more information about Rachel and CityZen at: http://www.cityzensantarosa.com
For questions about the retreat contact:
Jan Black
707-206-8222
Event venue & nearby stays
Sky Creek Dharma Center, 120 Three Oaks Court, Chico, United States
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