Half-Day Meditation Retreat led by Misha Shungen Merrill

Kannon Do will host a half-day sitting on Saturday, November 21st led by Misha Shungen Merrill.  This half-day of mindfulness offers a rare opportunity to turn our awareness to the simple activities that sustain our lives, and that we normally take for granted: breathing, walking, eating, being attentive to the workings of our mind. The distractions and pressures of daily responsibilities diminish, giving a wider world view a chance to appear, along with a sense of gratitude and calmness. We encourage you to organize your schedule so that you can attend this half-day retreat. If you are interested in attending or have questions, please contact Dan Geiger at dan@dangeiger.com.

The half-day sit will be followed by a lunch break and a work practice period.  The work practice period is an opportunity for everyone to set up the zendo, Sangha House, and grounds in preparation for Keido Roshi’s funeral. The schedule is as follows:

8:00 am- 12 noon Half-day sitting
12 Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch break
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Work practice period

Misha Shungen Koun Merrill began practicing Zen in 1984, and has been the Guiding Teacher of Zen Heart Sangha in Menlo Park and Woodside, California, since 1993. She was ordained as a Zen priest in 1988 and received Dharma Transmission in 1998 from her teacher, Les Kaye Roshi, the founding teacher of Kannon Do Zen Center in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the founder of San Francisco Zen Center. She also received Dharma Transmission in 2025 in the lineage of Kobun Houn Roshi, the founder of Jikoji Zen Center from teachers Shoho Michael Newhall and Nenzen Pamela Brown. Misha was a teacher at the Peninsula School in Menlo Park for 33 years before retiring in 2022. She resides in Woodside with her husband, dog, and other wildlife creatures.