Western Zen Retreat
5-night Residential Retreat
7:00pm Saturday 29th November to
10:30am Thursday 4th December 2025
Leader: Simon Child
Venue: Shawbottom Farm, UK
Booking: Book now
Who am I? Thoroughly confronting this question can take us directly to the centre of our being. Over the course of this five-day retreat you will investigate the question "Who am I?" within a standard retreat framework, using silent meditation in conjunction with a unique method of verbal inquiry. This format allows you to use words to go beyond words and thereby enter the main gate of Chan.
The intensive nature of this process of inquiry drives each practitioner into a self-presentation that is difficult to experience in other ways. To guide and support you, personal interviews with the teachers are offered regularly throughout the retreat. With whole-hearted engagement this retreat may lead to the acceptance of self, the experience of "self at ease," and may even provide an opportunity for direct insight into the ground of being.
Read retreat reports by past participants in the Western Zen Retreat.
Open equally to beginners and established meditators.
Covid precautions for retreat
Please read our Covid plan which will apply to this retreat (unless we update it in the meantime). It requires some commitments from you, and some actions by you before the retreat, so please read and consider it before making your retreat booking.
Fees
Standard Fee: This meets our costs in providing your retreat place.
Supported Fee: A number of half-price concessionary places are available on each retreat, supported by our support fund. Select that option when making your booking.
- Standard Fee: £365
- Login to view availability of Supported Places
Booking
Before you can book you will need to register and then login and return to this page.
If you are already registered, click the "Book online" link below. That will take you to login, then redirect you to the booking page to make the booking.
Places available: 4 or more:
Essential Reading
- Pre-booking information and advice on retreats
- Booking and Cancellation advice, fees and supported places, terms and conditions
- Preparing to attend a retreat
- Covid precautions for Retreats
Leader: Simon Child
Chan Master Simon Child, Jing-hong Chuan-fa, Guiding Teacher of the Western Chan Fellowship, is the third Dharma Heir of the late Chan Master Sheng Yen. Simon trained for over thirty years with both Dr John Crook and Master Sheng Yen, and was the Secretary of the Western Chan Fellowship from its founding until his appointment as Guiding Teacher in 2011.
Simon is married with two adult sons. His main career was as a GP, and he also worked part-time as a Clinical Informatics Advisor for the National Health Service.
Shawbottom Farm
Shawbottom is a 23 acre (9 hectare) farm property nestled within a wildlife corridor connecting two nature reserves in the Peak District National Park. The buildings have been modernised and converted to provide group accommodation and it is an ideal property for isolated rural meditation retreats.
It is secluded, being accessed via a private track which does not lead to any other properties.
It is not open to casual visitors, only for pre-arranged visits.
Accommodation
Upstairs there are four large bedrooms, which are used as small dormitories. There are also three bathrooms, providing three toilets and three showers.
On the ground floor there is a bedroom designated as an accessible bedroom but which can also be used as an ordinary bedroom for two people. There is an accessible wetroom, and two more toilets and one more shower.
Also on the ground floor there is a large kitchen-diner which can accommodate 25 people though we will usually accept fewer than this for residential retreats.
All of the bedrooms offer long views across the surrounding countryside.
The building has been fully renovated and modernised with insulation exceeding current standards, and with underfloor heating.
Wildlife
There is a wildlife blog, and live streaming barn owl nest box cameras.
Location Map and Directions
Please visit the directions page on the Shawbottom website, which also has a photo gallery
Electric Vehicle Charging
There is a Zappi v2 EV charger, with a tethered Type 2 cable, which (subject to availability and operating condition) you may use to top-up your electric vehicle. If your car is older and needs a Type 1 connector you will need to bring a Type2->Type1 adaptor with you.
Charging is currently at standard daytime tariff rates. Terms and conditions for use of the charger are subject to change without notice.
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©Western Chan Fellowship CIO 2011-2025. May not be quoted for commercial purposes. Anyone wishing to quote for non-commercial purposes may seek permission from the WCF Secretary.
The articles on this website have been submitted by various authors and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Western Chan Fellowship.
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