All Nations Gathering Center
Kyle, South Dakota
Led by Ekai Joel Kreisberg, Koto Washi Dallas Chief Eagle
& Engo Michael Jackson
September 27th, 2:00 pm MT - October 4th, 11 pm MT (South Dakota), 2026
About This Retreat
Having successfully offered this retreat in summer of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, hosts Dallas and Becky Chief Eagle have invited us back. With open hearts, we invite you to join us for a five-day journey of meditation, prayer and ceremony.
Photo Courtesy of Darrin Harris Frisby, © Copyright 2026 www.darrinharrisfrisby.com
With the leadership of Ekai Joel Kreisberg & Koto Washi Dallas Chief Eagle, we will again join in a sacred circle to practice meditation and prayer. The overall structure of the retreat will be guided by the Zen form developed by Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi including the morning and evening service, meditation, qi gong practice and one-on-one meetings with Ekai Roshi. Traditional ceremony is also an essential aspect of this retreat including spirit walks with horses under the sacred stewardship of Dallas Chief Eagle. The traditional purification lodge ceremony offered the final evening of the retreat.
During the retreat, we observe essential silence and ask that you plan your retreat to be free from outside communication and distractions. Cell phones, reading materials, computers and audio players will not be permitted for the duration of the retreat.
“This retreat was a profound experience for me. It was perfectly organized down to the smallest detail, the leadership are all experienced Zen teachers, the sangha was warm, friendly and kind. Even the food was good!”
Photo Courtesy of Darrin Harris Frisby, © Copyright 2026 www.darrinharrisfrisby.com
This retreat is offered in partnership with
Travel Planning
Please plan to arrive by 11:00 pm on the first day of the retreat and to depart after 11:00 am on the last day. The closest airport is Rapid City Regional in South Dakota. All Nations Gathering Center is a 90 minute drive from the airport in Kyle, SD. We are able to offer car service from the airport to the retreat site for a fee of $50 round trip.
For more information about the location, click here: All Nations Gathering Center
Room and Board
All Nation’s Gathering provides sharing sleeping dorms separated by gender. Bedding is provided. Also available are tent sites as well as the opportunity to stay in a traditional teepee. Daily offerings will include three vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals with coffee and tea in the morning. '
If you would like to stay for addition days before and after the retreat we as that you add $100 per day fee to cover room and board.
Photo Courtesy of Darrin Harris Frisby, © Copyright 2026 www.darrinharrisfrisby.com
Registration
The retreat fee is $1550 for share rooms and all meals. You will be invited to make a dana contribution at the end of the retreat to support the teachers.
Travel arrangements are available. $50 per person for a ride to and from Rapid City Airport
Payment Options
$1550 full tuition
$1250 full tuition for members
$800 now, $700 September 1st - Payment Plan 1
$350 now, then $300 for four monthly payments - Monthly Payment Plan
$250 Enrollment fee plus complete application for financial assistance consideration
$50 per person for transportation to and from Rapid City Airport
Full Fee - Member
Full Fee - Non-Member
Monthly Payment Plan
Payment Plan 1
Travel Option
Ride from Rapid City to Retreat
This is a per person fee that for round trip travel from the Rapid City airport.
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available to participants exhibiting financial need. To apply please fill out the scholarship application below, along with the refundable deposit.
Please note that while Shining Bright Lotus aims to make our offerings financially accessible, we are unable to provide full scholarships for our programs and retreats. Applications will be reviewed on an individual basis and you will be awarded financial assistance based on need and availability of financial resources at Shining Bright Lotus. We will refund your deposit if we are not able to offer financial assistance that meets your circumstances.
If you are unable to offer the $150 enrollment fee for financial assistance, please contact us directly to discuss participation.
Single Night Enrollment
For guests attending a ceremony.
For persons attending one of the ceremonies, please enroll in the number of day/evenings you plan to attend. Enrollment fees cover the lodging and three meals.
For travel to and from Rapid City Airport, please add travel option above.
“The week in Yellow Bear Canyon is an immersion into another time and space. The environment is rigorous. I appreciated the evolution of the meditation teachings from concentration, no self to emptiness. The small group conversations helped me to ground my meditation experience and articulate what was happening to myself.”
Retreat Leadership
Ekai Joel Kreisberg
Dr. Joel Kreisberg has been teaching healing and meditation for over 30 years. Taking jukai with Jn Po Denis Kelly Roshi at Hollow Bones Zen, Joel was given the name Ekai meaning “Ocean of Generosity.” Ekai was ordained by Jun Po in 2018 at Dai Bosatsu the root monastery for Hollow Bones. He was asked to take the role of the first Executive Director of Hollow Bones Zen in 2019. During his three years of leadership he helped Hollow Bones Zen during the challenging period of the loss of their founding abbot.
Photo Courtesy of Darrin Harris Frisby, © Copyright 2026 www.darrinharrisfrisby.com
Koto Washi Dallas Chief Eagle
Koto Washi Dallas Chief Eagle II, Sicangu Lakota and Hollow Bones priest, is a member of the Rosebud Lakota Nation, from the Pine Ridge Reservation, Yellow Bear Canyon, South Dakota.
An internationally renowned and recognized master of the Lakota Hoop Dance, as well as a K-12 art teacher, with a Master’s degree in guidance counseling and personal services, Koto Washi now leads the All Nations Gathering Center in Kyle, South Dakota.
Photo Courtesy of Darrin Harris Frisby, © Copyright 2026 www.darrinharrisfrisby.com
Koto Washi has worked closely with children for years fostering concentration and mindfulness practices based on the ancestral creation stories of “Grandfather Rock” to improve self-awareness and management skills. An ambassador of unity and mindfulness within his own community, Grandfather Rock and other stones are used by everyone from school aged children to community elders as a meditative tool to quiet the mind. Stones have even been placed in dedicated spaces in schools and community centers as a refuge for concentration and reflection, replacing the burdens of pain, confusion and suffering with peace, compassion and joy.
This community ministry has developed in parallel with his own practices as a Hollow Bones priest. Koto Washi describes his first days of meditative practice as being “hard to get.” He reflected on early lack of comfort in sitting still and credits his eventual mastery of zazen practice to a deeper study of his own ancestral creation stories of the “stone people.” By focusing on the respect due to these “eldest beings,” he became able to quiet his mind and take his seat with greater ease, in the company of his ancestors.
Engo Michael Jackson
Photo Courtesy of Darrin Harris Frisby, © Copyright 2026 www.darrinharrisfrisby.com
Engo Michael Jackson is one of the few priests ordained by Jun Po Roshi who has experience leading an eight-day sesshin in the role of the Tanto - the spiritual leader of the sesshin. He has mastered all of the retreat roles through his extensive commitment to the Jun Po Roshi’s dharma. He continues to lead through the Virtual Zendo, serve as a primary teacher in the clergy training at Dragon Heart Dharma, and is a board member at Shining Bright Lotus Meditation Society. He continues to raise his two boys in Huntington Beach, CA.
“Rooted in Zen and enriched by Lakota traditions, this retreat invites deep breath and presence with the boundless South Dakota landscape and a circle of open-hearted, still-minded participants.”
Retreat Schedule - (Sample)
September 27th 2026 - Sunday
10:00 am Arrival at the retreat
11:00 am Opening Check-in
11:30 am Orientation
12:30 Lunch
2:00 pm Opening Check - in
3:00 pm Orientation
3:30 pm Break
4:00 pm Meditation Instruction
4:30 pm Walking Meditation Instruction
4:45 pm Meditation Instructions continue
5:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Evening service – Instructions
7:45 pm Walking Meditation
7:55 pm Embodiment Instruction
8:20 pm Meditation – Closing Service Instructions
9:00 pm End of Practice
October 28th - Monday
5:00 am Wake-up bell
5:15 am Meditation hall opens
5:30 am Morning Service Instructions
5:50 am Walking Meditation
6:00 am Meditation
6:45 am Embodiment
7:15 am Meditation
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Samu - Work Practice Instruction
10:30 am Meditation
11:00 am Walking Meditaton
11:15 am Dharma Talk
11:45 am Walking Meditation
Noon Meditation
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Meditation -
2:30 pm Walking Meditation
2:40pm Meditation
3:10 pm Nature Walk
3:40 pm Meditation
4:10 pm Walking Meditation
4:20 pm Small Group Discussion
4:40 pm Group Dokusan
5:00 pm Meditation
5:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Evening service – Meditation
7:45 pm Walking Meditation
7:55 pm Embodiment
8:20 pm Meditation – Closing Service
9:00 pm End of Practice
September 30th - Tuesday
5:00 am Wake-up bell
5:15 am Meditation hall opens
5:30 am Morning Service
5:50 am Walking Meditation
6:00 am Meditation
6:45 am Embodiment
7:15 am Meditation
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Samu
10:30 am Meditation
11:00 am Walking Meditaton
11:15 am Dharma Talk
11:45 am Walking Meditation
Noon Meditation
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Meditation -
2:30 pm Walking Meditation
2:40pm Meditation
3:10 pm Nature Walk
3:40 pm Meditation
4:10 pm Walking Meditation
4:20 pm Small Group Discussion
4:40 pm Group Dokusan
5:00 pm Meditation
5:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Evening service – Meditation
7:45 pm Walking Meditation
7:55 pm Embodiment
8:20 pm Meditation – Closing Service
9:00 pm End of Practice
October 1st - Wednesday
5:00 am Wake-up bell
5:15 am Meditation hall opens
5:30 am Morning Service
5:50 am Walking Meditation
6:00 am Meditation
6:45 am Embodiment
7:15 am Meditation
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Samu
10:30 am Meditation
11:00 am Walking Meditaton
11:15 am Dharma Talk
11:45 am Walking Meditation
Noon Meditation
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Meditation -
2:30 pm Walking Meditation
2:40pm Meditation
3:10 pm Nature Walk
3:40 pm Meditation
4:10 pm Walking Meditation
4:20 pm Small Group Discussion
4:40 pm Group Dokusan
5:00 pm Meditation
5:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Evening service – Meditation
7:45 pm Walking Meditation
7:55 pm Embodiment
8:20 pm Meditation – Closing Service
9:00 pm End of Practice
October 2nd - Thursday
5:00 am Wake-up bell
5:15 am Meditation hall opens
5:30 am Morning Service
5:50 am Walking Meditation
6:00 am Meditation
6:45 am Embodiment
7:15 am Meditation
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Samu
10:30 am Meditation
11:00 am Walking Meditaton
11:15 am Dharma Talk
11:45 am Walking Meditation
Noon Meditation
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Meditation -
2:30 pm Walking Meditation
2:40pm Meditation
3:10 pm Nature Walk
3:40 pm Meditation
4:10 pm Walking Meditation
4:20 pm Small Group Discussion
4:40 pm Group Dokusan
5:00 pm Meditation
5:30 pm LIght Dinner
7:00 pm Inipi
October 3rd
5:00 am Wake - up bell
5:15 am Meditation hall opens
5:30 am Morning Service
5:50 am Walking Meditation
6:00 am Meditation
6:45 am Embodiment
7:15 am Meditation
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Meditation
9:45 am Walking Meditation
9:55 am Meditation
10:30 am Walking Meditation
10:40 am Dharma Talk
11:20 am Walking Meditation
11:30 am Meditation
Noon Lunch
1:30 pm Meditation
2:00 pm Walking Meditation -
2:10 pm Meditation
2:55 pm Walking Meditation
3:05 pm Meditation
3:35 pm Nature Walk
4:05 pm Meditation
4:50 pm Walking Meditation
5:00 pm Meditation
5:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Evening Celebration
October 4th - Sunday
6:00 am Wake-up bells
6:15 am Meditation hall opens
6:30 am Morning Service
6:55 am Meditation
7:25 am Embodiment
7:50am Meditation
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 am Closing Circle
10:00 am Closing Business
10:30 am Closing Ceremony
11:00 am Clean and Pack
Noon Lunch
1 pm Rides out
“This retreat was life changing in terms of the teachings and opportunities to deepen my meditation practice. The setting and hospitality we received at the All Nations Gathering Center was so peaceful, beautiful and welcoming! The mix of Zen and Native American spiritual practices made the retreat even more rewarding and meaningful. ”