Edited sentence: At this Rohatsu sesshin, the practitioners typically strive to quiet the mind's chatter to the point of either Stopping thought, samadhi, kensho, or satori.In modern Buddhist practice in Japan, Taiwan and the West, sesshins are often attended by lay students, and are typically 1, 3, 5, or 7 days in length.One distinctive aspect of Zen meditation in groups is the use of the keisaku, a flat wooden stick or slat used to keep meditators focused and awake.Sesshin (接心, 摂心, 攝心), literally "gathering the mind", is a period of intensive group meditation (zazen) in a Zen monastery.Sesshins run in silence, except the public talks (teisho) given by master and individual direction in private meetings (which may be called dokusan, daisan, or sanzen) with a Zen Master.Seven day sesshins are several times a year at many Zen Centers, especially in commemoration of the Buddha's awakening to annuttara samyak sambodhi.The numerous 30–50 minute long meditation periods are interleaved with short rest breaks, meals, and sometimes, short periods of work (Japanese: samu) all performed with the same mindfulness; nightly sleep is kept to a minimum, 7 hours or less.While the daily routine in the monastery requires the monks to meditate several hours a day, during a sesshin they devote themselves almost exclusively to zazen practice