The ZEN RETREAT is a rare opportunity to get away from the everyday hassles of life and focus on personal growth. It aims to provide a sense of inner peace and relaxation, while furthering your spiritual exploration.

 

Meditation is the core practice in Zen Buddhism. It is the mindful quality present in everything we do, and the pathway to discovering our basic mind and heart (who and what we are), building awareness of mind, self, others, and our surroundings.

Apart from zazen, the traditional sitting meditation, we include other forms of meditation: walking meditation outside (barefoot if the weather permits), sound meditation, meditation in nature and meditative walks in the surroundings.

 

In addition to meditation, each retreat combines a variety of Zen Buddhist practices, i.e.:

Chanting, where we express our heart through our voices.

Shabutsu, tracing of a Buddhist image as a form of meditation to focus our minds

Samu (work practice), where we learn to focus on the tasks at hand.

Creative activities as expression of our individual selves

Talks, in which we share the teachings of the Buddha.

Discussions, which provide the opportunity to ask questions and learn from others.

 

The middle day of the retreat is spent in silence with some suggestions how to spend the day as well as to facilitates awareness of our surroundings.

 

Our activities during the retreat will help you quiet your mind and gain awareness of your thoughts and that deeper inner voice called intuition. The retreat also helps you focus on how to apply the Zen teachings in your daily life through contemplating one of the many Zen Sayings during free time and exchanging your views with the participants and teachers.

 

Through this variety, the Zen Retreat is a unique opportunity to get a glimpse of the many facets of Zen.

 

Fee: 35.000 Yen  (main meals, overnight stay and program),

Maximum number of participants: 8; shared rooms.

Meals are vegetarian, special dietary requirements cannot be met, but you are free to bring own provisions. Bring your own snacks if you need, tea is provided.

In many traditions art as expression of the Self has always been an integral part of spiritual practice. Creativity is simply to allow the spirit to fly free where it wants to go, give it life, let it play and direct you back towards remembering your sacred self – it is the vehicle and the essential language of giving meaning to that which cannot be expressed in words and which connects us all.

Creative activities can be meditation in action, and they are practiced to bring about the same kind of results as zazen or sitting meditation. The total attention, precision, and discipline required for true creativity to blossom though one’s own craft requires fully inhabiting the present moment, free of self and other, past and future, in a non-conceptual state of wakefulness.

 

This retreat offers the opportunity to emerge into our creative potential with a playful mind and find the many expressions of our individuality.

 

Fee: 20.000 Yen  (main meals, overnight stay and program),

Maximum number of participants: 8; shared rooms.

Meals are vegetarian, special dietary requirements cannot be met, but you are free to bring own provisions. Bring your own snacks if you need, tea is provided.

Once per month by Request Only

This opportunity for an overnight stay gives you a chance to step out of your everyday routine to spend time in silence and meditation. 

The stay starts at 6:30 pm with a walking meditation outside if the weather permits, followed by Zazen meditation inside. If requested, we can start with a talk to focus on in the following meditation periods. Apart from that the time will be spent in silence until after breakfast next morning. This is to allow the full contemplative and relaxing benefit of the meditation programs.

 

The following day starts again with walking meditation outside, zazen meditation inside, followed by a short morning service (chanting). After breakfast we have some tea and the chance to reflect on our stay.

Fee:  4000 Yen (including overnight stay and light Japanese breakfast)