SESSHIN OF GRATITUDE – A Tribute to TAISEN DESHIMARU

It is not worth asking too many questions: how will humanity end, how will I die, how long will my children live, how long will I live, when will I meet the woman of my life, when will a man sleep with me, when, how, why, we continually torture ourselves with these useless questions. The important thing is action: here and now, to act. The answer to the questions always comes rather quickly. Life is like a line made of dots. Each instant is a point. The stronger an instant is lived, the stronger are the dots, and therefore, life. It is necessary to trace one’s own life strongly. The zazen posture helps, that is all. It helps to heal the body and the spirit.

(Taisen Deshimaru)

Sesshin of gratitude to the great Mokudo master Taisen Deshimaru, from April 29th to May 1st at Shorin-ji, with arrival on Friday afternoon, April 28th.

Deshimaru is the human being, the bohisattva, the buddha who made possible and real the zazen we practice, since he introduced it for the first time in Paris in 1967, where he founded the first European Zen Dojo. Throughout all the moments, hours, days, months, years that followed, he put all his energy into bequeathing the treasure he received from his master Kodo Sawaki, tracing a new line for the transmission of Zen in the West. He passed away on April 30, 1982, leaving hundreds of disciples orphans, but heirs of a teaching that would accompany them forever. Most of them continued, some even became true masters in the line of succession, like our sensei Barbara Kosen, who will lead the sesshin. Thanks also to their courage, their energy, we continue. On this anniversary, we remember our fate and we express it by activating the zazen of transmission.

Together, with mutual respect, without selfishness and in harmony. Zazen, samu, collectively as a healthy and strong swarm realizing the Dharma honey from the exact effort.

Everyone has to carry his or her own bowl for meals and take care to keep it clean. The food is mostly vegetarian, except at the end of the sesshin where there is a feast meal with some meat or fish deliciously cooked by the tenzo.

It is also advisable to bring a sleeping bag and a flashlight.

The cost of the sesshin is 90 euros.

We all practice at the temple as members of the Deshimaru Zen Taisen Association, so it is important to be registered and have your membership fee paid for the current year. It is only 20 euros. These formalities can be done at the temple itself.

We wish you all a good sesshin, appreciating your participation in this recognition (satori: to recognize again).

Inscriptions and contact: dojo@zenkan.com / 673 500 614 / 686 656 169