Shorin-ji

Shorin-ji means “The Wood of Awakening”. Of course, it´s not the Zen temple located in China, where the Patriarch Bodhidharma practiced for 9 years facing a wall. However here we respect this same practice of zazen, brought to Europe by Master Taisen Deshimaru at the end of the 20th century.

Deepen the Zen practice

Shorin-ji Zen Temple is open to all who wish to deepen their Zen practice in the very natural setting of a small forest. It is not a university course, nor are grades given at the end of the stay. In fact, the living temple is the earth and the sky.

Our practice is very simple since, after all, Zen is very simple. It´s human beings who get increasingly complicated and end up losing their link to the universe.

Zazen: Each day of the week we sit in zazen at 7 in the morning and 7:30 in the evening. After breakfast, we dedicate ourselves to samu.

Samu is generally manual work, and helps the organization of the temple´s development. Sometimes we build, sometimes we weed, other times we plant and every day we eat and wash our bowls. Samu continues the state of concentration and observation generated by the practice of Zen.

Daily Life: The same pace is maintained day after day: zazen, samu, lunch, rest, samu, zazen, dinner (optional), and sleep. Monday is the resting day, hosan, when everyone can take care of personal business.

Sesshin: Every month there is a sesshin – a period of intensive practice spanning several days – which gathers together people who also practice outside the temple, in social life.

Surroundings: Sierra de Gredos

Shorin-ji Zen Temple is located on the south west slope of the Sierra de Gredos. The nearest village is Villanueva de la Vera in the province of Cáceres, Spain. Located at about ten kilometres of the village’s main road, the temple enjoys a silence broken only by the birds’ singing, uncontaminated by modern society. The shadow of the trees softens the heat of the summer; and the mountain range, against which the temple is set, tempers winter temperatures, never allowing them to drop below freezing.

Master Wanshi said:

The white clouds are fascinated by the slopes of the green mountain and that the shining moon loves to be carried by the water streams. The clouds leave and the mountain appears. The moon settles and the water is calm.

This is what happens here; it´s the practice of Gyo ji, established in a natural way, without additions or rejections.

Master: Bárbara Kosen

Master Bárbara Kosen is responsible for teaching. A disciple of Master Taisen Deshimaru at the Dojo of Paris and ordained a nun in 1975. She received the Dharma transmission from Master Stéphane Kosen Thibault in 1993 after which she started teaching the practice of Zen in Spain.

Practice at Shorin-ji Zen Temple – Timetable

You can come over to practice zazen at the temple every morning and every night. You can also arrive on weekends, in this case with no previous experience needed. We ask for a minimal contribution of 3€ per zazen or 20€ per month; and 25€ per weekend.

It’s important to call before coming over and to arrive 40 minutes in advance to do an initiation to practice.
.+34 622 885 199

  • Morning
  • Evening
  • Tuesday – Friday
  • 7:00
  • 19:30
  • Saturday and Sunday
  • 7:30
  • 19:30

To practice in Shorin-ji, everybody must be a member of the Zen Association Taisen Deshimaru.

It is not allowed to bring dogs to the temple.

Residency – Long stays

For a stay of a month or more in Shorin-ji Zen Temple, first of all, you must have been introduced to the practice of the Way.
We ask for a participation in expenses according to the length of stay:
– 250 € for a month and 700 € for three months (these prices include participation in Sesshin);
– a weekend stay is 25 €, and per day is 15€.

You can arrive at the temple from Wednesday through Saturday, from 17.30 until 19.00 in the evening.

The monks who would like to reside for a year are invited to do so.

Beginners in the practice of Zazen must have practiced at least for a month at a Dojo and have a recommendation letter of it’s responsible, or validate their experience through the Mokusan Dojo de Madrid.

Welcome!

Donationes – Fuse

Donations are always welcome as they help to better the comfort of the temple. They can be made at the following bank account:

. IBAN: ES45 2100 1139 4113 0037 2957 (BIC: CAIXESBBXXX)