Arrival: Friday 9 October between 3 pm and 6 pm.
Departure: Sunday 11 October after lunch (after 2 pm).
Would you like to find meaning in your life?
Are you seeking the tranquillity of a calm mind?
Do you long for greater clarity in a world whose values you do not entirely share?
Then come and take part in a spiritual retreat at a Zen monastery,
and discover Buddhist practice and Zen meditation (zazen).
This introductory weekend is aimed at people who have never practised zazen, as well as those who have never visited Kanshoji.
A spiritual retreat
In the heart of the Périgord Vert, on the shores of a lake, you will be welcomed to Kanshoji Monastery in a peaceful atmosphere.
Throughout your stay, you will be guided by the monks, nuns and residents, who will introduce you to monastic life and, through it, the practice of Zen.
An introduction to meditation will be at the heart of this spiritual retreat.
Daily life
You will be able to follow the daily routine of the residents:
- As soon as you wake up, you will head to the dojo for zazen sitting meditation, facing the wall (that is to say, facing yourself), in silence and stillness.
- This will be followed by a brief ceremony of homage and gratitude to the Buddha and the masters of the Sôtô Zen lineage.
- Next comes breakfast: guenmaï, a traditional rice soup.
- Then you will join everyone else in samu, the selfless activity in the service of the community: washing up, cleaning, peeling vegetables, tending the vegetable patch…
- Next comes the tea and coffee break… and sometimes a teaching from the abbot, which is always appreciated.
- Then, at the sound of the bell, samu resumes, always with the mindfulness and concentration that lead to a calm and open mind…
- Meals are taken in silence, with gratitude for those who prepared them and with mindfulness and respect for organic food that is predominantly vegetarian.
- After a rest period, the practice continues: samu, talks and meditation go on until nightfall.
The teachings
Over the course of this weekend, teachings on Buddhist practice and wisdom will be given by the abbot of the monastery, Zen Master Taiun Faure.
In our daily lives, within a difficult and complicated society, it is necessary to return to a joyful simplicity through a meditative practice based on a tradition dating back thousands of years and on universal and eternal values.
Why not come and experience for yourself,
during this spiritual retreat,
the value of this teaching and practice?
See you soon!
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