EMBODY YOUR LIFE
zen teachings on koan practice and shikantaza

*

International sesshin
from Monday July 9th to Sunday July 15th
in Germany.

For the first time, Frank Roshi will offer his zen teachings in English
during an intensive, seven day retreat in Oberdürenbach,
a wonderful location in the beautiful Eifel region.

 

 

Sesshin literally means ‘gathering the heart/mind’. A sesshin is an intensive multi-day Zen meditation retreat with a consistent schedule that creates a deep, quiet container for practice. Each day consists of sitting (zazen) and walking (kinhin) meditation, service and chanting (liturgy), formal meals in the zendo (oryoki), personal interviews with the teacher, work practice (samu) and physical practice. We observe silence throughout and support each other in quiet, whole-hearted practice.
During this week, we will be guided in our two main zen practices – shikantaza (formless meditation) and koan (zen questions) – and intensely practice them.
People new to the practice are very welcome! All newcomers will receive personal introductory instruction.

 

During the sesshin, Frank De Waele Roshi will give zen talks (teisho) every day and sometimes during zazen (kusen). He is well known for his inspiring and non-dogmatic teachings, his clear and practical instructions and his didactic skills.

Click here to read more about Roshi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consider combining this sesshin with the wonderful workshop on ‘Zen and beauty
led by Frank Roshi in Oberdürenbach from Monday July 16th to Sunday July 22nd!
Read about this workshop here

 


our zendo in Haus Königssee


PRACTICAL

Start sesshin: Monday afternoon July 9th at 6.30pm with a light supper.
End sesshin: Sunday afternoon July 15th at around 3pm.
You can arrive on Monday afternoon July 9th from 1pm onwards.

By signing up for this retreat, participants agree to the ‘Guidelines of Conduct for Sesshin’, posted at the bottom of this page.

Address
Haus Königssee
Hauptstrasse 45
56651 Oberdürenbach (Eifel)
Germany

Please visit their website: www.koenigssee-haus.de

Haus Königssee, our retreat location

Haus Königssee was the former ‘Dorfgastätte’ (1893). The house was renovated in the early nineties in an ecological way into a charming and modern retreat house. It is located on the outskirts of the rural village of Oberdürenbach in the volcanic hills of the Eifel nature reserve.
We wil be acccommodated in nice, comfortable double or triple rooms, each with its own bathroom. There is room for up to 25 people.

In our tradition, all meals are vegetarian, but not vegan. If requested we can provide lactose-free and gluten-free food. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate other dietary requirements.

 

Schedule of the day
Zen meditation starts at dawn and is followed by breakfast. After the work meditation, there is again zazen, followed by a Zen talk. After lunch, a retreat day has two more periods of zazen. There are also a sutra service and an informal supper.

6:30 wake up
7:00 zazen
9:00 ritual breakfast
10:15 work meditation
11:30 coffee and tea
11:45 zazen and zen teaching
13:15 ritual lunch

lunch break

15:30 coffee and tea
16:00 zazen
17:50 sutra service
18:15 supper
19:45 zazen
21:00 four vows

The schedule is subject to change.

 

 

Participation fee (everything included, except travel expenses) :

period

membership

participation fee

Sesshin ‘Embody your life’ from July 9th to July 15th
(7 day sesshin)
cost-contributing
Zen Sangha member

€ 450

other

€ 500

Sesshin ‘Embody your life’ and workshop ‘Zen and beauty’ combined, from July 9th to July 22nd (14 days): cost-contributing
Zen Sangha member

€ 800

other

€ 900

Costs-contributing Zen Sangha members are those who have paid the annual Zen Sangha membership fee and in addition have made an annual cost contribution. Read more about membership here

 

 

Registration, Payment and How to Get More Information

Registration
To register, please use this online registration form.
After registering, make your correct payment to the new Zen Sangha bank account:
IBAN: BE81 8901 5424 8724
BIC: VDSPBE91
Please indicate clearly ‘your own name + sesshin Oberdürenbach´ (or if you sign up for both the sesshin and the workshop: ‘your own name +  sesshin & workshop’).
Only upon receiving your payment is your registration valid, which will be confirmed by mail.
Registration closes on  Monday July 2nd.

To get more information, mail to registratie@zensangha.be

Cancellation Policy
To cancel after registration, please use this online cancelation form.
The cancellation fee is fifty euros and benefits our solidarity fund, with which we grant reductions to certain participants upon request.


The Königssee

Bring along
Loose (black) clothing, slippers, hiking clothes and possibly your own bench or sitting cushion (zafu).
If possible, bring your own towels and sheets (i.e., pillowcase, duvet cover and bottom sheet) with you!

 

HOW TO GET THERE

By car
Take the motorway (A61) from Cologne to Koblenz to exit 32 Niederzissen. Then follow the direction of Nürburgring until Niederdürenbach.
Outside this village, turn right in the direction of Oberdürenbach.

By train
Every day in the morning an ICE train departs departs from Brussels-South (Midi) to Cologne (Köln Hbf) at 10.25am, from where you have a connection to Brohl station on the line RB 25423 MittelrheinBahn (Trans Regio) between Köln Hbf and Mainz Hbf. You arrive there at 2.04 pm. Total duration of the train trip is 3.39h.
Our shuttle service awaits you at Brohl station and takes you to Oberdürenbach (10km).
For a single shuttle ride (20km) we ask a contribution of € 5 per person. Our shuttle service will run only on Monday 9 July. The return journey to Brohl can be arranged on site.
Reserve your ticket and your shuttle in time.

D: 10.25u Brussels-Midi (train ICE)
A: 12.15u Köln Hbf
D: 12.56u Köln Hbf
A: 14.04u Brohl

By plane
Cologne Airport (70km)
https://www.koeln-bonn-airport.de/en.html
There are several trains from the airport to Cologne, where you have a connection to Brohl station. Our shuttle service awaits you at Brohl station andtakes you to Oberdürenbach (10km).

Frankfurt Airport (150 km)
https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en.html

Dortmund Airport (175km)
https://www.dortmund-airport.pl/
flights from Olsztyn-Mazury, Kraków, Gdansk, etc.

 

dusk in Oberdürenbach

Guidelines of Conduct for Sesshin  

These Guidelines of Conduct, along with other forms and rituals, create a container of support and nurturance for everyone. Please follow them completely and wholeheartedly.

“To train constantly…requires unstinting support. The structure of the practice period provides such support. It is the head and face of Buddha Ancestors. It has been intimately transmitted as their skin, flesh, bones, and marrow.”
Eihei Dogen Zenji

 

GUIDELINES FOR SESSHIN

Be on time for all the scheduled events: allow enough time to arrive and settle at your place before any event begins. You are expected to participate fully in the schedule.

Observe Noble Silence all day.

During sesshin it is not allowed to do trips to town, only if you are in the kitchen crew.

Please refrain from using electronics during sesshin, and make sure that all your businesses are taken care of in advance before coming to Oberdürenbach. It will support your practice.

Be aware of your practice of the Way. It can inspire or demoralize others.

For the time of the sesshin, I commit to:

  • a non-dualistic beginner’s spirit
  • a deepened silence and presence
  • an ongoing attention to my zazen posture and to zendo procedures
  • a sustained awareness of my own actions and behaviour
  • a kind awareness and respect of others, of the context and the environment
  • a willingness to do manual work as meditation
  • a willingness to abstain from distraction, control and acting out
  • a willingness to allow joy, trust, openness, strength and devotion

“Just sit and see what happens. Following the rules lets you find yourself. The rules are not something to restrict you, but something to support your practice.”
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

If you have questions about or difficulties with any of these practice guidelines, please contact registration@zensangha.be