What is Zen meditation?
Zen cannot be described with words, rather it must be experienced.
A Japanese Zen tale (koan): A student asked his master how he should meditate. After a long pause, the master answered: “It is like this: when a thought has left you and the next thought has not yet arrived, is there not an empty space?” “Yes,” replied the student. “Exactly! Now prolong that! That is meditation.”
We can read countless books on Zen and have countless discussions about it without it ever having any effect on our lives. We must practice, practice, practice, and for that we must have courage, patience and perseverance. When we rely on meditation, we are able to find inner peace and stillness. Meditation enhances our awareness in all areas of perception. Our practice offers us the possibility to leave the world of doing for a while and simply to BE.
The practice of Zen, zazen, is especially challenging for us at the beginning, and it requires great discipline. You will, however, learn a great deal about yourself. When we enter into stillness, we have the chance to see ourselves. Life, the here and now, is our teacher.
Zen meditation allows you to dive deep into these experiences. To begin on this path, I invite you to practice together with me or to attend regular group sessions. Through mediation we can calm our spirit and allow our own wisdom to emerge. I would love to welcome you in our Zen Meditation Centre “Myoshin-an”, which means “place of the wondrous heart”.
Our Zen meditation centre, nestled in the foothills of the Bucklige Welt and the Wechselland (district of Neunkirchen) at about 580m above sea level, is closely linked to the Viennese Zen Meditation Centre Misho-an (www.mishoan.at) and is in the tradition of Japanese Rinzai Zen with a European manifestation.
“Be a light unto yourself.” – Buddha
Events and Offers:
In addition to sitting (zazen) and recitation, we practice walking meditation (kinhin) and hold tea ceremonies (sarei). Everyone is welcome to practice with us. Beginners receive an introduction and a personal coaching.
Evening Meditation, once per week (sitting meditation, recitation, tea ceremony), simple Zen (only sitting and walking meditation) and Zen hiking.
Wednesdays 19:30-21:00: Sitting meditation, recitation, tea ceremony
For organizational reasons, we ask you to please register for all events.
Costs:
For regular meditation we offer 10-visit cards at a discount price.
For other events we gladly receive donations as compensation for our time & energy.
Contact:
+43 676 554 27 33
christine@compassionate-being.com
