Zen in Northern Germany— Sitemap for Dojos and Zen Groups in Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Flensburg, Neu Schönau (Mecklenburg) and Rostock — Members of the Association Zen Internationale, Founder Master Taisen Deshimaru — Colophon, Bodhidharma

Sitemap

[Stairs in the Zen Temple La Gendronnière]

The website “Zen in Northern Germany” presents six different groups of people practising Zen in: Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Here you can find out about Zen practice. Addresses, contacts and Zazen-timetables are available for each group. Dates of longer periods of Zen meditation are listed.

This sitemap is a more detailed replacement of the “quick menu” usually found at the side of each page, but replaced here by this nice picture of a cat hypnotizing a frog It was sketched by the Japanese Master Gibon Sengai, 1750-1837.

• Home page: english-language Home page
• What is Zen?: Buddhism and Zen. Master Taisen Deshimaru. Founding of the “Association Zen Internationale”. Zen Temple La Gendronnière.
• Zazen: short introduction to Zen meditation. Mind. Body. Breath.
• Dojo: the “Place of the Way”. Practising zazen. Sounds and silence. The kesa.
• Zen in Berlin: Zen Dojo in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
• Zen in Hamburg: Zen Dojo in Hamburg-Altona.
• Zen in Bremen: Zen Group in Bremen.
• Zen in Flensburg: Zen Group in Flensburg.
• Zen in Neu Schönau: Zen Group in Neu Schönau near Waren/Müritz, Mecklenburg.
• Zen in Rostock: Zen Group in Rostock.
• List of Events: Days of Zazen, list of sesshins and other events in the coming months.
• Links: links to the websites of other Zen Dojos and Groups. Archive of our former website: zendojosnord.de
• About us, Accessibility: publisher of the website. Technical details. Note about accessibility to people with disabilities.

Colophon

The idea of the website is to present information about Zen in general and the dojos and zen groups individually. A simple design was chosen and generally accepted Web Standards were adhered to, among other reasons so that the website would be understandable and easily navigible for the disabled.

The enigmatic theme of the website is the Kesa, the dark or dun coloured patchwork cloak worn during meditation. For centuries kesas have been hand sewn by students of Zen and when put on display an apparently endless number of seams.

The illustration on the home page of the website is of a Japanese Daruma luck-bringer. These little chaps can be seen everywhere in Japan, in all possible sizes. They show the legendary Indian monk Bodhidharma, who, in the 6th Centrury, brought Zen from the West to the East, from Ceylon to China. He sat in a cave for nine years facing the wall and is known as the First Patriarch of Zen. He is usually pictured with a ferocious expression and no legs, presumably a result of the nine years of zazen.

“Accessible Zen”

Zen is an open, undogmatic practice. It offers any- and everyone the opportunity, via meditation to understand and to accept themselves and so to see the world, just as it is. Zen is not bound to any confession; it is defined by doing — the practice of Zazen — rather than by a system of beliefs.

Sitting meditation can be practised without any problem by the visually and aurally handicapped. People who have difficulty sitting cross-legged on a cushion can practise Zazen sitting on a chair or in a wheelchair.

The website “Zen in Northern Germany” was honored on the 3rd December 2004 in Berlin with a bronze medal by the national organization “Aktion Mensch” which promotes the visibility and integration of the disabled in everyday society. The award is in the shape of a Bee, in German BIENE, which stands for: Accessible Internet opens New Insights. The awards were presented for the second time to organizations whose websites are especially user-friendly and fulfil the requirements of accessibility to the disabled. We are delighted to be so honored!

Zen im Norden Deutschlands (deutsch)

Die Website ist auch in deutsch verfügbar...

• Startseite: Link zur deutschsprachigen Startseite.
• Sitemap: deutschsprachige Website-Übersicht.