Living Zen - A Daily Practice

Join us on the beautiful island of Lefkada for these Living Zen Retreats.  Sign up for either one or both (the other retreat is Living Zen - An Introduction to Buddhism and takes place the week before this one).

The retreats aim to be information, helpful and fun.  (Yes, fun is part of the deal, though of course, it can't be guaranteed!).

This retreat will focus more on how we can extend our practice of Zen into our daily activities and how we can establish a daily meditation practice. There will be scheduled daily meditation periods as well as ‘applied meditation’ classes, where we apply the principles of meditation to other activities.

Can we meditate while having fun? We will also have room for discussion as in the first retreat (Living Zen - An Introduction to Buddhism).

You may find it helpful to get a feel for Zen before coming on the retreat(s). To this end it could be helpful to read ‘Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind’ or some general books on Buddhism beforehand, though it’s not essential that you do.

Each retreat will include a daily (and optional) exercise routine that will help awaken your body and support a meditation practice.

Topics that we will include in our discussions are:

• Suffering, Dissatisfaction and Nirvana
• The Buddhist ‘Wheel of Life’ and the ‘Reactive Mind’.
• Mindfulness and the Path to Liberation – the Creative Mind.
• Hindrances and Antidotes – gaining, and regaining, the Initiative.
• Applying the above to Relationships, Work and Life.

You don't have to be a Buddhist to come along, you don't need to take on any beliefs.  You can just come and find out how well Buddhist practices will fit into your life to make it a more satisfying experience, overall.  This week is purposely  free-flowing so that there will be plenty of room for discussion and dialogue. 

Biography
Ingen is a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (author of ‘Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind’ and founder of  San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC)) having received ordination and dharma transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer, a former Abbott of SFZC. Ingen has been practicing Buddhism for over 20 years and he currently lives and teaches between San Francisco Zen Center and Europe and is a member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association of America. He likes movies, books, coffee, hill walking and hanging out by a pool.