Dear Zen Center Athens Sangha, As the days grow cooler and the daylight wanes, we hope that your practice is steady source of nourishment and peace and that we can each offer that peace to this world on fire. On the evening of Novemeber 14th at 7:30pm we will gather to offer our usual Introduction to Zen but this time with a special guest. Τhe beloved friend of the Zen Center Athens Bernd Bender will accompany the conversation with our abbot Jiho san Konstantino Sgoumpopoulo and everyone present. Bernd Bender is the guiding teacher of Akazienzendo in Berlin and has been practicing Zen since 1987. He lived for 18 years at…

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KAISANJI YOGA & ZEN RETREATS 25 – 31 MARCH AND 25 – 31 MAY 2024 With Alexandra Sotiropoulou and Antaratma Theodoros Chiotis Kaisanji Serifos Greece The purpose of the Retreat is to support a change in lifestyle and our perspective on things for this time period and beyond. All teachings agree that in order to have an expansion of awareness we need to experience a condition outside of our mechanistic way of living and interacting. This change in habitual way of life is deeply connected to a change in habitual way of thinking. It is therefore very likely that during…

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  Yoga Nidra and Inner Silence Meditation Every Tuesday and Thursday, 17:15 – 18:15 Starting November 2 Yoga Nidra, or “yogic sleep,” is a deeply relaxing and transformative practice derived from the ancient yoga teachings. It is a guided meditation technique that induces a state of conscious relaxation, promoting physical, mental and emotional well-being. In Yoga Nidra, the practitioner remains in a state between wakefulness and sleep, where deep healing and self-awareness can occur. Origins: Yoga Nidra has its roots in the yogic tradition and was systematized and taught by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. It is based on the principles of…

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Tuesday 16 May 2023 19:00 – 20:30 On the occasion of Koten Roshi and Doiku Sensei‘s visit to Athens for the Spring Sesshin at Zen Center Athens, we are organizing an open event, so that those of you who will not be attending the Sesshin can get in direct contact with these important teachers. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 16 at 19:00. It will be a 1.5 hour talk on Zen, during which in addition to the practical part of the teaching on zazen meditation, there will be time for questions and discussion with the teachers. The…

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Don’t we all long for healing? Two years of pandemic lockdowns, a war in Europe, and many other armed conflicts worldwide, a global climate crisis – all of this leaves many of us bewildered, feeling isolated and lonely, and in fear about what our future will look like. Zen is a healing practice that offers a way to transform our feelings of isolation into connectedness, our sense of doom and doubt into confidence and trust, and our anger and despair into care and compassion. This weekend will be an opportunity to meet and practice together. The retreat is open to…

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Every asana is a gateway to the earth and sky. This is a reality, a seemingly simple fact, but at the same time, it is a truth that constantly eludes us. Vanda Scaravelli has studied yoga in depth over a long time and has come to some highly fundamental conclusions. We will work on these conclusions by asking the right, pertinent questions and not looking for easy answers. Alexandra Sotiropoulou ( www.yogavijaya.com ) has been practising yoga since 1996 and teaching since 2003. She was trained in the systems of Satyananda Yoga & Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (Intermediate series). She studied…

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Ο Χαιρετισμός στον Ήλιο είναι μια πανάρχαια πρακτική που με τον χρόνο έχει τροποποιηθεί και εμπλουτιστεί. Η ουσία της πρακτικής παραμένει παρόλα αυτά αναλλοίωτη. Είναι ένας φόρος τιμής στην γενεσιουργό δύναμη του Ήλιου, που ως ο Αστέρας του συστήματος μας τροφοδοτεί με ενέργεια και φως τον πλανήτη Γη. Καμία μορφή ζωής δεν θα ήταν εφικτή χωρίς την ύπαρξή του. Η πρακτική θα συνοδευτεί με τον ήχο του ινδικού αρμονίου και τα Surya mantras. Gayatri Mantra Το Gayatri mantra είναι μια παγκόσμια επίκληση. Είναι επίσης γνωστό ως Savitri Mantra, και απευθύνεται στην Υπερβατική Θεότητα «Savitr», την δημιουργική και γενεσιουργό δύναμη που…

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Zazen Saikenji Temple, Japan Saikenji is a Buddhist temple located in Hamamatsu city, 252 km outside Tokyo. The monastery’s temple was built in 1480. The name of the temple (loosely translated) means, the point from where you can see the West, that is, where India is, the land where the Buddha was born and is the land of Pure Paradise. In Saikenji you can practice zazen and the formula of the teaching is expressed as follows: becoming one with everything in the world. The abbot of the monastery is called Kothen Roshi and he has visited us several times in…

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The next Zen Day will take place on Sunday, 19th of February 2023. We will have 6 zazen periods with Kinhin (meditative walking) in between, and a discussion amongst practitioners. During Zen Day we will have the opportunity to connect with and listen to Koten Roshi’s Dharma talk from 11:00 to 12:00. Please note that the platform room will be open only during the discussion. Zen Center members will receive the Zoom link with our newsletter. Make sure to arrive to Zen Center strictly by 10:10. After zazen starts at 10:20 you will not be able to enter. The lunch break takes place at Zen…

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Dear friends of Zen Center Athens, The next introductory Zen class will take place on Tuesday, February 7, 19:30 – 21:00. At Zen Center Athens we practice Zen because we believe it is beneficial for all people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or social class. In Zen, you don’t add anything, nor do you take anything away; you simply experience wholeness. For more information & registration please contact us at [email protected]

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