Upcoming events and activities at the Zen Kannon Meditation Center in Barcelona: courses, retreats, in-person and online meditations, and Dharma workshops. Activities are announced in this category and can be booked directly by filling out the form in each event.
Genjokoan: A Zen Meditation Workshop The Genjokoan is a text written by the Japanese Zen master Eihei Dōgen, who in the 13th century introduced the Sōtō Zen school of Buddhism in Japan. Genjokoan can be translated as “Realization of the Present Moment” or “Awakening with the Whole Universe.” Shobogenzo The Genjokoan is a chapter from…
Mindfulness Karma is a module of the Zen Mindfulness course at the Zen Kannon Center, designed to teach the application of mindfulness to actions and their consequences. Psychological distress and suffering are often caused by our own thoughts, words, or actions in the past. Likewise, our thoughts, words, and actions in the present will shape…
Big Samu zen workshop. Sign up using the form. Samu Zen Samu in Zen refers to voluntary work performed as part of the practice at a Zen center. The word “samu” comes from Japanese and means work carried out with mindfulness, serving as a form of moving meditation. Samu is an essential part of Zen…
The Way of the Bodhisattva The Way of the Bodhisattva is an important concept in Zen Buddhism, arising from the Mahayana tradition. A bodhisattva is someone who aspires to enlightenment in order to help all living beings free themselves from suffering. There are several aspects to be developed in order to follow this path. The…
The Fox in Zen Stories To understand the koan of the fox, it is helpful to begin with this story. Once, while a Zen master was walking through the forest, he encountered a wild fox. The fox begged him to accept her into his community so that she could become a nun and study the…
Origin of the Lotus Sutra The Lotus Sutra is a fundamental text in Mahayana Buddhism and is considered one of the most important scriptures in this tradition. It comprises several chapters and presents the Buddha’s teachings on topics such as Enlightenment, emptiness, and the inherent Buddha-nature within all beings. A key concept highlighted in the…
What is a koan? In the zazen shin koan meditation, we will introduce the koan “polishing a tile.” A koan is a riddle used in Zen practice to help students transcend logic and attain a deeper understanding of reality. Koans are part of Zen teaching and serve as tools to provoke an experience of enlightenment…
Intensive Zen Meditation An intensive urban Zen meditation retreat is a practice carried out in an urban environment, where participants may also join partially in order to have a first contact with a Zen retreat or sesshin, which is a fundamental practice within the Zen Buddhist tradition. What is a sesshin? During a sesshin, practitioners…
The meditation with koan “Mu” is one of the most well-known koans within the Zen tradition. A koan is a kind of riddle or paradoxical question used in Zen practice to induce the awakening of the mind. The koan “Mu” has its origin in a dialogue between Master Joshu and one of his disciples. Koan…
The Heart Sutra The Heart Sutra, Hannya Shingyo as we call it in the Zen school, is chanted in Zen dojos and temples at the end of the morning meditation. The first time, it may feel uncomfortable to chant a Sutra. Many of us have lost the habit of singing with others—perhaps we only did…
