Dear members of Zen Center Athens, in the following link you can listen (in greek) to the interview given by Konstantinos Sgoumbopoulos, founder of Zen Center Athens, to Marilena Katsimi, during the program “Historical Walks”, Ert.gr Historical Walks: the history of Zen | 25.05.2024 Enjoy the listening! With respect, Zen Center Athens
Dear Sangha of Zen Center Athens, The upcoming Zen Day will take place on Sunday, May 26, from 10:00 to 18:00, at the temporary location of the Center, DAN.C.CE, 76 Pireos Avenue, 3rd floor. The program includes six sittings with Kinhin in between (meditative walking) and lunch. Please note that the Zen Day is a form of intensive practice, and you must have the appropriate experience to participate. Please arrive at the venue strictly by 10:10. After zazen begins, and once the door to the room is closed, you cannot enter. The lunch break will take place in the practice area in silence.…
Dear members and practitioners of Zen Center Athens, We would like to inform you that the Center’s classes will be temporarily suspended due to the Easter holiday from Good Friday, May 3 to Easter Tuesday, May 7. Zazen will be held as scheduled until Monday, May 6. From May 7 to May 12 the zazen will not take place , because of the Sesshin in Kaisanji. Classes will resume on Easter Wednesday, May 8. Please note that yoga classes on May 8 and 10 will be held online only. We wish you a Happy Resurrection and a Happy Easter!…
Dear Sangha of Zen Center Athens, The next Zen Day will take place on Sunday 17 March from 10:00 to 18:00, at the new temporary space of the Center, at DAN.C.CE, 76 Pireos Avenue, 3rd floor. The program includes 6 sessions with intermediate Kinhin (meditative walking) and lunch. Please note that Zen Day is a form of intensive practice and you must have experience to participate. Please arrive at the venue strictly by 10:10. After the zazen begins and once the door to the room is closed, you will not be able to enter. The lunch break will take place…
OPENING THE HAND OF THOUGHT KOSHO UCHIYAMA Translation – prologue: HARIS MITSOURAS “When we let go of all our preconceptions, there is no other possible reality than the one that exists right now. […] This undeniable reality is the reality of life, which is fundamentally connected to everything in the universe. Therefore, it is the right now that matters most. Remaining in the here and now, in reality itself, letting go of all the things that randomly appear in our minds, is what I mean by ‘opening the hand of thought’.” Very few texts delve as deeply into Zen philosophy…
Dear Zen Center Athens Sangha, The next Zen Day will take place on Sunday, 21 of January, from 10:00 to 18:00, at the Center’s new temporary location, at DAN.C.CE, Piraeus Avenue 76, 3rd floor. The program includes six zazen periods with Kinhin (meditative walking), in between, and lunchtime. We would like to remind you that Zen day is a form of intensive practice and you must have experience to participate. From 11:00 to 12:00 we will have the opportunity to connect with and listen to Koten Roshi’s Dharma talk, right after which there will be enough time for questions. Please note that the platform room will only be open during the Dharma…
Dear friends and practitioners of Zen Center Athens, We would like to inform you about the temporary address and program of the Center, which will be in effect from Monday, January 8. Zazen and Yoga will be held at DAN.C.CE, 76 Pireos Avenue, 3rd floor, Athens (opposite of the new Zen Center building.) ZAZEN Monday – Sunday morning: 8:20 – 9:05. Saturday & Sunday: 20:20 – 21:05. YOGA Tuesday: 17:15 – 18:15 yoga nidra & 18:30 – 20:00 yoga online only. Wednesday & Friday mornings: 9:30 – 11:00 in person & online. Saturday: 17:15 – 18:15 yoga nidra & 18:30 – 20:00 yoga in person & online. AIKIDO Aikido classes…
Dear friends and practitioners, Zen Center Athens has been operating and flourishing for ten years in the place we all have lived and know. The time has come to make a change that will lead to the final destination, which is to house the Zen Center in its permanent location, at 76 – 80 Agisilaou Street in Keramikos, in a Center specifically designed and built to house the Sangha and the Arts. Temporarily, however, from 8/1/24 onwards, Zen and the Arts will be housed in the following spaces: Zen and Yoga at DAN.C.CE, 76 Pireos Avenue, Athens (opposite the new…
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…
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…
