Zen and Creativity 7 - 10 July

A concentrated and.... creative atmosphere this weekend at Ryumonji.

Various workshops were offered: kesa sewing, calligraphy, qi-gong and shiatsu.

Sewing the kesa is a traditional practice of Soto Zen Buddhism. It involves sewing a garment identical to the one worn by Shakyamuni Buddha 2500 years ago. Shakyamuni gathered pieces of cloth from various sources to form a long robe and cover his body.

The kesa is worn by monks and nuns during zazen.

Under the benevolent eye of Jaques Foussadier, the practitioners were able to discover Chinese calligraphy and thus learn the art of the brush, tracing their first kanji while being attentive to their posture and breathing, two very important elements in Zen practice.

Other participants preferred to try out Qi-Gong, an age-old Chinese practice designed to improve the flow of energy in the body and help maintain good health. The teacher, Stefan Remon Müller-Reike, has been practising for over 20 years and was trained by a Shaolin monk, among others.

And finally, Christin Marie Bottin offered an introduction to shiatsu ("finger pressure"), a manual technique of Japanese origin whose theoretical foundations are derived from traditional Chinese medicine.

A workshop focused on practice: learning the basic postures and gestures of shiatsu, do-in sessions (self-massage and soft stretching), useful both in daily life and in the practice of zazen.

During these four days, the participants in the various workshops were also able to practice zazen (morning and evening) and discover monastic life.