Kwan Um School of Zen
Germany
Berlin Zen Center
Chong Hye Sah: Head Temple of the Kwan Um Zen School of Zen Germany
In the great work of life and death, time will not wait for you.
If you die tomorrow, what kind of body will you get?
Is not all of this of great importance?
Hurry up! Hurry!
Blue sky and green sea
Are the Buddha’s original face.
The sound of the waterfall and the bird’s song
Are the great sutras.
Where are you going?
Watch your step.
Water flows down to the sea.
Clouds float up to the heavens.
Zen Master Seung Sahn
The Berlin Zen Center (Chong Hye Sah) was founded in 1990. It is the head of the Kwan Um School of Zen in Germany and since 2008 head temple of the European Kwan Um School of Zen.
GUIDING TEACHER: Zen Master Gu Ja
Zen Meditation – Time Schedule
no Corona restrictions anymore
Mon – Fri 5:30 – 7:30 a.m. (only offline, join us in the Zen Center)
Tue 7 – 9 p.m.
Fri 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Dharma Talk with one of our Zen Masters: every 1st & 3rd Tuesday in the month after meditation
Kongan Teaching only OFFline with one of our Zen Masters: every 2nd & 4th Friday in the month
Counselling Talks only OFFline with a Senior Dharma Teacher: every 1st or 3rd Friday in the month
Introduction to Zen Meditation
every Tuesday 6:30 – 7 p.m.
If you join us for the first time, then please attend the introduction to our Korean style of Zen meditation first, every Tuesday 6:30 – 7 p.m.
No registration necessary.
Sangha Café
We open our doors and invite you and your friends and everyone interested in Zen to our monthly Sangha Café, every 3rd Saturday in a month 1 – 3 p.m. The next Sangha Café will take place on the 20th of April 2024.
Come along for some tea and cookies and have a chat about meditation, Zen, your daily worries or anything you like, and you are welcome to get to know our Zen Center if you do not know it yet.
We are happy about your donation to support the Zen Center – and are looking forward to spending a lovely afternoon with you!
yours,
Kathy
new Zen cours for beginners (online): 9 January – 6 March 2025
Do you have any questions about the Zen course? You are welcome to write us to berlin@kwanumzen.de
9 x Thursdays 7:30-9 pm
9 January 2025 – 6 March 2025
online via Zoom, last meeting offline in Zen Center Berlin (also online possible if you are not in Berlin)
language: German and perhaps English if enough English speaking participants register (please contact us before registration)
costs: 90€, reduced 45€ (unemployed, students, very difficult financial situation)
You would like to learn how to meditate and arrive completely within yourself and in the Here and Now? But you are unsure how exactly to do that and what to deal with all the upcoming thoughts, feelings, and distractions? You would like to learn different methods of Zen meditation, try them out under guidance and deepen them in a daily meditation session at home? You would appreciate some exchange about your meditation experience with others and get answers to your questions?
Then our beginners course to Zen meditation might be of interest to you. Starting on 9 January 2025 we will meet 8 times every Thursday 7:30 – 9 pm online via Zoom and learn different types of Zen meditation from a dharma teacher of the Kwan Um School of Zen Germany. Part of this course will be your daily meditation routine at home between the weekly meetings. We suggest about 10-30 minutes. You can meditate alone or together with other participants of the course online, on a self organized basis.
On the 9th Thursday we will meet offline in Zen Center Berlin in order to meditate together and get to know each other “in real life”. If you are not based in Berlin you can join this meeting also online. The course will be in German. In case of non-German speakers: please contact us before registration (berlin@kwanumzen.de) and ask whether there will be enough English speaking participants as to have an English translation.
Online Meditation
costs
The Kwan Um Schoof of Zen Germany is a non-profit organization and we mantain us financially with membership fees, income from renting some of our rooms, practice fees and donations.
So we kindly ask you for paying a practice fee of about 5€ each time you come to meditate with us (also morning practice). You can pay in cash or via paypal: kuzsde@gmail.com
Alternatively you can become a member (20€/month. Reduced fee 15€). Members do not pay any practice fee and get a discount on retreats.
Here you can download our membership contract (in German) which you can fill in and send via email to info@kwanumzen.de or you can fill it in on paper in Zen Center Berlin and give it there to us.
Living and Practicing in the Berlin Zen Center
At the moment all rooms are occupied. We will inform you here as soon as any room will be available again.
You would like to live in our Zen Center for a while and dedicate yourself to an intense daily Zen practice? We practice Zen together every morning and on Tuesdays and Fridays in the evening as well. Apart from that you can follow your daily routine of studying at university, working in your normal job etc.
The Berlin Zen Center can host up to 5 resident Zen Students. The residents commit to joining morning practice (5.30am – 7.15am, Monday till Friday) and evening practice twice a week (Tuesday and Friday). They also participate in weekend retreats.
The Center is located directly in the city with good transport connection and many shopping facilities. The residents clean the Zen Center regularly.
The guiding teacher of the Berlin Zen Center, Zen Master Gu Ja, does not live in the Zen Center but attends evening practice regularly. Kongan teaching with Zen Master Gu Ja or another teacher takes place every alternate Wednesday and Friday.
For more information, please contact us:
berlin@kwanumzen.de
030 – 46 60 50 90
Or just come along for an introduction to Zen meditation and evening practice in order to get to know us, our style of meditation and the Zen Center – see meditation time schedule above.
Directions
By U-Bahn:
Take line 9 to station “Nauener Platz”.
Take the exit “Gottschedstraße” and follow the Reinickendorfer Straße for about 200m; on the left you will find Gottschedstraße.
Gottschedstraße 4 is a former factory site (firm Rotaprint).
Crossing the yard, you will find a high white cross building on the right hand side. The entrance to the Zen Center is at the back of this building.
By car:
Coming from the city motorway A 100, take the exit Seestrasse and go straight until the crossing with the main road Reinickendorfer Strasse. Turn right and follow Reinickendorfer Strasse until you cross Schulstrasse. The next road on the left is Gottschedstrasse.
Coming from the city center: cross Brunnenstrasse/Badstrasse. After passing Pankstrasse take the next fork left into Exerzierstrasse. The next one on the left side is Gottschedstrasse.
A limited number of parking places are available.
Contact
E-mail: berlin@kwanumzen.de
Address: Zen Center Berlin, Gottschedstraße 4, Aufgang 5, 13357 Berlin, Deutschland
Phone: (030) 46 60 50 90
Website: www.kwanumzen.de/en/berlin/
Newsletter
In our Newsletter we regularly announce events of the Kwan Um School of Zen Germany via email (in German).
If you wish so, please register here for our Newsletter.
You will find information, photos etc. of the Kwan Um Zen School and the Berlin Zen Center on our Facebook Page.
