Zen Center Duesseldorf
Formerly
The History
From 1987, German students of the American Zen master Dennis Genpo Merzel, Roshi, met regularly in Dresden, Düsseldorf, Krefeld, Cologne, Mainz and Meissen to sit zazen. These „sitting groups“ joined together to form the informal „Kanzeon Zen Circle“ and in 1996 Kanzeon Sangha Germany as an umbrella for its activities.
The Düsseldorf sitting group of the Kanzeon Zen Circle began as a weekly meeting place in a private apartment in 1989. They soon moved to the old dance house in Börnestraße („Werkstatt“) to accommodate the growing number of meditators. From here, it moved to Prinz-Georg-Strasse 100 for a few years in 1994 and, from 1997, sublet for four years to the Frank Ostoff Aikido School (now the Aikido Center Düsseldorf) onto Helmholtzstraße.
As we organized more and more events and now offered several morning and evening Zen sessions each week, the number of participants grew and with it the desire to have our own meeting place that was always accessible: a center. We started looking for real estate and in early 2001 we found the space we called „Zen Zentrum Düsseldorf“ on the second floor of a quiet backyard at Bastionstraße 31 in Düsseldorf's Carlstadt district.
In 2010, we moved our center to Franklinstraße 39 - the rising operating costs in the beautiful Carlstadt could no longer be safely afforded. Since then, the Zen Center Düsseldorf has been both physically and online with his Program based in Derendorf.
Entrance to the Zen Center Düsseldorf at Bastionstraße 31 from 2001 to 2010.
Today
The present
Our regular Meditation evenings take place at the following address:
Practice Bettina Kelm / Zen Center Düsseldorf
Franklinstr. 39
40479 Düsseldorf
(Pempelfort / Zoo district)
The present, unfortunately, has forced us to move many of our activities online. We are building up our presence on Franklinstrasse:
Here are the next three face-to-face events:
On the other days we invite you to our Online Zendo in:
Meditation evening
The procedure
The evening Zen meditation includes three 30-minute periods of zazen (sitting meditation), with kinhin (walking meditation) in between and a short recitation („Four Vows“) and three full bows at the end. We ask each participant for a donation of 5 euros per evening. This amount is waived for members of the association.
Before your first visit, please take Contact with us.
We are happy to offer you a one-hour introduction by arrangement, or alternatively a short introduction if you already have experience of Zen meditation in a group.
Cushions, benches, sitting and meditation mats are available. Covered and comfortable clothing is requested, there is the possibility to change clothes.
Approach
The way
The Zen Center Düsseldorf is easy to reach by public transport with the S-Bahn (stop Düsseldorf-Zoo) and with the streetcar lines 704 (stop Stockkampstraße) and 706 (stop Tußmannstraße). When arriving by car, please allow some time to find a parking space.
Map / City map:
- Google Maps
- what3words: ///frieden.locke.feiern
- Info about Park & Ride in Düsseldorf
- Map with Park & Ride parking lots in Düsseldorf
Informations
Newsletter
Would you like to be kept up to date about our events? Then sign up for our newsletter here:
Newsletter
