Year-Round Buddhist Training on the North Coast of The Netherlands
Zen River Temple is a residential Buddhist training centre, established in 2002. Located on the outskirts of Uithuizen, a small village in the north of the Netherlands close to the Wadden Sea, it enjoys the spaciousness and tranquillity of the countryside, yet is easily accessible by public transport.
Programme
Following the basic Buddhist objective of decreasing suffering and increasing happiness, the training programme is geared towards inner transformation and the cultivation of body, mind, and speech. It offers a year-round schedule of meditation (zazen), study, and related practices that can open new perspectives on how to navigate life in a more beneficial way. Zen River provides a focused environment for learning and developing skills that can be used and refined anywhere in ordinary daily encounters.
Teachers
The founders and head teachers are abbot Tenkei Coppens Roshi and Myoho Gabrysch Roshi. They both lived and trained for many years in the US and Japan and are qualified representatives of the White Plum Lineage and the Soto School. They are assisted by several of Tenkei Roshi’s Dharma successors. Teachers from abroad are also often invited to give lectures. Zen River is officially registered in Japan as a Tokubetsu Jiin (international missionary temple).
Participants
Since it was founded in 2002, the temple has become a spiritual home for a worldwide community. In general, between ten and fifteen residents keep the momentum of the daily schedule going, while up to 40 participants can be accomodated. After an introduction, anyone interested is welcome to join for longer or shorter periods of time, to attend the ongoing regular daily schedule and/or to come over for retreats and special events.
Affiliates
Over the years, Zen River has branched out to Keiryuji (a mountain hermitage in the Catalan Pyrenees), the Zen Boat in Groningen, and meditation groups in Madrid and Lima, all under the guidance of certified Dharma teachers. Some of those teachers also lead meditation classes at other Zen centres, for example in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem, and Enschede.
Email updates are usually sent out monthly.
