Meditación Zen Barcelona — Gràcia, Spain

A nonprofit Zen dojo in Gràcia, Barcelona, devoted to zazen

The Dojo Zen Barcelona Ryokan sits at Carrer de Tordera 18, in a ground-floor space at the back of the building, in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. It is a nonprofit organisation, and its pages are published in both Spanish and Catalan. The practice here is zazen, and the dojo teaches it as three pillars: posture, which is our relationship with the physical body; breathing, which ties us to the here and now; and the attitude of the spirit, an observation of perception, consciousness, thought and non-thought. The teaching is drawn from Master Kosen, whose students gather as the Kosen Sangha. The dojo's pages recall that Master Deshimaru, for many years, taught little beyond the key points of bodily posture. Kosen describes how out of that material rigor comes an awakening to spiritual experience. Breath is treated as the hinge. In the words the dojo attributes to Kosen, breathing is the bond between body and spirit, a movement perfect yet unpredictable, like waves of the sea, where no one knows when a larger wave will come. In zazen the work is to watch it without altering it. Around the sitting itself, the dojo's pages are organised into the elements of a Zen community: samu, the work practice; kesa, the monastic robe; sutras; a section of yoga exercises; and a practical guide to making a zafu, the meditation cushion, from a folded blanket. There is an events calendar, a gallery and video from the dojo and the Kosen Sangha. Questions about the activities go to dojo@zen-barcelona.com or (+34) 717 718 517.

Traditions: Zen, Zazen, Kosen Sangha, Deshimaru lineage, Samu, Yoga exercises

Programs: Zazen, Samu, Kesa, Sutras, Yoga exercises, Making a zafu from a blanket