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S e m i n a r s
In addition to regular activities that take place in Zagreb and in other towns where there are Buddhist community branches, seminars are held twice a year as a specific form of intensive practice. The spring seminar is held on the island of Krk and the summer seminar is held in Orebić on Pelješac. Participants at the seminar are mostly members of our Croatian, Slovenian, and German branches. However, all people who wish to join us are welcome. The main purpose of the seminar is to assist the participants to develop deep understanding of the interactions of the mind and body, to attain inner harmony and thus to reveal the true nature of our being. This is practiced through the disciplines of Tso Chan (zazen), zen yoga and kempo.
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Tso Chan (zazen) represents the very essence of Buddhist meditation and unites calm-abiding practice (shamata) and insight practice (vipassana). Chan is a school of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism that became known in the West by its Japanese name zen. The ultimate goal of Chan is the insight into one's true nature, the attainment of Buddhahood and expression of that experience in interaction with others. The program includes daily practice of zazen with sitting meditation, walking meditation, and chanting of Sutras. In addition to practice, lectures are given on Buddhism and the use of its principles in daily life.
ZenYoga is a discipline practiced to balance the body; it employs a variety of body postures, breathing exercises, diagnostics and massage. There are three ways in which yoga exerts its effect on the body: rhythmic repetition of movement develops mindfulness, holding postures have a deep effect on internal organs, and energizing exercises regain harmonious flow of energy throughout the body. Besides being a very efficient method to gain and maintain health, zen yoga can be practiced as an additional meditation method. The seminar includes both general classes of yoga as well as topical classes dealing with specific aspects of yoga and their effects.
Kempo is a non-competitive martial art that follows traditional Buddhist values in its approach and goals. It is a method that uses the reality of conflicts in the outside world, gradually creating conditions for transcendence of it. The process that leads to the identification of the real source of all conflicts can be best described by the saying: "No matter how many enemies limitless like the sky I may conquer; when I conquer the thought of anger, I will conquer them all". There are three important aspects in kempo: therapeutic, self-defensive, and meditative.
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OREBIĆ
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Each year in late August/early September a two week international seminar in zazen, zenyoga and kempo is held in Orebić on the peninsula of Pelješac. The seventeenth seminar will be held from August 25 to September 7, 2002.
Program
The daily program that starts at 7 am and ends at 8 pm may be very demanding even when one is practicing only one or two disciplines. However, one can always find moments for rest and refreshment in the crystal-clear sea and deep shade of centenary pines. Our long experience in summer seminars has proven that active holidays are more efficient than the usual ones. The activities of the seminar help to regain and consolidate energy and to release deep tension that we usually are not aware of. The seminar gives us an opportunity to rediscover our body that we have estranged ourselves from by an unwholesome way of life, to take a wiser attitude towards it, and to adopt new, healthy habits. However, the critical factor that determines our physical and mental condition is our mind. If we succeed in applying one of the basic principles of chan - the principle on holding mind and body together - to other disciplines and activities, our holidays will really be complete. Indeed, the discovery and application of that principle can have deep effects on our lives that reach beyond recreation only.
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KRK
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In the spring a weekend seminar in yoga and meditation is held on the island of Krk. Zen yoga and zazen are complementary disciplines. Zen is present in zen yoga, yoga is present in zazen. In yoga we indirectly deal with our minds, in zazen we indirectly deal with our bodies. Through yoga we try to balance our body, we try to regulate our breathing, nutrition and sleeping. Buddhist meditation helps us to develop a calm and focused mind, to release inner tensions, to consolidate our scattered energy, and to gain confidence in ourselves and our abilities.
Program
The next seminar will be held on May 2-5, 2002. The day begins and ends with sitting meditation. Yoga is practiced in the morning and in the afternoon, lectures and discussions follow, but there is always time for a walk by the sea. While having an opportunity to detach ourselves from our day-to-day routine, if only for a brief period, at this seminar we can also enjoy a healthy way of life in a beautiful environment and in the company of pleasant and supportive people.
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