Useful information

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Venues

Various information about the workshops venues can be accessed by clicking on the workshop venue title at the bottom of each workshop detail page.

Direct access:

L’Atelier d’Alain

Paris Zen Dojo

This information may cover, depending on the venue:

Full address.
Introduction (using text and photographs provided by the organization running the venue).
Access by public transportation and by car.
Meal arrangements.
Accommodation arrangements.
etc.

Meals

Meals are vegetarian, prepared with care from fresh products and as much as possible organic. Please indicate any food intolerances when you register.

Breakfast is prepared in the Zen tradition, genmai, a whole rice soup with gomasio, roasted and salted sesame, and soy sauce.

Optional Zen Meditation

Meditation is complementary to painting; it helps to find the right state of mind and concentration while painting. Participation in meditation is optional and is included in the price of the workshop. Za means sitting, Zen means meditation, truth. To unveil, through proper sitting, the pure and original spirit that exists in each of us, often obscured by our thoughts and by the emotional storms that disturb us.

The regular practice of zazen eliminates the stress and mental agitation that are often the causes of human intolerance and conflict. Simply sitting, we establish an intimate contact with the deep spiritual dimension of our existence, respecting all beings.

Optional Rituals and sutras

The spirit in which the days of the training take place is that of right attention and concentration. To develop this spirit, it is requested to restrict movements and noises to those necessary for the practice, except during breaks. It is also requested to precisely respect the schedule of each activity.

Attention to oneself and to others is also developed in the harmonization with the group, in all activities and in particular in the optional participation in Zen rituals at specific times of the day.

These optional rituals are:

The meditation setting itself;
The short ceremony following the meditation;
The beginning and end of the morning meal;
The beginning and end of lunch in the workshops led by Beppe Mokuza Signoritti.

The meals mentioned above are taken in calm and silence in order to be able to maintain a concentrated and attentive mind, as an extension of the two other activities of the course (sumi-e and zazen).

During the ceremony, at the beginning and at the end of the above meals, it is proposed to chant sutras (texts in Chinese or ancient Japanese, which describe the philosophy of Zen and its practice). The original texts and their translations are available on the School’s website and upon request. Chanting in a group always serves the purpose of attention and concentration through harmonization with the group.

The above meals are taken in an oryoki, a bowl wrapped in cloth at the end of the meal. The bowl represents the right amount, in the spirit of letting go. A bowl is provided for students who do not have one.