New Year’s Eve Sitting

At the New Year’s Eve Sitting we combine Zen meditation with companionship and the celebration of the turn of the year. It is not a retreat or a seminar, but shared time of the Sangha. The New Year’s Eve Sitting is also open to external participants who would like to get a taste of Zen over the holidays and to get to know the Hyakujōgan Zendo.

The programme includes shared Zazen (Zen meditation) morning and evening and 1.5 hours of Samu (work meditation) in the morning. Enough free time remains for walks and for exchange within the Sangha. Taking part in the meditation is voluntary and at your own responsibility.

The shared time is not spent in silence. Participants may, however, agree for instance to spend the time from getting up until breakfast in silence. The New Year’s Eve celebration is “conventional”, sociable and not spent in silence.
Preparing the meals and all other work required in the house is done jointly by the participants. For the most part this work is carried out as part of the morning Samu. Walks or hikes on the Hohe Wand – alone or in groups – can be arranged privately by participants and are undertaken at their own responsibility and risk.

Registration is open now for members of the BodhidharmaZendo. Registration for guests is possible only from 1 December 2025. Number of participants is limited. Association members may also come for the New Year’s Eve celebration alone; external guests should join for the preceding days as well, in order to get to know the group.

Please register by e-mail to mail@bodhidharmazendo.net

Schedule:

– 8:00 – Zazen (Zen meditation)
– 9:00 – Shared breakfast (informal)
– 10–11:30 – Samu (work meditation, simple tasks in and around the house)
– 12:30 – Lunch (informal. We cook for ourselves, so all participants take turns or work together. Whoever feels like it. Vegetarian food.)
– Afternoon free (opportunity for a shared hike or similar)
– approx. 18:00 – Dinner (informal)
– 19:00 – Zazen (Zen meditation)

Costs: €50 per night including full board (€35 for association members)
With a large number of participants, accommodation in twin rooms; with fewer than 18 participants, single rooms

Start: 29 December, 6:00 pm, with a shared dinner.

Further information:

– Please bring comfortable black clothing for meditation
– Warm jacket and sturdy shoes (walking meditation may take place outdoors)
– Slippers, thick socks or similar for indoors
– Please bring your own bed linen and towels. If that is not possible, the house provides them for an extra charge of €7.
– Photographs will be taken at the event. Participants agree to appear in photographs, which may also be published.

Getting there: See here