Winter Session of the Great Sangha

from December 28th, 2024 to January 1st, 2025

The winter session is an important time for the various sanghas to come together to deepen their understanding of the Buddha Way and to commit themselves with faith to the New Year.

Like every year, the Grande Sangha Winter Session brings together sanghas from all over Europe, and the whole session includes a preparation period during which a Symposium is organised. This year, it will focus on ‘The Gendronnière 2035 Project’, a reflection on the future of our historic Zen temple. Following this period of preparation, there will be a sesshin lasting a day and a half, culminating in a New Year's Eve party on the evening of December 31st, and a first zazen accompanied by a Fuse ceremony on the morning of the January 1st.

SCHEDULE

TEACHING

Guy Mokuhô Mercier is the current abbot of La Gendronnière Zen Temple. He began practising zazen in 1973 and was ordained a monk by Master Deshimaru in 1976. Since then, he has played an active role in the Sangha, notably as Tenzo, helping to set up La Gendronnière and the Paris Zen dojo, and within the AZI as General Secretary and then Treasurer.

From 2004 to 2012, he created and directed the Josen Zen Centre in Tours and founded the Tenbôrin association. In November 2012, the members acquired a holiday centre in the Cantal region of France to turn it into a Zen Buddhist temple. Unfortunately, upkeep of the property was too great, and the temple had to close its doors in 2022.