International Zen Association

International Zen Association

The origins of the AZI

The Association Zen Internationale (AZI) was founded in the 1970s by Master Taisen Deshimaru, now recognised as one of the greatest Japanese spiritual masters of the 20th century. It is the first and most influential Zen association in Europe. After the death of Master Deshimaru in 1982, his disciples continued their joint work by continuing to teach, to create places of practice and monasteries, while keeping the mother temple of La Gendronnière alive. This collective work, carried out tirelessly for nearly fifty years, has enabled the Sangha to develop harmoniously, with strong cohesion between its members.

In the late 1990s, deeper ties were established with the Japanese Sôtô Zen School, which opened an administrative office in Paris in 2006. Thanks to this collaboration, several major projects have been launched, including the celebration in 2017 of ‘50 years of Zen in Europe’, a landmark event that took place at the Zen temple of La Gendronnière.

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The AZI today

The majority of the AZI teachers are now closely linked to the Japanese Sôtô Zen school, endeavouring to take up the challenge of a spiritual and intercultural encounter, rich in mutual learning.

The International Zen Association brings together several hundred places of practice in Europe (temples, zen centres, dojos, groups), and one of its main missions is to provide support and assistance to all its affiliated centres.

In addition, the AZI is responsible for the management and maintenance of La Gendronnière, the largest zen temple in Europe. It regularly organises retreats for Zen meditation, activities and meetings (symposium and events) that bring together practitioners from all over the world.

AZI also publishes the annual Revue Zen and the news journal Sangha (three issues per year), both translated into several languages, in order to promote the exchange and dissemination of Zen teachings on an international scale.

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Sangha diversity

Today, different sanghas coexist within the AZI. They are led by former disciples of Master Deshimaru. Each one has taken its own direction according to its own sensitivities. Some have placed more emphasis on study, others on ritual, others still on monastic life or even on a form of iconoclastic spontaneity. Each path is eminently respectable. The richness of these approaches allows each practitioner to find the master and the sangha that will help them deepen their practice. In reality, this reflects the diversity of life itself.
 

AZI

Many first-generation masters have in turn passed on the Dharma (shiho) to their advanced disciples, as has been the practice since the time of the Buddha. These disciples are also beginning to gather practitioners around them, bearing witness to the vitality of the Great Sangha.

Governance of the AZI

The AZG

In 2007, a religious association was founded: the Association bouddhiste zen Sôtô du temple de la Gendronnière (AZG). It is responsible for the management of the Gendronnière's ‘Garden of Remembrance’, as well as the organisation of ceremonies and rituals. This association is authorised to receive donations that are tax deductible, which play a key role in the dissemination and influence of Zen in Europe.

To contact AZG: azg.contact@gmail.com

To consult the AZI organisation chart, download the file below.

Fichier
ORGANIGRAMME_AZI-FEV-2025_0.pdf

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