The Sanbo Zendo
In July 2018, the "Sanbo Zendo Weyarn" was inaugurated in the Domicilium. In Japanese, the name can be written 三宝禅堂梅庵 ("Sanbo Zendo Bai'an"), with the last two Japanese characters for "Weyarn" literally signifying "the hermitage of plums".
The Sanbo Zendo Weyarn is part of the non-profit organization Stiftung Domicilium, serving for a fulfilled life and peaceful dying. The Domicilium has been committed to spirituality and education as well as hospice and care since the mid-1980s.
How the Zendo came into being
The 4th Abbot of the Sanbôzen, Yamada Ryôun, wrote in 2018 about the founding history of the Sanbo Zendo in the Domicilium Weyarn:
"Bogdan and Helena Snela are a couple who have been members of Sanbôzen for a long time. Both are Zen Teachers today. Almost forty years ago they came to Germany from Poland and in 1986 they founded an institution in Weyarn, a place blessed by nature, which has zazen work as its center. One day it happened that one of the participants, who practiced zazen, asked to spend his last days of life with zazen in this facility. This was the reason for the couple to found a hospice.
At the same time, their aspirations on this path were deep enough to invite a recognized zazen teacher to teach an official zazen course. This first teacher was a student of Kôun, had practiced at San'un Zendo, and became an associate Zen master of Sanbo Kyodan. He was a Jesuit priest from India, Father Ama Samy. At Snela's request, Ama Samy led the Zen courses in Weyarn until Kubota, the former abbot of the Sanbo Kyodan, took over. From 1997 to 2015, Kubota traveled to Weyarn over a period of 18 years to conduct sesshins. For the last ten years, he was accompanied and assisted by Migaku Sato. In 2015, Kubota's work was transferred to Migaku Sato. ...
Remarkably, in February 2018, part of the facility was converted into a very fine zendo. Since Migaku Sato took over, the number of practitioners who come here has grown steadily. At the same time, the desire to build a zendo grew, for which the necessary funds were raised very quickly. It has become a very fine zendo, incorporating the aesthetics of a traditional zendo, and can accommodate up to 60 people in sitting meditation. It is a great joy to see how the dharma energy of Migaku Sato combined with the bodhi spirit of the Snela couple has brought this zendo to fruition. I was deeply moved to realize that Sanbôzen now has another important place in Europe."
— Excerpt of the "Opening Comments" from the official magazine of the Sanbôzen Society "Kyosho" (No. 386, 2018)
Ancestor Gallery
[Here follows a gallery of ancestors ...]
