Ken Zen Ichinyo Seminar IV

The Ken Zen Ichinyo seminar is a seminar in which we explore and discover the mutual principles of the practice zazen en karate.

It is the fourth time that we organize this in the Netherlands and many people have fond and inspiring memories of the previous ones.

Both Sensei Paolo Taigo Spongia and myself have long been inspired by Buddhist meditation. Sensei Paolo mainly from the Zen tradition, I mainly from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. We both have been teaching both disciplines for decades. Through various personal communications with Sensei Higaonna we were inspired to make these two traditions meet each other, which led to various Ken Zen Ichinyo seminars in the Netherlands, Canada and Italy. Sensei Higaonna himself studied Zen with Sakiyama Roshi, a former karate student of Chojun Miyagi Sensei, the founder of Okinawa goju-ryu karate. In a personal communication he once shared with me that he felt that one needs to study and practice Zen meditation in order understand the essence of karate. This remark has been one of the drivers for me to co-create the Ken Zen Ichinyo seminars with my dear collegue and friend Sensei Paolo Taigo Spongia.

It is open for all IOGKF karateka from 7th kyu and higher or with at least one year of frequent karate training [minimal of two sessions per week].

Although Saturday only participation is possible, we do not recommend it, and people who join for the whole weekend will get priority.

Friday night is the start of the seminar / retreat. It will start with a karate training from 19 – 20 h. After that there will be an introductory meditation session with an introduction talk and meditation practice, from 20 – 21 h.

The seminar itself is an intensive. Starting early morning and ending in the evening on Saturday and late afternoon on Sunday. Each day we will alternate karate training, Zen meditation and cooking & cleaning together. It is advised to sleep in the dojo at KenKon, to stay tuned and together. It is allowed to sleep at home.

The seminar prices are all in: training, support materials, sleeping, meals & drinks: € 210,- for the whole seminar [Friday – Sunday]. Friday evening only: € 20,-; Friday evening + Saturday: € 115,-.

You can already subscribe through this form. You will receive an invoice after which you can finalize and secure your subscription through payment.

Kind regards,

Sydney Leijenhorst