Zen River Update

 

Zoetermeer, May 30th, 2001

Dear Zen River friends,

Spring arrived rather suddenly here in The Netherlands and with it came a fresh and inspiring vision for the future. All winter we were looking hard for a suitable and affordable building to establish a training centre. Now, in response to just a small advertisement we placed in some national newspapers, a beautiful property has been offered to us.

 

The place is located in the unspoilt countryside of Groningen, close to a nature reserve on the northern coast. It is within walking distance of a quaint village and easily accessible by train. The main building consists of two wings with a spacious room for a zendo, 2 large meeting rooms, 2 offices, 18 bedrooms (1, 2 and 4 persons) and a big kitchen; in the front there are two small cottages. The garden includes an orchard and is bordered by many trees.

When we arrived for our first visit, we were surprised to see two Tibetan prayer flags flapping at the entrance. Then we found out that the owner is a Buddhist practitioner. Coincidence? We are still in the early stages of negotiation, but it all looks very promising. We hope to be able to give you more details soon. In the meantime we hope the picture will offer an impression. 

Many greetings,

Tenkei Coppens