What is Celtic Zen?

What is Celtic Zen?

The word Zen literally means meditation and developed from Chinese Chan in contact with the Japanese Shinto religion. Shinto is a nature-based spirituality similar to Celtic Druidism. Zen arrived in the West in the 1960s and has since been practised both in its original Buddhist form and has also found a place in Christianity and other religions. Celtic Zen developed from the combination of nature-spiritual Druidism with Zen. Celtic Zen is therefore also called Zen Druidry. The revival of Druidry startet around 1500 in the Rhineland of Germany and spread to France and finally Britain where it ignited around 1700 into large and lively spirituality with the aim to re-enchant nature and life. Druids can now be found all over Europe, North America and Australia. Influences from Eastern religions have been part of Druidry since the 19th century. The arrival of Zen had again a strong impact on Druidry in the 20th century.


In the Celtic Zen practice we connect with the annual cycle of nature and celebrate the eight Celtic festivals. Each of the eight Celtic festivals is also dedicated to an aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path.


The search for inspiration (Awen) and life energy (Nwefre) in Druidry corresponds with Satori or Kensho and Ki in Zen. The striving for a state of equanimity in Buddhism corresponds to peace in Druidism. Peace is the subject of prayers, meditations and rituals.


Druid literally means Oak Wisdom. The Oak is the Tree of Life for the Druids. It is an expression of a shamanic and animistic world view similar to Shinto and Zen in Japan.


Celtic Zen is a spiritual practice which has been fully embraced the Celtic culture and works the mythology and customs of the Celtic lands.


Comparison of Celtic and Japanese Zen

Compared to Rinzai and Soto Zen, Celtic Zen has some special features that have developed in the contact between Japanese Zen and Celtic spirituality. At first glance, it is noticeable that the meditators do not sit in rows facing each other as in Rinzai Zen or meditate against a wall as in Soto Zen, but practice sitting in a circle. 


The sitting meditation in Rinzai Zen is called the meditation of the Three Cauldrons or Samatha (Pali) in Celtic Zen. The sitting meditation of Soto Zen (Shikantaza) is also called Open Awareness and Vipassana (Pali) in Celtic Zen. Similar to Soto Zen, the basic attitude of Zazan (sitting meditation) is not one of striving for enlightenment, but rather that the practice itself is already an expression of being enlightened. 


In Celtic Zen, mindfulness of the body is called the Inner Pilgrimage. 


The equivalent of the koan in Celtic Zen are the triads. While a koan conveys a paradoxically formulated message, triads contain a three-part wisdom saying on which one must reflect in order to unfold its deeper message.


The rakusu worn by ordained people corresponds to the crane bag in Celtic Zen. The crane bag is an object from Celtic mythology and is usually worn in Zen Druidry from the second degree (Ovate) onwards. In addition to the bodhisattvas from the Buddhist tradition, goddesses and gods also play a role in Celtic Zen, who can possess the traits of bodhisattvas, e.g. the goddess Nemetona as guardian of the Sacred Groves. The Nemetona practice is similar to the visualisation practices of Tibetan Tantra.



How you become a Celtic Zen practitioner

Most Celtic Zen practitioners today have studied Zen or another Buddhist tradition and Druidry independently and then started to combine both paths. In modern Druidry training, for example with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, mindfulness meditation is already part of the training. Since 2010, several books have been published that explicitly deal with the topic of Zen Druidry and have opened up the possibility of learning Celtic Zen directly and show inspiring ways of combining Druidry and Buddhism. We are currently in a phase where Celtic Zen practitioners are coming together in groups and practising together and passing on the path of Celtic Zen.


Celtic Zen can also be practised by people who do not see themselves as Druids or Buddhists, but e.g. Christians with a connection to Celtic culture or with another background.



The EcoDharma of Celtic Zen

Celtic Zen is a spirituality that is close to nature. Its ideals include not only the Bodhisattva but also the EcoSattva or EcoDruid ideal. In addition to the dedicated commitment to the environment and society, the goal is to further develop the ego-self into the eco-self, i.e. to expand the framework of one's own self-perception to include the immediate natural space. The concept of the eco-self (EcoSelf) prevents us from disconnecting from actual life and nature, either by focusing too much on the ego-self or on a metaphysical self. In Gaia Dharma, we consider the interconnectedness of all living beings and ultimately all life on earth as a single living being. 



Ethical Precepts

For lay people

1. abstention from the destruction of life.

2. abstention from theft.

3. abstention from unchaste change, for Anagarikas abstention from all sexual contact. 

4. abstention from lying.

5. abstention from drinking intoxicating drinks. 


Additional rules for anagarikas and for the times of retreat

6. abstention from eating at noon.

7. abstention from dancing, music and showmanship.

8. avoidance of floral ornaments, perfume, make-up and jewellery. 


Additional rules for monks and nuns 

9. not using high and lavish beds.

10. not accepting money (originally gold and silver). 



Buddha Yoga - The Noble Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path describe what we call Buddha Yoga, the spiritual practice for a mindful, compassionate and fulfilled life. Buddha Yoga is not a dogma, but a practice for developing wisdom in life. The goal of Buddha's yoga is to overcome suffering, but not to overcome life in its fullness. This is what the Buddha called the Middle Path. 


1. Right View 

Festival in the Celtic cycle: Beltane (1 May)

Realisation of the Four Noble Truths

Non-soulfulness, impermanence, suffering - giving up the Four Wrong Views (vipallasa): 

  1. seek duration in impermanence
  2. seek happiness in suffering
  3. seek soul in that which has none 
  4. seek beauty in that which is ugly 


2. Right Resolution 

Festival in the Celtic cycle: spring equinox - resolution to renunciation

Resolution to be benevolent

Resolution not to harm living beings 


3. Right Speech 

Festival in the Celtic cycle: Lughnasadh (Lammas: 1st August)

Is that which does not consist of lies, gossip, vituperation and gossiping

Speak only of that in which wholesome spirits increase and non-wholesome ones decrease - Do not speak of that in which unwholesome spirits increase and wholesome ones decrease. 


4. Right Behaviour 

Festival in the Celtic cycle: summer solstice - refraining from killing, stealing and debauchery. 


5. Right Livelihood 

Festival in the Celtic cycle of the year: autumn equinox

No trading in weapons, living creatures, meat, intoxicating drinks and poison. 


6. Right Effort 

Festival in the Celtic cycle: Samhain (1st November)

Is the effort to ward off unwholesome and to produce wholesome spiritual content - The most important exercise is the "guarding of the sense gates".

The Fourfold Great Effort 

  1. The effort to avoid new unwholesome and negative thoughts and actions.
  2. The effort to overcome already existing unwholesome thoughts and actions.
  3. The effort to think only good and beneficial thoughts and to lead an enlightened life.
  4. Endeavouring to preserve all the good that is already there.


7. Right Mindfulness 

Festival in the Celtic cycle: Winter Solstice

The practice of mindfulness is the key to the goal of Buddhism, namely liberation from the cycle of rebirths (Conditional Arising, Middle Collection 148), a state of deathlessness. This method has been transmitted in the Anapanasati Sutta (Middle Collection 118) and the Satipatthana Sutta (Middle Collection 10), among others. In the Celtic Zen we give only sparse instructions during meditation so that practitioners can focus on their own awareness processes and the mindfulness objects without distraction. We always practice mindfulness together with compassion and loving kindness.


8. Right Concentration

Festival in the Celtic cycle: Imbolc (1.-2. February)

Some practice in meditative collection is part of mindfulness practice and Vipassana meditation. 


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