OUR HISTORY

Alain Tainan Liebmann brought zen to Ireland in the early 1990s, he is now the Vice-Abbot of La Gendronnière, the Sotoshu-recognized temple of the Deshimaru Zen lineage in Europe. Alain established the first zen centres in Ireland, in Galway and Dublin, and later, in Cork and Limerick. Since that time there has been continuous zen practice here. Alain´s dharma successor, Jikai Tom Cleary practices and teaches at the Galway Zen Dojo.

Here at the Dublin Dojo, renamed Earth+Sky on the installation of Soshin Mary Laheen as a zen teacher in 2019, zen practice continues. We will celebrate 30 years of zen at the Dublin dojo next year. We now include the rich array of teachings and methods of the Maezumi lineage, of which Mary is a teacher. The experience of our recent ancestors and teachers, including Roshi Robert Kennedy, S.J. of Morning Star Zendo, NY and NJ, Roshi Bernie Glassman of the Zen Peacemaker Order, our spiritual friends in the White Plum Asanga, an international affinity group of zen teachers in the Taisan Maezumi lineage, are a constant inspiration to us in our pursuit of the Way.

We are closely associated with our spiritual friends here in Ireland, the Galway Zen Dojo, the Grey Heron Sangha in Tallaght, and Black Mountain Zen in Belfast. All of us practice with constancy and dedication, with honesty and compassion.