A responsible temple

Zen is above all a practice, a direct experience of awakening in every moment of daily life, here and now.

A responsible presence - ecology at the Zen temple

At Kōsetsu-ji temple, we try to protect the environment as much as possible, and we do this at different levels.

Building

When we carry out maintenance or renovation work, we try to use products that do not harm the environment and to work as much as possible with noble materials that do not pollute.

We have had a mini WWTP installed. To this end, we have to be vigilant about what goes down the toilet, so as not to kill the bacteria that ‘work’. Only toilet paper is allowed. No other texture may be flushed down the toilet.

Garden

We have a small vegetable garden. It goes without saying that no chemicals are used. We use organic and even bio-dynamic compost. This allows us to grow vegetables that are not treated with chemicals. This year, we mixed the vegetables with the flowers. This naturally repelled some predators and attracted insects (bees, bumblebees, etc.).

We also dried the grass we had mown and used it to ‘mulch’ our vegetable garden, to keep the soil fresh and moist and avoid wasting water on watering.

For watering the garden, we use the water from the roof, which is then collected in a cistern.

Daily life

Having a WWTP means that all cleaning products must be as biodegradable and organic as possible. They must not contain bleach or toxic products.

It goes without saying that we don’t waste water. Don’t let the water run while you’re brushing your teeth, or while you’re soaping up in the shower, etc.

We have provided soaps in the washrooms that contain no parabens or additives.

We use energy-saving light bulbs or LEDs. We do not leave appliances on stand-by and do not leave lights on in unoccupied rooms.

We sort our waste, in particular aluminum, metal, glass, paper, cardboard, certain plastics, PET, candle wax, etc.

All of this is taken to a waste collection centre for recovery and processing.

Food

We try to eat seasonal, local and organic produce, or at least produce that is fairly and ethically produced.

In fact, by eating local produce, on the one hand we contribute to the local economy and on the other we avoid buying products flown in from the other side of the world!!!!!

Our diet is mainly vegetarian. If we do eat meat, it will either be bought from local farmers or organically produced. If we eat fish, we’ll make sure that it’s caught in a way that respects the animals and the environment.

Doko Holzhauer, resident nun at the temple

In our places of practice, as elsewhere, our behaviour is imbued with the Buddha’s teaching, awareness of interdependence, attention to the consequences of our actions and the Four Noble Truths, including the Eightfold Path. The sixteen precepts of the Mahayana and the six paramitas must guide our actions and words.