The passing of Master Kosen – 49 days of online Zazen

Stéphane, Master Kosen Thibaut, left this world on Sunday, September 21, 2025. May our thoughts and prayers, filled with gratitude and deep love, accompany him on his path of light 🙏

(Last photo taken on Saturday, September 20, at the Montpellier dojo.)

In the Zen Buddhist tradition, a 49-day zazen practice, day and night, takes place when a master passes away. This tradition was followed by Master Deshimaru upon the passing of his master Kodo Sawaki, then by Master Deshimaru’s disciples, including Master Kosen, upon his passing in 1982. Stéphane slept at the dojo and had to lead the night zazen sessions, he told us recently in Montpellier.

Today, in agreement with the council, the Kosen sangha is carrying on this tradition and, with new technologies, allowing all practitioners to do these 49 days of zazen together, no matter where they are.

Why 49 days in this online dojo?

• We want to do the 49 days to show our faith in the authenticity of Master Kosen’s mission.
• Our dojos do not have enough practitioners separately to do this in person.
• Between Latin America and Europe, we can cover the nights, as Argentina is five hours ahead of Europe (or four hours ahead after October 26).
• This allows us to join together in this effort with the entire Kosen sangha.

Schedule

The council has scheduled the memorial service, which will mark the end of the 49 days, at Yujo Nyusanji Temple on Sunday, November 9, at 5:00 p.m. Europe / 1:00 p.m. Argentina.

The zazens are divided into 30-minute segments (25 minutes of zazen + 5 minutes of kinhin), continuously day and night. You can therefore connect every half hour during the 5 minutes of kinhin. For example, between 9:25 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., or between 9:55 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

The person responsible rings the bell three times (or says “zazen”) to signal the start of zazen, twice (or says “kinhin”) after 25 minutes, and once after 29 minutes to signal the end of kinhin, during which time you can enter or leave before the next session, or continue practicing, of course.

How to enter the virtual dojo

Important: if you are not responsible for the slot, make sure to mute your microphone. This is the default setting, but it is better to check. To do so, click on the microphone icon at the bottom left to turn it red, if it is not already.

1. Download Zoom and join meeting 9070503010. The other way is to click on http://zoom.us/j/9070503010, but it’s a little less smooth.
2. Enter the password: kosen
3. Sit in zazen and make sure your hands and head are visible, in three-quarter view, with good lighting.
4. You can enter or leave every hour and half hour within a 5-minute interval, for example between 7:55 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. or between 8:25 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
5. When you enter, your microphone is muted by default, so please leave it that way.
6. You are entering a dojo that is in kinhin, but you can still sit down.
7. The person responsible will guide you with the bell or their voice.
8. Stay as long as you like, in 30-minute increments.

After 24 consecutive hours of being open, the Zoom meeting will end with a message as if the host had closed it. This is normal, and you can reconnect without any problems.

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Taking responsibility for a slot

Taking responsibility is reserved for members of the Kosen sangha, regardless of whether they are beginners or veterans, as zazen is practiced in silence.

Registration is done via an Excel spreadsheet by entering your first name plus an initial in the “responsible” column on the line corresponding to the desired time slot. The schedules are given for Europe and Argentina.

In-person dojos that wish to participate should register in advance.
Everyone checks this table and likes to see all the members of our large international sangha arrive, and these members also like to know that we know they have arrived.

It works on smartphones (provided you install the Google Drive and Google Sheets apps), but it’s much more convenient on a computer: on the one hand, it doesn’t require any apps, just a browser, and on the other hand, editing is easier.

Since anyone can write on the table, we have put in a small security barrier as follows: first practice on the table https://tinyurl.com/test49dia. From this first table, we also explain how to construct the address of a second table, which ultimately allows you to register for real.

Your participation as a leader helps ensure that everything runs smoothly, so please make sure to fill in any empty fields to ensure the continuity of the zazens.

If someone accidentally overwrites the registrations, please contact us using the form available on zazoom. Google Sheet records all changes, so it will always be possible to go back.

Leading a slot

During zazen, as these 49 days are a special event, please do not make or read a kusen; zazen must remain silent.

1. If you have never practiced in the online dojo before, please follow the instructions beforehand and make sure your microphone and camera are working before it is your turn to lead.
2. Log in during kinin, sit directly in zazen with your microphone on.
3. Respond to the gasho made by the previous leader and ring the bell three times to signal the start of zazen.
4. You are also responsible for kinin after zazen.
5. When you have finished your shifts, before leaving, make gasho to the next leader.

Important, configure Zoom to use the bell

By default, Zoom is configured to transmit only voice. You must therefore configure it, otherwise your bell will be muffled as soon as you ring it, and others will not hear much.

To configure, bring up the settings, click on “more,” then on “audio settings,” and then on “use original sound.” If you see that nothing is happening, use your voice to say: “zazen,” “kinhin,” “end of kinhin.”

More technical details

No bell?

Install the “Insight Timer” app. You won’t be using the timer, but simply clicking on the bell of your choice. There are several bells with a nice sound, try them out a little before zazen to:

1. Find out where these bells are.
2. Learn where to click to get two or three chimes. It’s not super difficult, but it’s not that obvious either.

Explanation of camera placement

Beginners on Zoom always place their camera to the side or behind them, thinking that this recreates the conditions of a dojo.

However, there is no kusen, nor any indication, so interaction is very minimal. Instead, place your camera at a three-quarter angle and close enough to reach it without uncrossing your legs. This will allow you to:

• See who is there with you, perceive the other postures a little, and get the feeling of the dojo, just like in a real dojo, for that matter.
• Know that the person responsible is there. You can recognize them by the fact that they are sitting directly opposite you.
• If not, take their place by placing your camera opposite you. Turn on your microphone and say “zazen.” That said, from the beginning, there has always been someone in charge, and it works well, but it’s better to plan for possible failures.