Welcome to our most recent edition of our English-language newsletter!

• Upcoming Retreats and Events
• Island Retreat on Finnish Archipelago in June
• Ecodharma Workshop with David Loy in August
• Helsinki Street Retreat in September
• Become a member or a Patron of the Helsinki Zen - Peacemakers Finland.
• Hybrid Meditations on will continue in August each Thursday afternoons
• Follow sensei Mikko's blog posts titled Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction
• You are also welcome to visit our online store. Please ask for translation help or international shipping
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Bearing Witness Retreat by Zen Peacemakers International

Looking forward to staying connected,
Sensei Mikko

PS: If you’d prefer not to receive these updates, feel free to unsubscribe at any time.

Helsinki Zen summer retreat will be held in Pirttisaari, on a small island on the Blatic Sea. We will deepen our practise and devotion surrounded by nature. June 2026

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
David Loy's Ecodharma Workshop at Sofia Cultural Centre in Helsinki 29-30 August 2026. READ MORE
Helsinki Street Retreat 2-5 September 2026. READ MORE

We registered our group as an ideological nonprofit association in June 2025. Our official legal name is Helsinki Zen - Peacemakers Finland ry. It is Finland’s first official Zen group focused on engaged Buddhist practice.

We will need your support and generosity to keep things rolling. You can become a member of the association by paying the membership fee regularly and participating in our activities. Patrons can also support us with optional payments.

With your membership fee, you support the work of our organisation and help us establish and develop our activities.

Thank you for your support!

Zen teacher Sensei Mikko Ijäs leads a silent Zen meditation at Kallio D-Station on Thursday evenings. Meditation begins at 5:30 pm (CET 4:30 pm), and the doors close at this time, so please arrive on time. Check the schedule and possible changes in advance. We are currently on a Summer break and will return to our schedule in late August.

Meditations at Kallio D-Asema (Finnish time EET / UTC +2)
Thursday 20 Aug, 5:30–6:15 pm
Thursday 27 Aug, 5:30–6:15 pm
Break due to Street Retreat
Thursday 10 Sep, 5:30–6:15 pm
Thursday 17 Sep, 5:30–6:15 pm
Thursday 24 Sep, 5:30–6:15 pm
Thursday 1 Oct, 5:30–6:15 pm
Thursday 8 Oct, 5:30–6:15 pm

Sensei Mikko Ijäs has an ongoing writing series titled Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction. The series is based on his unpublished book and it will be released in a blog format published bi-weekly. The series delves into the systems that shape our lives—ranging from economics and technology to evolution, human psychology and spirituality. We live in a time of deep contradictions: constant innovation alongside growing dissatisfaction, economic growth amidst persistent inequality, technological progress paired with environmental collapse. Through this series, Ijäs aims to reflect on these paradoxes, offering perspectives that blend both research and lived experience. Please let us know what you think!

We also have a small workshop here in Helsinki where we produce items such as Mala rosaries, Winter beanies, Zafu-cushions, Hanko seal stamps and other Artworks. All purchases support our work as Peacemakers here in Helsinki, Finland.

Sensei Mikko will serve as a Buddhist clergy member at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Bearing Witness Retreat organised by the Zen Peacemakers International. We strongly encourage you to join us this year in November.