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March
Schedule
Sunday 1st
Sit on Country
Thursday 5th
Zazen & Training in Compassion
Thursday 12th
Zazen
Saturday 14th
Online discussion with Chris Barker Sensei on 'Talks in the Dojo' mentoring
Sunday 15th
Walking Meditation
Thursday 19th
Zazen
Saturday 21st
Zazenkai with Chris
Thursday 26th
Zazen
Tuesday 31st
Telephone Dokusan
Dojo Schedule
We sit Thursday evenings at St Paul's Hall 6:30pm - 8:30pm. If you are new please come at 6:00pm for an orientation.
New Date for Online Zazenkai
Chris Barker Sensei will be leading an online Zazenkai on Saturday the 21st March. Zazenkai begins at 8.25am and ends at 4.00pm. Please click here to register. Registration closes on Thursday, 19th of March.
Sit On Country
Our monthly 'Sit on Country' will be on Sunday, 1st of March at Kaarta Gar-up (Kings Park) (click here for a map locating where we sit) We will join together with Michael Wright in zazen and kinhin on Whadjuk Noongar Country. Gather at 9.15am for a 9.30am start beneath the Marri trees to the south-west of the war memorial. We will finish by 10.30 am, but feel free to bring along a drink and a snack to enjoy socialising in the shade of the trees afterwards.
Walking Meditation
Come along to a wonderful period of walking meditation along the paths and the coast on Perth's northern beaches. Mark will lead a walking meditation at Whitford Nodes Park on Sunday, from 8am to 9.30am. Click here for a map of our meeting place in the northern carpark. If you are game you can have a swim afterwards.
Membership and Donations
Support the ZGWA through membership and donation Membership helps towards the support of our practice and the financial viability of ZGWA. If you would like to support ZGWA and become a new member, you can download a membership form by clicking here. Please email the completed form to info@zgwa.org.au. If you would like to support ZGWA by making a donation to The Zen Group of Western Australia, please click here.
“Talks in the Dojo”
Mentoring Proposal from Chris Barker Sensei
We are all invited to an online event where we have the wonderful opportunity to discuss Chris Barker Sensei’s initiative “Talks in the Dojo” Mentoring Proposal. Chris will present the idea and answer any questions you might have (see February's Newsletter for more details of the proposal).
Event: “Talks in the Dojo” with Chris Barker Sensei
Time & Date: 4.00pm (Perth time), Saturday 14th March.
Place: Online - Click here to go to the Zoom Meeting
Put the event in your diaries and consider how you would like to engage with this opportunity. You can also contact Chris directly via his email.
Djerin (Autumn) Sesshin in April
Our 5-Day Djerin sesshin is happening from Friday, 10th to Wednesday the 15th of April. Mari Rhydwen Roshi will be our teacher. This is one of the highlights of our Zen calendar so, if you haven't already, please start planning for this wonderful event. Registrations are open and early bird discounts are available, click here to register. If you have any questions contact our sesshin coordinators Nick [ nicholas.arnold@pm.me ] or Andrea [ donohues.andrea@gmail.com ] Nick is acting sesshin co-ordinator from 9th Feb to 17th March while Andrea is away. Outside that time Sesshin please contact Andrea.
Call for Wobbly Pot contributions
Please think about contributing to the Djeran-Makuru-Djilba (Autumn-Winter) 2026 Issue of the magazine of the ZGWA, The Wobbly Pot. The theme is "Cooking Your Life". This theme draws from Dogen’s Tenzo Kyōkun (Instructions to the Tenzo (Cook)) and related commentaries. This issue of Wobbly Pot is an opportunity for further reflection on how we take Zen practice into everyday life? Please send articles, recounts, essays, artwork, photographs or poems to Ingva Anda (editor) at ingvaranda@hotmail.com by Wednesday 22nd April; sooner much appreciated.
Style guide for contributions: Word documents (no PDFs) in Ariel font size 12 points which is the font and size of this text. Only indent the first paragraph and leave a line space between the following paragraphs. Use italics for long quotations leaving a line space before and after. Include any references in a list at the end of a document rather than including endnotes or footnotes.
Mari's Recovery
As we know, our teacher Mari Rhydwen Roshi broke her arm a few weeks ago and has had to go on sick leave while she recovers. This is just a brief note to let the Sangha know that she is recovering well and that she sends everyone her thanks for the well wishes. We will let you all know when she is well enough and logistically able to take up her teaching duties again.
Training in Compassion Discussion and Precepts Sharing
After some zazen, Nick will lead a training in compassion discussion on Thursday, 5th March. It will be based on Slogan 25 "Don't talk about faults". Click here to read the slogans beforehand.
Quote of the Month
"Zen corners are small, unobtrusive, sometimes solitary, and generally impermanent. They are a way to bring more awareness to our lives. Anyone can learn to create one: a place to settle, to let go of the ongoing chatter of our habitual thoughts, and help us to find a home in the spaciousness of our true nature. The awareness that we develop through Zen practice needs to be able to seep into our lives, not just be something we do only on our meditation cushion or in retreats. So we need lots of Zen corners too."
Zazen
Our normal weekly sitting consists of four periods of Zazen finishing with chanting and dedications.
Zen Library Link
One of the benefits of being a paid up ZGWA member is that you get free access to the ZGWA library which has over 600 volumes in its collection. If you would like to access the catalogue you can do so here.
The Zen Group of Western Australia is a lay-Buddhist organisation founded in 1982 and affiliated with the Diamond Sangha. We meet on Thursdays at St Paul's Anglican Church Hall, 162 Hampton Road, Beaconsfield, WA 6162. All are welcome to sit with us.
