Building and Sustaining Sangha
The Adelaide Zen Group is deeply committed to nurturing and being nurtured by sangha, which in practice means looking to the community of practitioners for support and inspiration on the spiritual path. We favour an approach that aims at gently guiding the group towards greater sangha coherence. In practice this is likely to involve the following key activities.
The Adelaide Zen Group is a member of the Diamond Sangha, a lay Zen Buddhist lineage founded by Robert Aitken Roshi. Members rely on fellow practitioners for emotional, spiritual, and practical support in relation to their Zen practice. This is inferred from the lay nature of the community, which emphasizes everyday life integration.
Shared Practice: Participation in group meditation sessions, retreats, and other communal activities is central. The Adelaide Zen Group offers weekly zazen and retreats, which reinforces the commitment to the path.
Learning and Guidance: Members look to teachers and senior practitioners for guidance on deepening their practice, understanding Zen teachings, and navigating life’s challenges.
Inspiration: Being part of the Sangha provides the opportunity for consistent practice and also inspiration by way of witnessing others; dedication can inspire members to maintain their motivation.
Contribution to Community: Members may contribute by helping with organizational tasks, teaching newer members, or participating in community service.
Background Information: Adelaide Zen Group (AZG)
AZG was incorporated in 1991 and is a member of the Diamond Sangha, an international lay Buddhist organisation founded by Robert Aitken Roshi. It practices a lay version of Soto Zen which also includes facets of Rinzai Zen, especially the intensive study of koans. The 90’s were a significant decade for the AZG with several annual sesshins led by Ross Bolleter Roshi of the Zen Group of WA. Ross gave Bob Joyner permission to teach in 1999 and Dharma Transmission in 2003.
In 2018, Bob appointed Imelda Carson as a junior teacher and in 2022 appointed Steve Wigg as a junior teacher. Early in 2019 Allan Marett Roshi joined the AZG. He is a dharma heir of Subhana Barzaghi Roshi of the Sydney Zen Centre.
In September 2024 Imelda Carson received Dharma Transmission and recognition as an independent teacher from Bob Joyner. In May 2025 Steve Wigg received Dharma Transmission and recognition as an independent teacher from Bob Joyner.
The Honolulu Diamond Sangha was co-founded by Robert Gyoun Aitken Roshi (June 19, 1917—August 5, 2010) with his late wife, Anne. He was an esteemed Zen teacher within the American Zen community many of whom turned to him for his wisdom and counsel, often during times of crisis or turmoil.
A lifetime resident of Hawai’i, he was a graduate of the University of Hawai’i with a BA in English literature and an MA in Japanese studies. In 1941 he was captured on Guam by invading Japanese forces, and interned in Japan for the duration of World War II. In the camp he met the British scholar R.H. Blyth who introduced him to Zen. After the war he practiced Zen with Senzaki Nyogen in Los Angeles and traveled frequently to Japan to practice in monasteries and lay centers with Nakagawa Soen Roshi, Yasutani Haku’un Roshi and Yamada Koun Roshi. In 1974 he was given approval to teach by Yamada Roshi of the Sanbo Kyodan in Kamakura, who gave him transmission as an independent master in 1985. He also co-founded the Buddhist Peace Fellowship in 1978 with his wife Anne and Nelson Foster (whom he later authorized as a Diamond Sangha teacher). Aitken’s students have opened centers in Germany, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Aitken Roshi retired in 1996. After some years living on the Big Island of Hawai’i, he returned to live at Palolo, where his students could care for him in his declining years. He died on August 5th, 2010 at the age of 93.