Weekly Meditation Program
The Adelaide Zen Group offers weekly meditation practice sessions (including sitting and walking meditation, chanting and private teacher interviews) on the following days:
Sunday mornings from 9:00-11:00am at the Hatha Yoga Studio, 172 Hutt St, Adelaide (Find Hatha Yoga Sudio on google maps). From October 2024 on-wards the usual sequence of teachers offering dokusan on a Sunday morning will be: First Sunday of the month: Steve Wigg, Second Sunday of the month: Imelda Carson, Third Sunday of the month: Allan Marett, Fourth Sunday of the month: Imelda Carson. Some months include a fifth Sunday which will be shared between Allan Marett and Steve Wigg. This may vary from time to time so best to check the online calendar for any updates. Check the Calendar for details.
Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00pm at St Chad's Anglican Church (Find St Chad's Anglican Church on google maps). Generally speaking teachers Allan Marett and Steve Wigg alternate offering dokusan (teacher interviews) on Thursday evenings. Check the Calendar for details.
Check the calendar for more details: Use this LINK to access our online calendar including details such as: which teacher will be present and any changes to the schedule (sometimes practice sessions are cancelled due to retreats and occassionally the start/finish times are also modified).
Attending for the first time? If attending for the first time we ask that you please contact us using azg@azg.org.au so that a short orientation can be arranged (20 minutes or so) before the group practice session commences.
Help AZG cover ongoing costs including rent: We ask people to please consider a contribution of between $5 and $10 per practice session to help cover ongoing costs associated with maintaining our weekly practice sessions including rent, teacher stipends, insurance and equipment. This is not a compulsory contribution, please offer what you can within your means.
Payments can be made either in cash on the day you attend or using online direct debit. Detials for direct debit are available at the venue you attend. If you could please identify your payment as either "Hutt St" for the Sunday practice session donations or "St Chads" for the Thursday evening practice session donations.
Thursday Evening Precept Practice (2025 – 2026)
(offered on the fourth Thursday of the month – every second month starting in February)
The Ten Grave Precepts were originally designed as a guide to help practitioners move away from self-centred delusion and attachment. They represent ethical principles that can help us develop more skilful ways to navigate relationships and point the way to the fulfilment of our own Buddha nature. Receiving and practicing these "ways of being" represents the translation of wisdom into action – the natural expression of a compassionate and awakened heart.
The practice session will start with one round of meditation after which we form a circle. The Ino and Jiki will then guide us through an introduction to the practice and invitation to share.
Reflecting on the precepts helps to deepen our Dharma practice beyond the cushion and into the way we understand, communicate and move through our lives with greater compassion and happiness. When daily life happens in real time, knowing how to connect with our Zen practice can be challenging. This is a supportive space in which to share our experience and gain greater insight from hearing others' experiences and reflecting on our own.
Following the Precept Practice we will be offering a space for participants to catch-up informally over a cup of tea.
2025
Date Precept
February 27 I take up the way of not killing.
April 24 I take up the way of not stealing.
June 26 I take up the way of not misusing sex.
August 28 I take up the way of not speaking falsely.
October 23 I take up the way of not giving or taking drugs.
2026
February 6 I take up the way of not discussing faults of others.
April 7 I take up the way of not praising myself while abusing others.
June 8 I take up the way of not sparing the Dharma assets.
August 9 I take up the way of not indulging in anger.
October 10 I take up the way of not defaming the Three Treasures.
Reference books (Diamond Sangha):
Robert Aitken (1984) The Mind of Clover
Robert Aitken (19194) The Practice of Perfection.
Informal Meditation Practice in Nature
Introduction and what to bring
Once again this year we will be offering the opportunity for people to share an informal meditation practice in nature. Following our first session on the third Saturday of February (15th) they will be offered on the second Saturday of the month. The practice will not include the usual forms included in the Hutt St and St Chad's practice sessions eg no dokusan, no chanting or bowing and we won't be providing mats or cushions. There will be plenty of rocks, tree stumps and garden seats to use in the arboretum and/or you might want to bring your own chair or a small blanket or pillow to sit on. Depending on the weather a hat, some sunscreen and water might also be useful.
Where?
The venue is The Waite Arboretum which was established in 1928 by a bequest to the University of Adelaide by Peter Waite. Waite was a prominent pastoralist and businessman at the time and he stipulated that the 27 hectares was to be a public space in perpetuity. The University of Adelaide chose to create an Arboretum. The purposes of the Arboretum are experimental i.e. to demonstrate and evaluate the suitability of a wide range of trees to the local environment. It contains about 2,500 specimens representing more than 800 species. Many of the trees are grown without extra watering and provide a valuable resource for teaching, research and propagation.
If you would like to find out more about the Arboretum you can explore the University of Adelaide webpage: LINK and/or the Friends of Waite Arboretum: LINK.
What time and where do we start?
We are proposing to meet at 9:00am at the small gate entrance on Claremont Avenue (just east from the Old Gate House, previously located on the corner of Fullarton and Cross Roads). Here is a Google Maps LINK and there is a photo of the entrance below.
What will we be doing?
Once gathered we will enter the Arboretum and find a suitable space starting in the more formal gardens near the gate but over the coming months we can explore further into the 27 hectares. Once settled one of us will time keep through two rounds of 25 mins sitting meditation and one round of "wandering/walking mediation" (5 mins). Once meditation practice is finished people are most welcome to hang-out together and share a cup of tea or coffee (I'll bring some supplies for that).
There is no need to RSVP....just turn up if you are interested. David Edwards will be coordinating so if you have any questions contact David either 0403 996 149 or davidedwards1811@gmail.com.
A little bit of background
Below are just a few quotes (paraphrased) about meditation in nature to provide some background:
Meditation lineages for thousands of years have gained wisdom and insight through nature. Nowhere do we feel more alive, vibrant, and attuned than outdoors. In contemplative silence and immersion, nature works on us in profound ways. Our senses are heightened, our body is relaxed but alert, our mind moves at a more natural pace that soothes the nervous system.
Outdoor settings can help us sustain and extend a formal meditation practice helping to teach us to be present in our day-to-day lives. Nature draws us in with its colors, textures, and scents: We tend to be more present in an activity when we can feel the texture of leaves, smell the flowers, and appreciate the fine details as well as the vastness of nature.
Many of us also often intrinsically feel at home in nature, and this sense of ease can help us learn to be present in all aspects of our life. As this sense of embodiment grows, we develop an increased ability to be kindly present to all that is arising in our inner landscape—in our sensations, body, mind, and heart—as well as in the external landscape, responding to what is happening as it unfolds. Mindfulness in nature gives us the opportunity to awaken to what is...