JOIN US FOR OUR AZG ONLINE SESSHIN: 7-12 JULY

Sit online with us and bring your practice home.

AZG is offering an online Sesshin commencing on the evening of Thursday 7 July to mid-morning on Tuesday 12 July. The teachers will be Allan Marett Roshi, with Steve Wigg and Peter Bursky as apprentice teachers.

The Sesshin will include early risings settling into a routine of zazen and walking meditation across the day and into the evening, interspersed with periods of rest and work supported by regular contact with a teacher in private interview and Dharma talks. This format provides an unique opportunity to deepen our practice and to get in close contact with, to become aware of, more familiar with our innermost true being. 

Both part-time and full-time participation will be available, so even if you have commitments preventing you from attending full-time, you could attend early morning and evening blocks as well as during the weekend. As much or as little as you can manage.

Application forms have been sent out by email – if you haven’t received one and would like one, please get in touch at azg@azg.org.au.

PRACTICE CHANGES OVER EASTER 2022

The AZG Autumn Sesshin will run over the Easter Weekend, from 14-20 April.

So, there will be no practice at Hutt St (or on Zoom) next Thursday 14 April.
Also, there’s no in-person sitting at Hutt Street on Sunday 17 April.

We will return to our regular program on Thursday 21 April.

However, we are still meeting in person and via Zoom at Hutt St. tomorrow
night Thursday 7 April starting at 7:30pm. Please join us!

Online-Only Sitting Continues Throughout February – Join AZG in the Zoom Zendo!

The AZG committee met on Sunday 30/1, and we agreed that all sitting will remain online for the month of February, a precaution we’re taking due to the ongoing COVID situation in South Australia.

The good news is that sitting online has been big a success in January. We’ve welcomed new people to sit with the group and we’ve found ways for members to have dokusan, one-on-one meetings with AZG teachers, via Zoom and by phone.

Here’s a reminder of the AZG online sitting arrangement for February:

Thursday night sitting will begin at 7PM Adelaide time (NOT the usual 730PM for in-person sitting)

Sunday morning sitting will begin at 9am Adelaide time

All our sittings will take place on Zoom.

If you are already on the AZG mailing list, an email with the link and more details will go out to you in the coming days. Also, please check the Calendar for any other updates.

If you’re not on the list and would like to join us online, or if you have any questions about the plans for the future, please contact us and we’ll keep you updated.

Thanks so much to everyone who’s sat with us in 2022. We’re taking the situation a month at a time at this point. We’ll revisit the situation at the end of February and update you once again.

AZG Will Sit Online Only in January: Please Join Us

Please join us online this month. We’re looking forward to seeing you again.
(Photo: Kari Shea)

3rd January, 2022

What a beginning to 2022.

Adelaide Zen Group was planning to begin in-person sitting this Thursday, the 6th of January.

But… with the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Australia, and the ongoing uncertainty about case numbers and community spread, AZG will not sit in-person, but will meet online on Thursday night and Sunday morning through to the end of January.

At the end of January, we’ll reassess the situation based on the information that’s available to us at the time. At that point, we’ll let you know how we will continue sitting in February and beyond.

This, of course, is not the way we would have liked to begin 2022. On the other hand, it’s an opportunity for us to sit together online and to make AZG available to those of us who can’t be with us in person for whatever reason.

How to Sit Online With Us In January

Thursday night sitting will begin at 7PM Adelaide time (NOT the usual 730PM for in-person sitting)

Sunday morning sitting will begin at 9am Adelaide time

All our sittings will take place on Zoom.

If you are already on the AZG mailing list, an email with the link and more details will go out to you in the coming days. Also, please check the Calendar for any other updates.

If you’re not on the list and would like to join us online, or if you have any questions about the plans for the future, please contact us and we’ll keep you updated.

Thanks for your ongoing support. We look forward to seeing you in ways that are available to us as we move through January.

Thank You For Being With Us in 2021

Photo: Chris Liverani.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us in person and online from Adelaide, around Australia and across the world.

This challenging time has reminded us of the importance of our zazen practice. It’s also reminded us that zazen is only one part of the path, and that the connections we make in our community are just as important. We show each other how our practice affects not just us but those around us. Thanks to everyone who has been part of the group; whether setting up the zendo, helping to organise sesshin and intensives, being part of the committee, or joining us for a coffee after practice, you help us and the practice enormously.

The AZG plans to be back in person on Thursday the 6th of January at 7:30PM at Hutt Street.

Have a safe and regenerating break. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!

An Update On the AZG COVID Safety Plan from the AZG Committee

Monday, 22nd of November, 2021

Dear Sangha
South Australian borders open this week after a long period of closures and restrictions due to COVID-19. These changes lead us to ask questions about how best to proceed as a group.

As a sangha, we are interdependent upon each other to maintain dharma practice, and the environment for our ongoing safety and wellbeing. We believe that vaccination has a key role to play in this, both as individuals and as a group.

At this stage, from Tuesday the 23rd of November, sitting in person with AZG will be open to people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

For those who are not vaccinated or preferring not to attend in person events, we are establishing a regular online sitting practice. We’ve had great success stepping into the world of online sangha in the last eighteen months and look forward to offering this option to you on a regular basis. We will update you soon on details.

If you have a medical exemption from the vaccine, please contact us.

To help us with this policy, we ask that you send evidence of your vaccination status to Jak Baddams at jak.baddams@gmail.com or Ros Schmidtke at ros.schmidtke91@gmail.com.  Questions and concerns can also be raised with Jak and Ros as the welfare officers.

It’s also possible for you to bring evidence of vaccination to the Hutt Street Zendo instead of emailing, as any zendo leader can cite your evidence, and you will only need to show us once. Please arrive ten minutes early so we can confirm your status and be able to start on time. If you are still setting up your myGov record, the post vaccine paper record is fine to bring.

We have a QR code in place for checking in, and hand sanitizer is provided. We’ll continue to ask our sangha to wear masks while in the zendo for the foreseeable future, and we’ll update the sangha of our ongoing precautions as the SA COVID situation develops.

Also, we ask that if you have any presenting cold or flu symptoms to please stay home and practice with us online until you are well.

We look forward to sitting with you when we see you next.

Adelaide Zen Group Committee

AZG CHRISTMAS PICNIC: SUNDAY 5TH DECEMBER AFTER SITTING: 11AM ONWARDS

🎅
It’s beginning to look a lot like….

You are invited to an informal picnic on Sunday 5th December 2021 after sitting at Hutt St.We are planning to go around the end of Gilles Street to Victoria Park (Pakapakanthi).Bring everything that you need, and invite anyone that you would like.


We pass the IGA on Hutt Street on the way, so you can pick up a platter or something impromptu as well. The AZG Committee hopes to see you there.

Steve Wigg Becomes an Apprentice Teacher at AZG

Congratulations to Steve Wigg, who is taking the big step into an Apprentice Teacher role with the Adelaide Zen Group.

Steve, who took jukai with Robert Joyner Roshi, has been a longstanding member of the group and on top of his intense years of dharma training has served in almost every role the group has to offer, and has also organised many AZG in-person retreats and hosted weekend intensives at his house with its beautiful garden and lotus pond. Steve has also been serving as President of the group, and will step aside from that role to focus on his teacher training.

We’re looking forward to meeting Steve in dokusan and experiencing his own personal flavour of the dharma. Congrats Steve!

Jiki Training – Sunday August 15.

On Sunday August 15, Craig Behenna will lead a training session for the Jiki leadership role. If you’ve wondering how to get more involved in the zen group and what a leadership role involves, this is a perfect way to dip your toe into the waters.

If you’re interested in learning how the role works, if you’re curious about how the sound of the bell and the role of timekeeping can help your own practice and also help those around you, please join us! Training will at 11am after Sunday sitting and will last around 1 hour.

Sitting In-Person Is Back!

We’re back! We’re now sitting again on Sunday mornings (9am-11am) and Thursday evenings (7:30pm-9:30pm).

Please wear a mask when you attend. Checkin QR codes and paper sign-in options are available. We’re also following SA state government guidelines re the number of people in the zendo at any one time. These numbers will very a bit as conditions change. If you have any questions, please contact us and we’ll be in touch.

SA Lockdown: No In-Person Sitting at AZG For 7 Days

Dear friends,

You may have heard that South Australia has gone into Stage 5 restrictions for seven days from 6pm on July 20, 2021.

This means there’ll be no sitting at Hutt Street on Thursday 22/7 or on Sunday 25/7. If you’re on our mailing list, you should have had an email to confirm this.

We hope things return to some sort of normal after our week of isolation. At this stage plans remain in place for our in-person weekend intensive at the end of the month, but we’ll be in touch once we get through this seven days. Watch this space and keep an eye on your emails for further info.

Please stay safe and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Welcome to the Adelaide Zen Group Blog!

Photo: Xuan Nguyen

Welcome to the first post of the AZG blog!

If you’re involved with the Adelaide Zen Group, if you’re interested in what we do, or if you’re just curious about Zen and want to know more, check back here regularly for updates and articles about the AZG and what we’re up to.

On the blog, we’ll feature:

  • Encouraging words from our teachers
  • Updates on events
  • Info about our regular weekend intensives and sesshins (longer retreats)
  • Important updates from the AZG committee
  • Other things we’re finding interesting in the group and the wider world of Zen practice

The blog is an evolving project, so stay tuned – and let us know what you’d like to hear about.

Gassho

Craig Behenna

Welcome to the Adelaide Zen Group Blog!

Photo: Xuan Nguyen

Welcome to the first post of the AZG blog!

If you’re involved with the Adelaide Zen Group, if you’re interested in what we do, or if you’re just curious about Zen and want to know more, check back here regularly for updates and articles about the AZG and what we’re up to.

On the blog, we’ll feature:

  • Encouraging words from our teachers
  • Updates on events
  • Info about our regular weekend intensives and sesshins (longer retreats)
  • Important updates from the AZG committee
  • Other things we’re finding interesting in the group and the wider world of Zen practice

The blog is an evolving project, so stay tuned – and let us know what you’d like to hear about.

Gassho

Craig Behenna

February 2021 Newsletter

Notices (post sub heading)

Post Content lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

image alt text
Image caption here

Encouraging Words (post sub heading)

Post content 2 lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.