Meditation

Trainer: Gillian Coote, Subhana Barzaghi Category: ,

Each Monday and Wednesday evening at our city zendo in Annandale the Sydney Zen Centre offers seated meditation, or zazen as it is called in Zen Buddhism. A teacher is available most of these evenings to provide dokusan (a private interview with the teacher to talk about your practice).

Subhana Barzaghi teaches on Monday nights and Gillian Coote teaches on Wednesday nights.

Measures to prevent the spread of Covid 19:

The Board and teachers have decided to cancel face to face activities over April and May to minimise the risk of Covid 19 to ourselves and spreading through the sangha.

The Annandale zendo will be closed till further notice, but you can still connect online with the teachers and the sangha. The Sydney Zen Centre relies on the financial support of its members and visitors.  If you are a non-member participating in our on-line meditation program, we request a facility fee of $5 (provided your income makes this affordable).  You can pay this direct to our bank account: BSB 062 182 Account number 1013 7103. Please tag the payment with your name and the letters “FF”.

On-line practice community dojo (via Zoom) with Subhana Barzaghi and Gillian Coote:

To participate you need a camera and microphone on your computer or phone. If this is the first time you have used Zoom, you will need to install a web browser client, which will download automatically when you join the meeting.  Please allow a few minutes to do this, so that you are ready to start at 7.00 pm.

Monday evenings – with Subhana Barzaghi

If you are interested in participating in Monday night group sitting, with Subhana, from the comfort of your own home, please express your interest by e-mail to info@szc.org.au

Wednesday evenings – with Gillian Coote

If you are interested in participating in Wednesday night group sitting, with Gilly, from the comfort of your own home, please express your interest by e-mail to info@szc.org.au

 

The Board wishes you all a safe time ahead. And in this time of uncertainty we recommend you maintain your practice and remember to breathe and stay connected.

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There will be no sitting at our city zendo in Annandale on public holidays or when sesshins (retreats) are being held at our bush zendo, Kodoji.

If you are a newcomer and interested in attending our weekly meditation evenings, we ask that you undertake an orientation first. This provides simple instructions about sitting and walking meditation, as well as general information about Zen philosophy and rituals. Find out more about our orientation schedule here.

 

Timetable

  Open Time Close Time Teacher Address
Monday 7:00 PM 9:00 PM Subhana Barzaghi Annandale
Wednesday 7:00 PM 9:00 PM Gillian Coote Annandale
Monday
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - with Subhana Barzaghi - at Annandale
Wednesday
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - with Gillian Coote - at Annandale

Gillian Coote, a senior resident teacher of the Sydney Zen Centre, met Robert Aitken Roshi in 1980, regularly attending his annual sesshin in Sydney as well as training periods and sesshin in Hawai'i. She also studied with John Tarrant and Subhana Barzaghi, from whom she received dharma transmission in June 2004 at Kodoji, Temple of the Ancient Ground. Gillian has been involved with developing sangha at Sydney Zen Centre since the early '80's - organising sesshins, editing SZC's journal, Mind Moon Circle and being involved in sangha ceremonies and activities. Inspired by their experience of sangha building at the Ring of Bone Zendo in California in 1982, Gilly and her architect/builder husband Tony, have built and maintained, with the help of the sangha, our bush zendo Kodoji at Gorricks Run. She trained with environmental activist and Buddhist scholar, Joanna Macy, and for fifteen years was the co-ordinator of the Sydney branch of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. She has practised with Thich Nhat Hanh, attending his artists' retreat in Ojai, California and joined his pilgrimage to Buddhist sites in India and Nepal. She directed and produced 'The Awakening Bell', a documentary film made during his visit to Sydney. Gillian is a social documentary filmmaker, writer, grandmother and bush regenerator. She is supervising apprentice teacher, Will Moon.

Subhana Barzaghi, a senior resident teacher of the Sydney Zen Centre, has been practising meditation for over 40 years. She has studied in Australia and California with John Tarrant Roshi, in Japan with Yamada Koun Roshi, and in Australia and Hawaii with Robert Aitken Roshi, the founder of the Diamond Sangha. Subhana received Dharma transmission in 1996 from Aitken Roshi and John Tarrant Roshi at our bush zendo, Kodoji Subhana Barzaghi is a qualified and experienced psychotherapist, a mother of two children, and a grandmother. She was a founding member of the 'Bodhi Farm' community in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, where she lived for 20 years. She was also the founder of the Kuan Yin Zen Centre in Lismore. Subhana is a Registered Religious Marriage Celebrant, and also teaches in the Vipassana Insight Meditation tradition. She leads workshops, Zen sesshins and Vipassana retreats at a variety of centres in Australia and New Zealand. Subhana has mentored and appointed eight Apprentice Teachers in the Diamond Sangha tradition.