Ordinary Mind Zen Melbourne offers a Zen Buddhist approach to cultivating mindful awareness and presence in the activities of daily life.
It is open to beginners and experienced practitioners, and people of all traditions. The group is evolving a style of Zen Buddhism that is adapted to Western temperaments and ways of life, but maintains the rigour and discipline of its traditional roots.
Everyone is welcome to join us for our activities. We offer monthly meditation meetings, zazenkai (one-day sittings) three times a year, and sesshin (multi-day meditation intensives) once a year
The monthly meditation meetings are suitable for anyone with little or no meditation experience. If you are coming for the first time, please contact us to arrange an introduction for newcomers.
Update on Schedule
| To support the health of our Sangha and community, Monthly Meditations and Zazenkai at Kangaroo Ground are closed until further notice. To support ongoing practice, sittings are occurring online. Please Contact Us or Subscribe to our Newsletter for more information. |
News & Updates
| Recent Dharma Talks from Geoff Dawson A Zen Life is an Intimate Life Love and Solitude in the Time of Corona The Coronavirus Retreat Wisdom of Nonsense No God, No Governor, No Ego |
| RECENT REFLECTIVE TALKS Dogen and the Coronavirus by Tom Fisher Zen in the Shopping Centre Carpark by Anja Tanhane |
| RESILIENT/ FRAGILE Contribution by Richard  A native spider orchid (Caladenia phaeoclavia), found in the bushland around my house earlier this season. Indigenous plants can sometimes flower in this space, but a spider orchid hasn’t been seen before (or at least, not in the last few years). After hiding dormant through seasons of hot dry weather, from harsh and rocky ground this fragile plant emerged, flowering for two weeks before disappearing. This is a small reminder of how nature is resilient and fragile at the same time. The careful balance is easy to damage or completely destroy. Yet from this, it somehow recovers and re-grows on its own, if we give it the right conditions and breathing space. Restoring balance to ourselves, we can begin the work of restoring balance to the earth There is no difference between concern for ourselves and our own well-being There is no difference between healing the planet and healing ourselves – Thich Nhat Hanh |
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, and pay respect to them and to their Elders past, present and emerging. We give thanks for their wisdom and for their care of country since ancient times, and acknowledge their resilience, their continuing culture, and the ongoing contribution they make to the life of this region.
