family feeling
Affiliations
A rhizome offers perhaps the perfect image of Zen sangha affiliation: growing in the dark beneath the earth, a single plant stem, sending out from its many nodes new roots and shoots.
A rhizome grows horizontally from its axillary buds while sending new shoots up to break into the light. Sounds like the family feeling at the core of the word ‘affiliation’: one dharma root, growing many shoots in time, all of them intimately connected while making their own distinct way into being. Thus, the ‘monastery walls’ that house a good Zen sangha are kept properly low, low as ground level.
Zen Open Circle, founded by me in 2000, is affiliated through me to both the Diamond Sangha that comes down through Robert Aitken, and the Pacific Zen line that comes down through John Tarrant. And the other sanghas in which I teach or that stem also from my teaching have naturally come to share a family feeling and style, ensuring a welcoming sense of familiarity that makes movement between them feel natural and easy.
~ Susan Murphy Roshi
When the Buddha was walking with his disciples, he pointed to the ground with his hand, and said, “Here would be good to erect a temple.”
Sakradevendra took a stem of grass and inserted it into the ground, and said, “The temple is erected.” The Buddha smiled.
​​​​​
Castlemain Zen
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
A thriving Zen community in the heart of the Victorian Goldfields, led by Kynan Sutherland Roshi. Offering monthly orientation, weekly zazen, monthly zazenkai, dharma discussions, sutra chanting, dharma talks, special events and dokusan. The Castlemain sangha is passionate about realising the dharma in the flow of everyday life. They place a strong emphasis on environmental action, social justice, community building and the arts. Beginners welcome!
​
​​
​​​​​
Melbourne Zen Group
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
The Melbourne Zen Group is a small group of Zen practitioners who meditate together, study Zen together and support each other’s practice. In 1999, Subhana Barzaghi Roshi (based in NSW) agreed to be the group’s teacher. In 2002, Susan Murphy Roshi agreed to share this commitment with Subhana. In 2023, long-time group member Kirk Fisher was authorised by Susan Murphy to teach as a Zen Roshi in his own right. MZG offers regular orientation sessions for newcomers.
​
​​
​​​​​​
Mountains & Rivers Zen, Hobart
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
Mountains & Rivers Zen is a small group of zen practitioners located in nipaluna/Hobart. This sangha has been practising together for more than thirty years. They meet regularly both online and in person at their dojo in the city centre and conduct retreats at the beautiful Kunanyi House in the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Sangha members have a strong interest in the natural world and in the zen arts of calligraphy and haiku. They are always keen to welcome newcomers and guests and invite anyone who finds themselves down that way to get in touch at zenhobart@gmail.com
​​​​​​
Bright & Dark Zen Meditation, Sydney
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
Bright & Dark is a Zen practice group that meets every Friday at the Buddhist Library in Camperdown, Sydney. The ultimate non-event for your Friday night! They offer a menu of shared silence, sitting meditation, walking meditation, tea, food, and community. This is a space where everything is optional, where you are encouraged to tend to your body, and where you/we can explore what it might mean to exist in the company of other humans (and all the many beings of the world!). In practice this means following a simple flow of: sit, walk, sit, walk, sit, snacks. All welcome.
​​
