Canberra Soto Zen Group - CSZG

10/04/2026

The core message of the Heart Sutra is vividly expressed by Shunryu Suzuki in this week's talk, Original Buddhism. When we 'go beyond, beyond, far beyond' all inverted views through words and concepts, we can come to the right understanding of what it means 'just to sit'. Just sitting is not a posture we adopt, it is Ultimate Reality unfolding right Here and Now.

With that understanding:

"Zazen is all the postures, and each posture is Buddha's posture... Zazen is a practice which contains innumerable activities; Zazen started even before Buddha, and will continue forever."

So Zazen is itself 'practice-enlightenment', the embodiment and expression of our original nature, whether we are sitting, walking or talking.

Zen points to an understanding that is not limited by written teachings. Even though Shariputra was an expert on the Buddhist teachings of his time, his liberation came only when he realized that the true teaching is unfolding moment by moment, in the Here and Now. That is why "There should not be any particular teaching. Teaching is in each moment, in every existence."

At Zazenkai, as we practice shikantaza, we remain awake to things as they are, and find liberation in the Present Moment.

03/04/2026

This Sunday is Easter Sunday, the celebration and commemoration of Jesus Christ's liberation from death. 'Birth and death' is a central theme in Zen Buddhism. Dogen Zenji made this clear in Shushogi (Shobogenzo): "The most important question for all Buddhists is how to understand birth and death completely, for then, should you be able to find the Buddha within birth and death, they both vanish."

Our reading this week, Song in Praise of Zazen, is also a celebration and a powerful statement on awakening and liberation. Hakuin Zenji, the author of the poem, asks "When shall we be freed from birth and death?" The answer is "not far". In fact we are already free!

As paradoxical as it may seem, to sit in zazen is to "confirm your own self-nature – that self-nature is no nature". That 'no nature' is the same as saying "All beings by nature are Buddha". That is, your true nature is already Awake and beyond birth and death. With this understanding, Hakuin says, liberation is already yours:

"Nirvana is here, before our eyes:

this very place is the Lotus Land,

this very body the Buddha."

When we dedicate ourselves to Zen practice, especially as a community, we can realise this Truth for ourselves and help bring liberation to others.

27/03/2026

After hearing in last week's reading that our true nature, Buddha-nature, is beyond consciousness (the dimension of Form), we are told that "we must believe in nothing" in this week's reading "Believe in Nothing" by Shunryu Suzuki.

Nothing actually means no-thing: which is not a form with shape and colour, and is not perceived through the senses and mind consciousness. It's a dimension of Reality which is always ready to be some 'thing'.

How do we experience this no-thing? By the practice of non-thinking, the art of Zazen. When we just sit (shikantaza) and let go of the thinking function, our attachment to thoughts as Reality, we return to Silence, Beginner's Mind, our original self, Awareness. We intuit that No-thing is our nature, just as Bodhidharma said to Emperor Wu, when asked who he was.

The fundamental practice at Zazen-kai is to experience this directly in all the forms of Meditation.

20/03/2026

"All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beside which nothing exists...It IS that which you see before you..." This statement by Zen Master Huang Po (Chan Buddhism; d. 850; Lin-Chi's Teacher) encapsulates Zen's non-dual perspective of Reality.

That perspective is the unwavering message of Shunryu Suzuki found in all his talks/essays in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In Beyond Consciousness, this Sunday's reading, we hear that "we must firmly believe in our true nature. Our true nature is beyond conscious experience."

That true nature is also called 'essence of mind, original mind, original face, Buddha nature, emptiness.' or One Mind. How can we experience it? "To realize pure mind in your delusions is practice...It is when you sit in Zazen that you will have the most pure, genuine experience of the empty state of mind."

That is shikantaza, going beyond conscious experience (sensations, perceptions, and mind activity) with the practice of "non-thinking, the art of Zazen."

Zazen-kai brings together those who practice shikantaza as an expression of our true nature.

12/03/2026

23/02/2026

Canberra Soto Zen Group
Autumn Retreat

13-15 March 2026

Retreats have been central to Buddhist practice since the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, offering the vital opportunity to reconnect with our original (Buddha) nature. With a mix of new and experienced meditators, retreats are where the spirit of community practice really comes alive, where we can simply 'be' in a calm and supportive environment.

It is important to appreciate that ‘practice’ in the Soto Zen tradition is actually the experiencing of awakening/enlightenment as a way of life: “Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Strictly speaking for a human being, there is no other practice than this practice, there is no other way of life than this way of life” (Shunryu Suzuki - Zen Mind Beginners’ Mind).

We invite you to join our Autumn Retreat at Mirramu on the shores of Lake George (Weereewa/Ngungara).

In the Soto Zen tradition, the retreat includes: seated meditation (zazen); walking meditation (kinhin); eating meditation (oryoki); tea ceremonies and chanting services; and short periods of work practice (samu).

Participation

The retreat runs from 6pm Friday till 3pm Sunday. You are welcome to stay in the comfortable guesthouse ($70/night per room) or come during the day on either Saturday or Sunday. Participation is by donation, which helps recover some of the costs of venue hire and catering so that these events can continue to be offered to all. Donations can be made to the CSZG account (details below).

If you wish to participate, please let us know at canberrasotozengroup@gmail.com

20/02/2026

In Shunryu Suzuki’s talk Mind Waves (from Zen Mind Beginners' Mind), ‘Small mind’ (small self) and ‘Big Mind’ (Big Self/Buddha Mind) are one, in the same way that waves and the ocean are one. It is another way to express the meaning of 'Emptiness is Form' (Heart Sutra).

In this week's reading, Small Mind and Buddha Mind (from Becoming Yourself), that connection is inherent in the very practice of Meditation. “It is not so difficult to know what small self is and what big self is... the way to realize Buddha Mind is Zazen practice. Through Zazen practice you will intuitively know what Buddha Mind is.”

To know intuitively requires ongoing effort to loosen our mental attachment to delusions. The most pervasive of these is our attachment to the small self/mind which puts itself ahead of others. Zen practice helps us realize that small self is not separate from Big Self or Buddha Mind. It is possible for us to recognize Big Self as our original nature, That which we are "before our parents were born".

The key point of Zen practice is sincerity. If we practise with sincerity, expecting nothing, then we are always in harmony with the Truth. We can say that Zen practice is 'training' “to completely extend our realization to our everyday life: to the way we speak, the way we treat things, and the way we treat people...Eventually what you do will help people even though you are not trying to help people.”

When we intuitively understand 'small mind and Buddha Mind', even though we may come to Zazen-kai with an expectation of gaining something for ourselves, recognising that expectation itself is Buddha Mind in action.

The structure and the forms we adopt at Zazen-kai and Zen retreats provide the ideal environment for developing intuitive understanding. That is the power of the Sangha.

A kindly reminder that the Autumn retreat will be held at Mirramu, 13-15 March. You are invited to deepen your practice with other members of the Canberra Sangha.

08/02/2026

An important feature of our Meditation community practice (Zazen-kai) is the chants, which reflect Soto Zen's wisdom and perspective. In particular, we chant the Lineage Chant to honour the 'Buddhas and Ancestors' and to acknowledge their continuing influence on our practice.

This aspect is beautifully explored by Shunryu Suzuki in his talk "The Great Sages are you yourself" (from Becoming Yourself), this week's reading. A sage is a phenomenon happening in this world, manifested as the Truth embodied or expressed in a person. A Great Sage refers to the Truth manifested as an Original Teacher (also Awakened, Anointed, Enlightened, God-realized, etc.), typically a founder of the world's Great Religions.

Their lives can be a source of great inspiration for those of us interested in realizing our true nature; however, as Shunryu Suzuki tells us, the Great Sages can also be an inherent dimension of what we are.

When we sit in Zazen "without dreaming of anything, that is the actual practice that includes everything". There is no distinction between the present and the past, nor living and non-living. Everything is included. If the Buddha is to exist anywhere at this place and time, the Buddha must exist in us. Therefore, there is no distinction between us and the Great Sages.

"At that time, who is Christ, who is Buddha, who is Bodhidharma, who is Dogen?... they are you yourself... If you understand the great sages in this way, you cannot just be Buddhist or just be Christian."

When you realize your innate Buddha Nature, then life takes on new colour, meaning and depth. You can transcend the "shallow, materialistic understanding" of small mind and fully exist as You Yourself.

Zazen-kai offers an opportunity to hear and contemplate these truths, and experience their meaning in community practice.

Link to this week's reading:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11dQwq3Cbt3qZfeh8xJ5Ec1zw8powJbV3zVQhgxgHml8/edit?usp=drivesdk

22/01/2026

Canberra Soto Zen Group

Dear Canberra Soto Zen Members and Friends near and afar,

Sunday Zazenkai 2:00 - 4:00 pm

(Han struck at 1:55pm)

Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre

32 Archibald St., Lyneham

and online via Zoom link below


Just to be yourself is what is meant by ‘just to sit’

In the new collection of talks by Shunryu Suzuki, Becoming Yourself, the essential message is the connection between the practice of Zen (Meditation) and our original nature, our true self.

That connection is the topic of this week's reading: Including Everything.

"You may think that after practising for a long time you will attain enlightenment, and that then your practice will include everything and everyone. But actually your practice already includes everything."

That message echoes the Heart Sutra's "no path, no knowledge and no attainment". The path is you yourself, the knowledge is you yourself and the attainment is you yourself. Enlightenment is already here for you yourself to realize it!

The effort in returning to that original self is 'just to sit' (shikantaza), letting go of extra things, even the idea of "my practice" at a certain place and certain time. That is what we endeavour to practice at Zazen-kai.

P.S. The Canberra Soto Zen Group plans to hold three weekend retreats this year to allow deeper experience of this practice. The retreat dates for 2026 are now confirmed and given below. Please make a note in your diary.

13-15 March

12-14 June

11-13 September

07/01/2026

Just to be yourself is what is meant by ‘just to sit’

We begin this 2026 practice year on Sunday 18 January with a reading from "Becoming Yourself", a new collection of talks by Shunryu Suzuki.

When we hear terms like "Buddha nature" or "non-duality" or "oneness with the Truth", our small mind is inclined to start searching for something outside our normal, everyday experience. The searching is an important step in the awakening process, but setting goals that we try to achieve at a future time can be a distraction from seeing the Truth that exists right here and now.

This week's talk, Sharing the Feeling, gives us a fresh perspective on what non-duality means. In describing Buddha's moment of enlightenment, we hear how the Buddha saw the morning star, not as a sign or symbol, but just as it was, in the Here and Now. "In other words, he shared his feeling with the morning star’s feeling... When he saw the morning star rising up from the east, it was the first thing he saw coming out of his empty mind."

We need to understand that an 'empty mind' is not one without thoughts, rather a whole mind that can experience every particular moment. That mind is 'Big Mind', an expansive or open mind, ready for change. "But just to open is not enough; the spirit of repetition is also necessary. If you do not have this kind of spirit—if your everyday life is not based on this kind of spirit—you cannot cope with the problems you have day after day."

This spirit of repetition, an activity done in each moment, is what we cultivate through our commitment to Zen practice at Zazen-kai.