Welcome
Pathway Zen hosts weekly meditation and mindfulness practice groups in Brisbane. Our purpose is to offer a structured program that integrates and personalises Zen, as a practice-path, in daily life.
Why meditate?
Most of us seek out meditation or mindfulness practice as a means to relieve anxiety or to obtain other therapeutic gains. We want to be happy and content, learn to relax, reduce stress or perhaps tame the tyranny of our constant mind chatter.
Few people consider however, that the desire to change ourselves or our circumstances, while perhaps necessary, is also the root cause of anxiety itself.
Since our desires are inexhaustible, they constitute our main motivators and driving force in life. Thus, most of our energy and resources are directed towards satisfying our cravings resulting from our desires.
We constantly set preferences relating to our desires in the form of 'likes' and 'dislikes'. In fact, we always seek to gravitate towards one side of this ledger. The more 'likes' we have in our life, the more successful or happy we judge it to be.
When reality does not align with our preferences or desires, we usually suffer. We then seek relief through new preferences and this dualistic cycle continues.
Meditation and mindfulness practice, in its original Buddhist context, was never practiced as a means to feel better or to solely obtain therapeutic outcomes. While they are an important side-benefit of meditation, these aspects on their own simply feed back into our ledger of "likes" and "dislikes" and perpetuate the cycle of discontent.
Instead, meditation in a Zen-Buddhist context, is a practice path that aims to end suffering through direct personal insights into our own True-Nature. This is achieved through a direct experience and a personalisation process resulting from dislodging the hold our habitual discriminatory way of thinking has on our conditioned mindsets.
The goal of Pathway Zen is to guide anyone that is serious about the discovery of their True-Nature and cultivating Zen, as a practice-path, in their life. This is facilitated through a systematic program that includes aspects of both Rinzai and Soto Zen.
As a secular and non-profit organisation, everyone is welcome irrespective of their tradition, religious affiliation or none. Please feel free to come along to one of our regular events in Spring Hill or Samford. All newcomers are given an introduction to Zen on arrival.
Pathway Zen is guided by Arno Hess, an Australian and Brisbane based Dharma and Zen Buddhist teacher, certified both in Australia and through the Sanbozen lineage in Japan.
Upcoming Events and News:
Thursday evening meditation (Zazen)
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we are now functioning online via Zoom.
The format is the same as our regular sitting group program and consists of 3 x 25 minutes of meditation, interspersed by 5 minutes walking meditation. This group sits on Thursday evenings, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. If you wish to join this group, please click on the Zoom link below by 6:55 PM.
For newcomers: On request, we offer a short introduction to Zen practice at 6:15 pm to 6:45 pm prior to the group gathering. Please email "info@pathwayzen.org.au" to register your attendance.
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/313300296
Meeting ID: 313 300 296
12.8.2020 - 9.9.2020 and 16.9 2020 - 14.10.2020
Foundations of Zen Buddhism: 5-week online course.
This course explores the foundations of Zen practice in context to contemporary therapeutic mindfulness practices and other Buddhist traditions. The course examines the core principles of Zen in relation to the process of awakening within a lay Buddhist and secular transpersonal perspective.
This course is ideal for newcomers to Zen or Buddhism in general and for those wishing to expand their knowledge-base of meditation beyond the therapeutic realm. See our events page for more details.
20.9.2020
Zenkai (daylong retreat)
Join us for some or all of the sitting periods of this daylong online Zen-meditation retreat. The day consists of multiple 25 minutes of silent meditations interspaced by 5 minutes of walking meditation. A Teisho (Dharma talk on a Koan) will be given at 10:30 AM. All welcome.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81848913950?pwd=VllITHJ0TmxVbGhSbU9icmlRMWdTQT09
Meeting ID: 818 4891 3950
Passcode: 383321
24.9.2020
Dharma talk.
Our regular monthly dharma talk will be presented during the evening (8:00 PM) in lieu of the third sit, followed by Q&A. All welcome. To log-in, please click on the Thursday evening Zoom link as above.
18.10 - 25.10.2020
Sesshin 7-day retreat
Residential retreat. Registration is now open for our residential 7-day intensive retreat. Please see our events page for more details.
Community engagement:
Prison project
Pathway Zen is a founding member of Inside Mindfulness Inc., which facilitates weekly mindfulness based rehabilitation programs in Queensland correctional centres. Volunteer facilitators are always welcome to participate. For more information please contact Arno Hess.
Carbon Footprint
Pathway Zen committed to a strategy to achieve carbon neutrality through identifying, reducing and offsetting its carbon emissions. For more details please visit our "About/code of conduct" page on this website.
