About the HBS Zen Group
We welcome you to get in touch and attend one of our monthly open meetings in Winchester where there is a chance to learn more about Zen and our group in particular. These meetings are on the last Monday of each month, and have time set aside for discussion and questions. For regular members, we also hold a weekly meditation based session in Totton.
The Zen Group is affiliated to the Zen Centre, which has temples in London and Luton and offers a structured training programme. The Zen Centre is closely associated with the Buddhist Society. The head teacher of the Zen Centre is Martin Goodson, who was appointed by our founder, Venerable Myokyo-ni. Venerable Myokyo-ni, then known as Dr Irmgard Schloegl, trained in Japan for twelve years during the Sixties and early Seventies at Daitoku-ji temple in Kyoto and qualified as a Zen Master. She died in 2007 and is now formally known as Master Daiyu Myokyo. The training she established continues and has traditional roots.
Talks by Martin Goodson can be found on the website, "the Zen gateway". These introductory talks are a good place to start.
The Zen Centre assumes that new students are already familiar with the basic principles of Buddhism but this should not discourage those new to Buddhism from attending our local meetings. Buddhist principles can be learned at the Group’s meetings and by study but the Buddhist Society’s correspondence course is recommended for a systematic approach. Two members of the Group are correspondence course tutors.
Our weekly meetings are currently in Totton on Monday evenings (apart from the open meetings on the last Monday of the month which are in Winchester). Details are published in our calendar . The regular meeting format includes chanting and zazen (sitting meditation). The last meeting of every month is an “open meeting”, which is the least formal and gives new members a chance to learn about the Group.
Once a month there is an opportunity to attend (this may be online depending on covid) an all-day Sunday meeting at the Buddhist Society in London, usually led by Dr Desmond Biddulph, President of the Buddhist Society and a senior student of Venerable Myokyo-ni, and by Venerable Sogen of Fairlight Zen Buddhist Temple in Luton. There are usually two practice talks and instruction in zazen. Group members share cars for these trips, so they aren’t expensive.
[subject to Covid:] Every summer there is an opportunity to attend the Buddhist Society’s residential Summer School. This lasts for a week and is held at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester. Martin and other senior members of the Buddhist Society conduct the course.
For those “older” in the training, the Zen Centre offers a range of sesshins (retreats) ranging from one to five days for more intensive training. All of this might seem a bit daunting for the newcomer! There is no need to jump in feet first and try to do all of it. The best place to start is usually one of our monthly “open meetings”, which will give you a chance to meet some of the Group members informally and ask questions.
If you would like to come, please email hbs.zen.group@gmail.com for details.
We welcome you to get in touch and attend one of our monthly open meetings in Winchester where there is a chance to learn more about Zen and our group in particular. These meetings are on the last Monday of each month, and have time set aside for discussion and questions. For regular members, we also hold a weekly meditation based session in Totton.
The Zen Group is affiliated to the Zen Centre, which has temples in London and Luton and offers a structured training programme. The Zen Centre is closely associated with the Buddhist Society. The head teacher of the Zen Centre is Martin Goodson, who was appointed by our founder, Venerable Myokyo-ni. Venerable Myokyo-ni, then known as Dr Irmgard Schloegl, trained in Japan for twelve years during the Sixties and early Seventies at Daitoku-ji temple in Kyoto and qualified as a Zen Master. She died in 2007 and is now formally known as Master Daiyu Myokyo. The training she established continues and has traditional roots.
Talks by Martin Goodson can be found on the website, "the Zen gateway". These introductory talks are a good place to start.
The Zen Centre assumes that new students are already familiar with the basic principles of Buddhism but this should not discourage those new to Buddhism from attending our local meetings. Buddhist principles can be learned at the Group’s meetings and by study but the Buddhist Society’s correspondence course is recommended for a systematic approach. Two members of the Group are correspondence course tutors.
Our weekly meetings are currently in Totton on Monday evenings (apart from the open meetings on the last Monday of the month which are in Winchester). Details are published in our calendar . The regular meeting format includes chanting and zazen (sitting meditation). The last meeting of every month is an “open meeting”, which is the least formal and gives new members a chance to learn about the Group.
Once a month there is an opportunity to attend (this may be online depending on covid) an all-day Sunday meeting at the Buddhist Society in London, usually led by Dr Desmond Biddulph, President of the Buddhist Society and a senior student of Venerable Myokyo-ni, and by Venerable Sogen of Fairlight Zen Buddhist Temple in Luton. There are usually two practice talks and instruction in zazen. Group members share cars for these trips, so they aren’t expensive.
[subject to Covid:] Every summer there is an opportunity to attend the Buddhist Society’s residential Summer School. This lasts for a week and is held at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester. Martin and other senior members of the Buddhist Society conduct the course.
For those “older” in the training, the Zen Centre offers a range of sesshins (retreats) ranging from one to five days for more intensive training. All of this might seem a bit daunting for the newcomer! There is no need to jump in feet first and try to do all of it. The best place to start is usually one of our monthly “open meetings”, which will give you a chance to meet some of the Group members informally and ask questions.
If you would like to come, please email hbs.zen.group@gmail.com for details.
Main image copyright Roberta Mansell. Text copyright Hampshire Buddhist Society unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.