We hold group meditation meetings (sits) on Tuesday from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and on Saturday from 10am to 12pm.

Due to Covid, our sits are currently a mix of both face-to-face and online.

• All Saturday sits are currently online (to be reviewed).
• On Tuesdays we are trialling a hybrid sitting model – with some sitters at our CERES dojo and some sitters joining online.  Please see below for our current Tuesday Schedule and our CERES Covid Safe plan.

If you’re new to the Melbourne Zen Group, please contact us to arrange a free orientation session before you join our meetings.

Links for our online meetings are emailed to group members and to regular non-member sitters.

As a courtesy to other sitters:

• plan to arrive at the dojo approximately 15 minutes before zazen commences
• wear dark, un-patterned clothing to minimise distraction.

Zazenkai

The group also meets twice monthly for longer meditation meetings known as zazenkai.

More about zazenkai

Tuesday Schedule and CERES Covid Safe Plan

Face to face Tuesday sits resumed at CERES on 5 January using a hybrid model that includes online sitters.

The current Tuesday schedule is sitting and walking meditation from 6:30pm to 8pm, with Dharma sharing from 8pm to 8:30pm.

Our CERES Covid Safe plan:

• Cushions arranged at a density of 1 person per 4 metres square – with a maximum of 17 people sitting indoors.
• Windows and doors open to improve ventilation.
• Hand sanitiser at the Learning Centre entrance.
• All sitters must wear masks inside the dojo.  We have some spare masks on site.
• Sangha members are encouraged to maintain a social distance of 1.5 metres when not wearing masks.
• In place of sutra books we are trialling single page laminated ‘sutra sheets’ that are cleaned at the end of each sit.
• All sitters must register on arrival using either the CERES QR code system or the paper register provided.

Further notes:

• Please do not come to the Zendo if you are unwell.
• The CERES QR code system asks two location questions – answer “N/A” to the first question and “Learning Centre” to the second. Remember to ‘check out’ when you leave CERES.
• There will be a laptop set up at CERES to give online sitters a view of the CERES dojo. There will be CERES sitting places that are out of camera-view, however all sitters will briefly be in camera-view during kinhin (walking meditation)
• We will continue to explore options to create easeful and satisfying online/offline dharma sharing. Please bear with us as we work through this.
• You may wish to wear mosquito repellent due to doors being open. There will also be some available at the Learning Centre.
• If more than 17 people turn up at CERES on a Tuesday evening (unlikely), extra cushions will be set up on the verandah.
• We hope to return to face-to-face sitting on Saturdays soon. Our learning from Tuesday nights will help with this (keeping in mind that our pre-Covid Saturday turnout was regularly around 30 sitters).
• Plans may change in response to changing restrictions. Please check back for updates before attending.

Please contact us if you have any questions.