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THE ZEN WAVE HITS RICHMOND: ZEN MEDITATION GROUP
By Noah Langford, Hampton School
Perhaps the best-known and most-practised school of Buddhism in the west, Zen Buddhism’s concepts have become influential on today’s society. As we see more and more Zen Buddhism in our lives, I investigated how it had manifested itself in my own area. Recently, I spoke to Tania Turner, co-founder of Zen Meditation Richmond, about why she was initially inspired to start Zen Meditation Richmond, her progress with the group, and about how it and more broadly zen had influenced her life.
‘The initial inspiration [to start the group] came a few years ago when Carole Tonkinson, the co-founder, and I were on our way back from sesshin [meditation retreat] in Paris. We wanted to share practice with others closer to home and offer regular Zen teaching and meditation’ Tania told me. ‘In our group in Richmond it is important to us that we honour the integrity of the teaching and our lineage while integrating the practise into our daily, modern, and often busy lives.’ As the group has grown and more members have joined and become more experienced with the practice, the sessions have changed too. ‘Over the years the group has grown in numbers and as practitioners have developed we sit for longer periods and have held several half days and full days of meditation,’ she explained. ‘Over these few years we have gently introduced more “form” into the group. For example, chanting the four vows at the end of the evening or doing periods of work meditation have become parts of our routine.’
Tania may be a Buddhist teacher but by day she is also a practicing psychotherapist – someone living a modern life just like us. So what is the most important aspect of Zen Buddhism for her? ‘It is a challenge to pin Zen to one important point as everything is important. This is Zen. Zen is my life. Right here, right now, this moment, there is nothing that is excluded.’ She illustrated: ‘Right here is the ground of awakening. It is not always so easy to realise this wholeness, our unity, diversity and interdependence with all life and making the whole of my life the field of my Zen practice is the challenge.’
Highlights thus far for Zen Meditation Richmond have included visits by several teachers from within the group’s lineage including teacher Genno Roshi, who formally opened the Zendo, and more recently a workshop in contemplative art appreciation led by Frank De Waele Roshi. Finally, I asked her about the goals Tania has for the group in years to come. ‘This year we have started a programme of social action as an extension of our sitting meditation practice and as part of a tradition of unconditional warmth towards all excluded people. The first organisation we wanted to support was a local homeless charity called SPEAR,’ she explained. ‘Later this year we are going to start a monthly study group. We will choose an appropriate book to read and come together to share what has touched, triggered or been curious about. The aim is to take this as another opportunity to share practice, rather than as an intellectual exercise. This is another accessible way the group can share Zen.’
Thank you
https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/youngreporter/17608757.zen-wave-hits-richmond-meditation-group/