The Zen Group of Western Australia
The Zen Group of Western Australia (ZGWA) began with a small group of meditators sitting in a private home in Mt Claremont, Perth, in 1983.1 It is affiliated with the Diamond Sangha tradition of Zen Buddhism, which emerged from the Sanbō Kyōdan (Order of the Three Treasures), founded in Japan by Haku’un Yasutani (1885–1973) in 1954, and incorporates both Soto and Rinzai traditions. Founded by Robert Aitken Roshi (1917–2010) in Hawaii in 1959, the Diamond Sangha nurtures local leadership through visiting teachers, creating a loose network of Zen sanghas that integrate traditional practices with local and contemporary adaptations. It is regarded as having played a significant role in the rapid growth of Zen in the Pacific region in the late 20th century.2
Robert Aitken Roshi first visited Australia in 1979 and returned regularly in the following decade to conduct annual Zen retreats (sesshin). Aitken and his successor, John Tarrant (b. 1949), both taught in Western Australia and fostered the development of ZGWA over many years. Current teachers at ZGWA are Mari Rhydwen Roshi and Dr Chris Baker Sensei. Former teachers include Ross Bolleter Roshi, who still takes part in an emeritus capacity, and Ian Sweetman Roshi.3
The main practice at ZGWA is zazen or sitting meditation. Various forms of communal practice are offered, including weekly zazen; zazenkai (one-day extended practice); sesshin (intensive Zen training retreats); Every Day Zen, a practice developed by Mari Rhydwen Roshi that aims to integrate Zen practice with daily life; and bushwalking retreats. ZGWA conducts both in-person and online practice groups. Teachers also offer dokusan, a private meeting between teacher and student, as a source of support and guidance in students’ practice. Regular monthly dokusan is available online or by phone.4
ZGWA is managed by the ZGWA Council, consisting of five to eight elected members, with the teacher serving as an ex-officio member. Councillors are appointed for one-year terms at the Annual General Meeting. 5
By: Sioh Yang Tan and Juewei Shi
References:
1 “Our Origins and History,” The Zen Group of Western Australia, accessed August 31, 2026, https://www.zgwa.org.au/history.
2 “Our Origins and History”; Helen J. Baroni, “Casting Indra’s Net across the Pacific: Robert Aitken and the Growth of the Diamond Sangha as a Trans-Pacific Zen Movement,” Journal of Global Buddhism 23, no. 2 (2022): 145–60, https://doi.org/10.26034/lu.jgb.2022.1994.
3 Paul Croucher, A History of Buddhism in Australia 1848–1988 (New South Wales University Press, 1989); “Our Origins and History”; “The Zen Group of Western Australia (The ZGWA) Orientation Notes,” The Zen Group of Western Australia, November 2023, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X2s5NSqwD1iWSrNy1Jsfz6PMJhoVHgOF/view.
4 “Events,” The Zen Group of Western Australia, accessed August 31, 2026, https://www.zgwa.org.au/events; “Orientation Notes,” The Zen Group of Western Australia.
5 “The ZGWA Council,” The Zen Group of Western Australia, accessed August 31, 2026, https://www.zgwa.org.au/council; The Zen Group of Western Australia, “Orientation Notes.”