Established in 1976, the Sydney Zen Centre (SZC), was one of the first Zen Buddhist communities in Australia.¹ 

Located in what was once a corner store in inner city Sydney, it is affiliated with the Diamond Sangha, founded by Robert Aitken Roshi, who first visited Australia in 1979 and returned regularly for a decade thereafter conducting annual sesshin (traditional Zen retreats). Australians Subhana Barzaghi, one of first female Zen roshis (teachers) in the Diamond Sangha lineage, and Gillian Coote have been leading teachers of SZC since the 2000s. SZC conducts regular sitting meditations, Dharma talks, ceremonies and seasonal retreats at their ‘Bush Zendo’, Kodoji.² 

Kodoji, also known as ‘Ancient Ground Zendo’, is situated northwest of Sydney, nestled in a deep valley beneath high sandstone cliffs. Formally opened in 2001 by Aitken it is an award-winning eco-designed retreat centre, designed by Tony Coote and built by sangha volunteers over 35 years. The Stone Buddha meditating in the paddock was designed and constructed by SZC member Brendon Stewart. Australian artist Lindy Lee is also a prominent SZD member.³ 

Authors: Ruth Fitzpatrick, Anna Halafoff 

References: 

¹ “About Us”, Sydney Zen Centre, accessed 26 May, 2026, https://szc.org.au/about-us; Paul Croucher, Buddhism in Australia: 1848–1988 (New South Wales University Press, 1989).  

² Subhana Barzaghi, “The journey of a lay female Zen teacher,  ‘On a withered tree a flower blooms’”, in Buddhism in Australia : Traditions in change, ed. Cristina Rocha and Michelle Barker (Routledge, 2011), 124-133; Croucher, Buddhism in Australia.  

³ Barzaghi, “The journey of a lay female Zen teacher”; “Kodoji Our Bush Zendo,” Sydney Zen Centre, accessed 26 May, 2026, https://szc.org.au/about-us.