Other Upcoming Retreats

Strathean Zen Retreat, near Wellington

 May 2-4, 2025

This weekend meditation retreat is suitable for new and experienced practitioners.

Zen Practice Meetings

 Nau mai, haere mai! Our New Zealand Zen groups meet in person in sitting groups around the country, and online via Zoom.
The online meetings are offered:

Sunday morning zazen, 9am - 10.30am
Weekday morning zazen, 6.20am - 7.30am
Monday and Tuesday evening zazen, 7pm - 8.15pm
Wednesday evening discussion, 7pm-8.20pm

Contact [email protected] to sign up to online meditation. If you are new to Zen, we offer a 30-minute online beginner instruction before joining the meetings. You may also be interested in the written instructions for meditation.

About the Mountains and Rivers Order in New Zealand

The Mountains and Rivers Order (MRO) of Zen Buddhism, New Zealand offers Zen meditation retreats and Buddhist workshops with leading western Zen teachers. We are a community of Zen practitioners spread across NZ, with six local groups that offer weekly meditation. Sitting with one of these groups offers an excellent introduction to Zen practice and provides a supportive environment in which to develop one’s zazen and connect with the MRO sangha and teachers.
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Each year we offer two full week-long meditation intensives (sesshin), along with frequent shorter opportunities for practitioners to deepen and develop their practice. In July, the head of the MRO, Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi, based at Zen Mountain Monastery leads retreats in Nelson (in 2022 he will join us for the sesshin via Zoom), and in January, Hogen Sensei and Hojin Sensei (alternatively) lead retreats based in Christchurch. 
These rich opportunities support us to explore Zen Buddhism, deepen our practice, and develop connections with teachers and other practitioners.

Learn How to Meditate

Zazen is the form of meditation at the very heart of Zen practice. Zen is known as the “meditation school” of Buddhism. Basically, zazen is the study of the self.  ​​The great Master Dogen said, “To study the Buddha Way is to study the self; to study the self is to forget the self; and to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.” 

The Eight Gates of Zen Practice

The Eight Gates of Zen were developed by John Daido Loori, Roshi and form the basis of training in the Mountains and Rivers Order. They offer us a tangible way to take up the whole of our lives as a path of spiritual practice.  ​Whether we are at work, home or on retreat, these Eight Gates support us to nurture and express our aspiration towards living an authentic, awake life.

Zen Practice Locations

We have MRO Zen practice groups in locations across New Zealand: Manawatu, Wellington, Nelson, and Christchurch. Each group offers an introduction to Zen meditation (zazen), regular meditation sessions, and other events related to Zen training. Whatever our level of experience, practising zazen with a local group can offer support, direction and encouragement. 

Head of the Mountains and Rivers Order
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi is the Head of the Mountains and Rivers Order, and abbot and resident teacher of Zen Mountain Monastery. Shugen has been in full-time residential training since 1986; he received dharma transmission from Daido Roshi in 1997.  ​

Shugen has visited New Zealand annually to conduct Zen events for three decades, and currently offers a programme in Nelson each July. His teachings have appeared in various Buddhist journals, The Best Buddhist ​Writing 2009, and his first book, O Beautiful End, a collection of Zen memorial poems, was published in 2012.

FAQs on Starting Zen Meditation Practice

​I have tried meditating and can’t seem to concentrate or control my mind, I have so many thoughts—am I doing something wrong?

​Everybody starts from where they are, and everybody starts with a mind that’s usually scattered, perhaps agitated, and without much ability to concentrate for very long. The practice – especially initially – is to work on concentrating the mind, so that it’s stable, and so that you can look deeply within yourself. At the beginning the important point is to respect the fact that the mind is all over the place, with many thoughts. Practice is designed to work with being scattered. As you continue to sit, the mind will become more stable. There will be fewer thoughts, and you’ll be able to go deeper into your zazen. It's a natural progression, but it takes time and it takes practice. ​

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