• Welcome to our new teacher

    The sanctioning ceremony for Sensei Richard von Sturmer was a very special part of our 20th Anniversary weekend.

  • Next meditation workshop

    Our next meditation workshop is on Saturday 22 February 2025. You can register here.

  • Office hours

    On Thursdays we are open 8 am to 4 pm for inquiries and visitors.

    Please email our Centre Manager if you have any questions (info@aucklandzen.org.nz).

Zen practice
and training in Auckland,
New Zealand.

 

The Auckland Zen Centre is an urban Buddhist community lead by its co-founders Ven. Amala Wrightson, Roshi and Richard von Sturmer, Sensei. The Centre offers regular sittings, talks, zen meditation workshops, retreats (sesshin) and opportunities to engage in compassionate action.

What is Zen?

Zen is a mind-body practice that developed over several centuries in China after the legendary monk Bodhidharma came from India in 479 CE to transmit Buddhist teachings.

Sitting meditation (zazen) and moving meditation (kinhin) are the main practices in Zen, along with service and work (samu).

How to sit

Whether you sit in a chair or in full lotus, the three basic principles are the same: stability, alignment and ease.

Learn more on our How to sit page, or, even better, come along to a workshop.

Where to start?

Our introductory workshops include:

  • an introduction to Zen Buddhism

  • detailed instructions on sitting (zazen) and walking meditation

  • guidelines for establishing daily home practice

Podcasts

AZC Weekly talks

In this podcast series you can find all the talks given at the Auckland Zen Centre, back to 2016. Most talks are by Roshi Amala Wrightson, but there are also talks from Sensei Richard von Sturmer and senior students too.

Talks for beginners

Talks by Roshi Amala Wrightson that are particularly useful for those new to Zen.

Talks on precepts

Twice a year we have the opportunity to recommit to the 16 Precepts in a Jukai Ceremony (held at Matariki and New Year’s Eve). These talks explore the precepts that are at the heart of the Great Way.

See our podcast page for more collections of talks.

Live streaming

All our scheduled morning and evening sits at the Centre are live streamed on Mixlr (audio only). You are welcome to join us from where ever you are. Ceremonies and events are also live-streamed.

Instructions for joining a scheduled sit: Wait for the Zen Centre to come on-air (we are usually on-air 5 minutes before the sitting is scheduled to start). Once we are live, there will be a red LIVE sign on the right and an arrow button in the centre of the panel below. Click on the arrow to start streaming.

You can also join via our Mixlr page.

Upcoming events

 

Visit Us

52 Princes Street, Onehunga
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Aotearoa New Zealand

Office hours
Thursdays
8am – 4pm

Phone
(09) 550 4383 info@aucklandzen.org.nz