Zen Meditation

Zen Meditation with the Princeton Area Zen Group

The Princeton Area Zen Group (www.princetonzengroup.org) meets most Sundays from 7 to 9 PM behind Holsome Teas to practice sitting meditation (zazen), followed by an informal gathering and discussion with light refreshment. Interviews with the teacher (dokusan) are possible most weeks. Beginner’s Night is held the first Sunday of each month and starts promptly at 6:30 PM. To participate, please call Alan (609 924-0358) or Bill (908 437-1232).

Bill Boyle, the PAZG teacher, has been a member of the group since its inception. In 2005, he completed his koan study with the founding teachers and now offers dharma talks and weekly interviews (dokusan).

Those who have previously practiced zazen are welcome to join us for any Sunday evening of meditation. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing, and bring zabuton and zafu cushions if you have them. Some cushions are available for newcomers. Suggested donation: $5, or $3 for students. For more information, check our web site or call the numbers above.

Purpose of the Group. The PAZG is an unaffiliated Zen center designed to introduce anyone with a sincere desire for self-realization to the formal practice of zazen (sitting meditation). We are a collection of committed individuals gathered to maintain a Zen community. The group embodies the notion of “lay” Zen, which is not a part of a monastic or religious organization. The group emphasizes traditional elements of Zen practice, such as sitting meditation, dharma talks, private interviews, and retreats, geared to contemporary Western cultural needs in the context of a democratic community.

History. The founding teachers Manfred Steger and Perle Besserman studied with several Japanese and Western Zen teachers, particularly Robert Aitken Roshi of the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu, where Manfred completed his koan practice. In 1991 he voluntarily resigned as Junior Teacher of the Diamond Sangha and, with his wife Perle, founded the PAZG. They now reside in Australia. Their writings on Zen include Owning It; A New Zen for Women; Crazy Clouds: Zen Radicals, Rebels and Reformers, a history of iconoclastic Zen teachers; and Grassroots Zen, their account of the Princeton Area Zen Group.

Directions. In Princeton on Nassau St. (Route 27), turn onto Witherspoon St. (0.2 mile from beginning of Nassau) and take the first right onto Spring St. Proceed less than one block and park. The rear entrance to the store is the left door in the white building facing Witherspoon off the parking lot.

Parking. The parking lot at Spring St. and Tulane St. behind Holsome Teas is free on Sunday. There is a parking garage on Spring St. facing the lot. The fee Sunday evening is $0.50 for up to four hours. Bring change for the ticket machine.