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Who We Are

Mountains and Rivers Zen is a Zen community based in Hobart, Tasmania. Our ritual and form is that of the Diamond Sangha, first established by Robert Aitken and Anne Hopkins Aitken in 1959. The Diamond Sangha is now recognised as one of the most dynamic and creative lay Zen traditions in the world.

We meet on Wednesday lunchtimes, Thursday evenings and the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. For more details, see our schedule.

Schedule
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Our Teachers

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Susan Murphy Roshi

Susan Murphy Roshi began Zen practice in the Sydney Zen Centre in the mid-eighties, was appointed to teach by John Tarrant Roshi in 1998, receiving dharma transmission – or authorisation as an independent teacher – in both Robert Aitken’s Diamond Sangha and John Tarrant ’s Pacific Zen lineages in 2001. She has been coming to Hobart each year to teach at Mountains & Rivers Zen since 2014.

Roshi Susan is a well-known zen author and one of the important global voices in the Ecological Buddhism movement. Her most recent book A Fire Runs Through All Things (2023) is a detailed, Zen-inspired response to the tremendous koan presented to the world by the crisis of global warming. Other titles of Susan’s include Upside-Down Zen (2004, 2006), Minding the Earth, Mending the World (2012, 2014) and Red Thread Zen (2016).


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Kynan Sutherland Roshi

Kynan was invited to teach in 2019 by Susan Murphy Roshi and was given full dharma transmission in October 2023. He is the lead teacher for Castlemaine Zen, but is actively involved in multiple Zen sanghas across the country, including Zen Open Circle, the Melbourne Zen Group and Mountains and Rivers Zen. He offers regular dharma talks, dharma interviews and dharma events. You can access some of the recent talks via the Castlemaine Zen Podcast.

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Kirk Fisher Roshi

Kirk is a teacher for Melbourne Zen Group. He began Zen practice in 1993 in San Francisco. In 1997, Kirk moved to Australia and joined the Melbourne Zen Group. There, in 2016, he was invited to begin teaching. In 2023 he received transmission from Susan Murphy Roshi, which authorised him as an independent teacher. As a Zen teacher, Kirk has a love for story and listening, and a focus on sangha practice. All awakening opens us to who we are in relationship. We practice together and wake up to our togetherness.

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Affiliate Groups

We are fortunate to be affiliated with other Australian groups from the Diamond Sangha.

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Zen Open Circle

Zen Open Circle was born on a Sydney verandah in 2001 with a group of dedicated Zen students, led by founding teacher Susan Murphy Roshi. Since then it has blossomed into a vibrant and creative centre of Zen practice, offering unique access to the pertinent wisdom of this ancient tradition. We meet to clarify the Way with members from around Australia and overseas, exploring the most pressing issues of our time. Meditation, talks, open discussion and study groups are all part of the mix. We encourage everyone to bring their full selves to bear on the perennial questions of life, death, suffering and joy.

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Melbourne Zen Group

The Melbourne Zen Group is a small group of Zen practitioners who meditate together, study Zen together and support each other’s practice. In 1999, Subhana Barzaghi Roshi (based in NSW) agreed to be the group’s teacher. In 2002, Susan Murphy Roshi agreed to share this commitment with Subhana. In 2023, long-time group member Kirk Fisher was authorised by Susan Murphy to teach as a Zen Roshi in his own right. MZG offers regular orientation sessions for newcomers.

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Castlemaine Zen

A thriving Zen community in the heart of the Victorian Goldfields, led and founded by Kynan Sutherland Roshi. Offering monthly orientation, weekly zazen, monthly zazenkai, dharma discussions, sutra chanting, dharma talks, special events and dokusan. The Castlemain sangha is passionate about realising the dharma in the flow of everyday life. They place a strong emphasis on environmental action, social justice, community building and the arts.

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