Dear MZM Meditators

Greetings from Seikan

Thank you to all of you who previously completed one of the MZM Preferences Polls, and thanks also for your individual feedback and requests via email and in person. Whilst no meeting format and scheduling can ever satisfy everyone’s preferences equally, I have tried to be as responsive and inclusive of your preferences as practicable. The following provides a practical orientation to MZM meetings for 2010:

Meeting Types and Formats

• Guided MZM Meetings: In response to members' requests and preferences, MZM is now running MZM 'Guided' meetings on two weekday evenings: Tuesdays and Thursdays (NB: periodically the MZM Meditation Course runs on Tuesday evenings in lieu of guided format meetings - see below). MZM 'Guided' meetings run for an hour and a half, with 2x 30mins of meditation time (comprising guided and silent meditation), and 30mins of interactive time (including a short talk and discussion about different aspects of meditation practice).
  
• MZM Meditation Course: In addition to our guided meditation meetings, MZM also periodically offers a self-contained 5-week meditation course designed for learning to meditate easily and well. The course is taught over 5 x 90mins sessions on Tuesday evenings (in lieu of Tuesday MZM 'Guided' meetings). It is structured to provide a balance between learning about meditation and experiencing it in practice. MZM Meditation Courses are run three times a year (the next course will be held around November 2010).
  
• MZM Zazen Meetings (Silent): This format is intended for MZM members interested in more formal Zen practice. Like all other MZM formats, MZM Zazen meetings also go for an hour and a half, but purely involve 2x 40mins of Zazen (silent sitting meditation facing the wall) and 10mins Kinhin (slow walking meditation). Currently MZM Zazen meetings are held once weekly on Monday evenings. On the first Monday of each month, MZM Zazen meeting are extended into a "mini-Sesshin" until midnight for the option of sitting more Zazen periods.

All MZM meetings are listed in the MZM Calendar. It is recommended that you visit there from time to time, and RSVP at your convenience to whichever meetings you may wish to attend.

Venue and Directions

MZM meetings will be held at the following location:

96A High Street, Glen Iris, Vic.3206

You can choose between sitting on a chair or a meditation cushion (for the latter I have constructed a zen-style sitting platform), or you can also bring a meditation stool if that is your preferred way of sitting.

The venue can accommodate up to 10 meditators for general meetings (and for Zazen meetings only up to 8 meditators in order to leave sufficient space for walking meditation).

If you are coming by car, there is easy parking available in High Street, as well as in both adjoining side streets, Seaton Street and Allison Avenue. If you are arriving by public transport, the closest train station is Glen Iris (on the Glen Waverley line), and the closest tram stop is right at the end of the Glen Iris line, both of which are about a 10-15 minute walk from the venue. For cyclists, you can use the Yarra and Gardiner Creek bike paths, which should take about 30-40 minutes of cycling time from the CBD.

To allow meetings to start on time, please aim to arrive around 5 minutes before the scheduled start of each meeting. There will be a key on a string attached to the front door, which you can use to let yourself in when you arrive. Also at the front door, you will see a shoe rack where to leave your shoes. After entering, please close the front door behind you, and the meditation space will be directly to your left. Choose any chair or cushion and be comfortable.

Fees and Refunds

Following an initial period without any fees, when meetings were booked out but there were nearly 50% of no-shows to the meetings (presumably due to our collective tendency not to value fully that which is offered "for free"), MZM has since adopted the following fee schedule:

• MZM 'Guided' Meetings (Tuesdays and Thursdays)$10
  
• MZM Meditation Course (5 Week Program)$110

When booking in for these MZM meetings, as part of your RSVP the relevant fee is payable via PayPal. (If you are not currently set up for PayPal, you can set it up quickly and easily. MZM recognizes that not everybody may immediately warm to the idea of PayPal, but it is practically the only way not have to spend much extra time on manual fee collecting and manual account keeping, as well as to minimize the incidence of "no shows").

All MZM meeting fees paid via PayPal are refunded automatically a) if you cancel your attendance up to 48 hours before the meeting by changing your RSVP to "no" on the website, or b) if the meeting itself gets cancelled.

Attendance of MZM Zazen (Silent) Meetings is by RSVP and donation as follows:

• MZM Zazen Meetings (Mondays)suggested donation $5 (mini-Sesshins suggested donation $10)

Donations can simply be left in the Dana Box on the shelf in the foyer.

MZM is a non-profit operation with a portion of its fees being directed to Melbourne Zen Hospice in support of its free outreach services for persons approaching the end of life and their carers and families.

Thank you

Warm regards
Seikan
MZM