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The
Montreal Zen Center is a lay community. In its early years
it was simply an affiliate of the Rochester Center. By the
late 70's the sangha or community had grown large enough to
warrant a full-time director. Albert Low and his wife Jean
were sent in 1979.
Under their direction the Center underwent some major
changes. Chief among these was that in order to be able to
handle the needs of the growing community it moved into a
bigger facility. Now a full schedule of sesshins are held
each year (see the Montreal Zen Center
Calendar )
In 1986 Albert Low was given full transmission and
became a teacher in his own right. At the same time the Montreal
Zen Center became a fully autonomous Center of which he is
the teacher-director.
The moment that you pause
to rest upon the Way,
you fall behind
you are pulled back
you go astray
- Angelus Silesius
The Center now has a membership of over 200 people,
who come from all walks of life: professors, lawyers, psychiatrists,
psychologists, businessmen, journalists, computer experts,
nurses, students and many other professions, and from such
places as Europe, the United States, South America and other
parts of Canada.
The members are directly involved in running the Center,
from looking after the grounds and buildings to supervising
daily practice, both in the mornings and evenings. One member
comes each week during the summer months to mow the lawn. Others
weed the beautiful gardens which bloom from early spring to
late fall creating a wonderfully serene atmosphere. Every member's
talent is put to good use at the Center! One member is an expert
in construction and often donates long hours to the maintenance
of these old and beautiful premises. Another looks after the
various kinds of office work from answering the phone to sending
out newsletters. Other members come each month to set up the
house, carefully and meticulously, for each sesshin. Some stock
the house with household necessities and others buy the food
necessary to feed all the participants for the sesshins. The
more senior members take turns to monitor the daily practice
coming faithfully all year long. These monitors also help the
teacher-director, Albert Low with the sesshins. In addition
we now have two assistant teachers who look after the shorter
sesshins
We have two workdays a year: one in Autumn and the
other in Spring. These are wonderful community events and about
40 members work together painting, cleaning, gardening and
doing whatever needs to be done at the time. It is a day members
look forward to, getting together, working side by side and
then having bagels and soup at the end, catching up on each
others gossip!
Every member, even if they just come to one of the
Workdays during the year, helps make the Center the wonderful
oasis it is.
For the attached there is wandering, but for the unattached
there is no wandering: without wandering there is serenity; when
there is serenity there is no craving; without craving
there is neither coming nor going; without coming or going
there is neither passing away nor being reborn; without
passing away or being reborn there is neither this life nor the
next, nor anything between them. It is the end of suffering.
- Buddha
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