Situated amidst a beautiful garden on the banks of La Rivière des Prairies, the Montreal Zen Center, as an oasis of calm in a frenetic urban world, provides an environment conducive to serious and vibrant spiritual endeavor.

The teacher, Albert Low, has had an interest in Zen since the early fifties and began practicing in1961. He has taught here in Montreal since 1979. He is well supported by a team of dedicated people all of whom have spent many years practicing Zen.

Zen, as it is practiced here at the Center, is free of dogma and beliefs. The focus of the Montreal Zen Center is to help people find their own way to live an authentic life based on a secure foundation of truth and reality.

The Center, established in 1975, has a lay community of well over 200 members who come from all walks of life and are active in our modern society. Center members are encouraged to see their families, work, and friends as the focus of their spiritual practice, coming to the Center to be refreshed and to gain encouragement and support.

With this in mind, the Center has a full schedule of activities which are focused on the practice of zazen (sitting meditation) in all its forms. There are morning and evening sittings, Sunday morning sitting, one-day sittings and three days to week-long intensive retreats (sesshins).

As well, personal instruction (dokusan) is given to those requesting it during the evening meditations and during the intensive retreats (sesshins).

Also, during the intensive retreats Zen talks, or teishos, are given by the teacher or a senior monitor. These teishos are intended to inspire and encourage rather than to instruct. The teishos have been recorded and members can buy them either as a cd or download iTeishos from this site. As an introduction to teishos, two free iTeishos (mp3s) are included here to download.

# 994 Vimalakirti's Silence (H84) by Albert Low (teacher-director) #1036 Nisargadatta by Albert Low (teacher-director)

Members find inspiration through reading the Zen Gong, the Center’s
journal, which is written by and for the members of the Center and is published at different times throughout the year.

Books and articles written by the teacher, Albert Low, as well as transcriptions of talks (teishos) provide further nourishment for the practice.

True, serious spiritual work can only be done by one's own self. The Center, through its myriad forms, provides this work with much needed support and encouragement.

Although practice at the Center is open to members only, workshops are given for the general public that offer an introduction necessary for the practice of zazen. These workshops, conducted by the teacher, Albert Low, and Roger Brouillette, a monitor, are followed by a course of four Thursday evenings to allow new members to join.

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