Forest Way Zen
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| Forest Way Zen | |
|---|---|
Forest Way Zen | |
| Information | |
| Tradition/Linage | Zen |
| Main School | Mahayana |
| Founded | 1989 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Barry Farrin Roshi |
| Teacher(s) | Barry Farrin Roshi |
| Contact Infotmation | |
| Address | Doonan Queensland 4562 Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | |
| Map | |
| Phone | (07) 5471 1332 |
| Website | http://www.forestwayzen.com/ |
| [email protected] | |
| Postal Address | Post P.O. Box 631, Cooroy, Qld. 4563 |

The Forest Way Zen places emphasis on the ordinary moments of our life and encourages the members to take responsibility for their actions. Students are shown how to examine the relevance of Zen in the Twenty-First Century. The aim is to support students to find their own spiritual liberation leading to awakening. Forest Way Care is a special interest group interested in helping to alleviate the emotional suffering of people affected by cancer and other life threatening illness through mindfulness meditation.
Barry Farrin Roshi

Barry Farrin founded the Forest Way Zen on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in June 1989. He was appointed a Sensei (teacher) in the Diamond Sangha Zen tradition in 2004, and Roshi in 2015. The Forest Way Zen conducts Zen meetings around the Coast each week and runs monthly Zazenkai (retreats). Barry also conducts a three day Sesshin (long retreat) during the year and a five day Christmas Sesshin. Barry has studied Vipassana and Zen meditation, which are forms of Buddhist practice since 1984 and began his meditation practice in 1976. He became interested in Transcendental Meditation in 1977 and attended many of their retreats in the Blue Mountains. Barry became interested in the science of meditation while he completed his Masters Degree. He looked at meditation as a way of enhancing the quality of life for the unwell and for people who wanted to find a deep meaning in life. Barry designed a Stress Management Program based on these studies. He conducted weekly mindfulness meditation training classes at Bloomhill Cancer Help and continues this interest. He lived in a Zen Monastery in Brisbane for 12 months in 1995-96 and studied with the prominent Zen teacher Aitken Roshi in Hawaii in 1996.He is a student of Subhana Barzaghi Roshi and has trained with her since 1991. Barry has studied with other prominent Zen teachers including Gregg Howard, Geoff Dawson, Ezra Bayda and Elizabeth Hamilton from the Ordinary Mind Zen, Ama Samy Roshi, Rosalind Stone and Hogen Roshi. He has worked as a psychotherapist in private practice and as a consultant counsellor in palliative and cancer care. He has a Bachelor of Social Science, a Masters degree in Applied Science and a Graduate Diploma in Counselling. Barry is currently completing a Masters in Divinity in Zen Buddhist Studies. He was a founding member of the Sunshine Coast Interfaith Network (SCIN) and is committed to exploring and developing better processes in “living together”. Barry is interested in how we apply the insights gained in Zen meditation practice to every day life. Barry places emphasis on the ordinary moments of our life and his teachings are about taking responsibility in our daily affairs. He encourages his students to examine the relevance of Zen in the 21st century and the role of Zen meditation in developing the qualities of personal responsibility. Barry is now retired and has more time to devote to the Forest Way Zen and Zen teaching. He is increasing his dharma teaching commitment and relying more on Dana (donation) to continue his teaching of the Dharma.