Zen Group of Western Australia Zen Group of Western Australia The Zen Group of Western Australia (ZGWA) is an organization of lay zen practitioners located in Perth, Western Australia. The ZGWA is formally affiliated with the Diamond Sangha tradition of Zen Buddhism, which was founded in Hawaii in 1959 by Robert Aitken Roshi. In keeping with Diamond Sangha tradition, the ZGWA uses rituals from both the Soto and Rinzai schools. Mediation practices of Shikantaza from the Sōtō school and koan training from the Rinzai school are typical forms of practise employed by students in the group, under the guidance of the groups roshi. ZGWA's senior
History of Buddhism later Kamakura period (1185-1333), there were six new Buddhist schools founded which competed with the older Nara schools and are known as "New Buddhism" or "Kamakura Buddhism." They include the influential Pure Land schools of Hōnen (1133–1212) and Shinran (1173–1263), the Rinzai and Soto schools of Zen founded by Eisai (1141–1215) and Dōgen (1200–1253) as well as the Lotus sutra school of Nichiren (1222–1282). Japanese Buddhist art was especially productive between the 8th and 13th centuries during Nara period (710-794), Heian period (794-1185) and Kamakura period (1185-1333). Buddhism, especially Zen, remained culturally influential during the Ashikaga period (1333–1573) and the